Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

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Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
sion and violence. He emphasized themes of order and stability,
and he continued to link Dominican nationalism to what he
viewed as its Hispanic, Roman Catholic essence and to anti-Haitian
themes. He was both a realist about power politics and a
conservative nationalist; he recognized the overwhelming reality
of the United States presence, but retained a certain disdain
for that country and its leaders. Although he was willing to take
United States aid, Balaguer had conservative instincts and a
nationalist interpretation of Dominican history that led him
generally to be, like Trujillo, a fiscal conservative.
During the period from 1966 to 1978, Balaguer governed in
an authoritarian fashion. In both 1970 and 1974, in the face of
open military harassment, most opposition forces opted to
abstain from participation in elections. In 1973 Bosch—skeptical
about liberal democracy and critical of the United States
left the PRD to found the more radical cadre-oriented Party of
Dominican Liberation (Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana—PLD).
In 1976, however, in the face of growing United
States pressure, mounting economic problems, and increasing
domestic discontent, Balaguer began a process of political liberalization.
Meanwhile, the PRD sought to moderate its image
within the country, build support across all social sectors, and
strengthen its international ties. All this set the stage for Balaguer's
electoral defeat in 1978 and a transition to democracy.
The Contemporary Struggle for Democracy
The Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) came into office
in 1978 as a party committed to strengthening democracy and
fostering reform. However, the party's eight years in office were
ultimately to be a disappointment. The PRD's most significant
achievement was that one major threat to democracy, that of
military incursion into politics, receded considerably, beginning
in 1978 when President Silvestre Antonio Guzman
Fernandez forcibly removed high military officers favorable to
Balaguer. Even when Balaguer returned to power in 1986, the
military never regained the level of importance or of influence
it had had during his first twelve years in office.
In other respects, however, PRD administrations were not as
successful. The Guzman administration (1978-82) was limited
in its reform agenda because it faced a Senate controlled by
Balaguer's party and then experienced growing intraparty
rivalry in the PRD. Initial hopes that the administration of Salvador
Jorge Blanco (1982-86) could be an important example
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