Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic: Historical Setting
ancourt of Venezuela, who, in turn, provided support for exile
groups plotting against Trujillo.
By the late 1950s, Trujillo faced multiple challenges, even as
the country's economy was suffering and his own mental acuity
was declining. Domestic opposition, agitation by exiles, and
international pressures began to reinforce each other. A failed
invasion attempt in June 1959 from Cuba helped spawn a
major underground movement, itself brutally crushed in January
1960. As a gesture of liberalization, in August 1960 Trujillo
removed his brother from the presidency, replacing him with
then vice presidentJoaquin Balaguer.
However, domestic opposition continued to grow, the
Roman Catholic Church began to distance itself from the
regime, and with concerns mounting about the Cuban Revolution,
the United States distanced itself as well. A summary of
United States policy intentions during this period is provided
in President John F. Kennedy's often-cited dictum that in
descending order of preferences the United States would prefer
a democratic regime, continuation of a Trujillo regime, or a
Castro regime, and that the United States should aim for the
first, but not renounce the second until it was sure the third
could be avoided. Covert and overt pressure, including cutting
off the United States sugar quota and Organization of American
States (OAS—see Glossary) sanctions, were applied to the
Trujillo regime. Finally, conspirators, who for the most part
had largely been supporters of the regime in the past, successfully
assassinated Trujillo on May 30, 1961. Following Trujillo's
death, attention immediately focused on what kind of regime
would replace him. It took additional threats of United States
military intervention to force Trujillo's relatives from the island
in November 1961 in order to allow opposition elements to
emerge.
Democratic Struggles and Failures
As were the years following the assassination of Heureaux
decades earlier, the immediate post-Trujillo period was a convulsive
one for the country. The preexisting political institutions
and practices from the Trujillo regime were clearly
inimical to a successful democratic transition. Yet, a clear break
with the Trujillos was achieved. In January 1962, Joaquin Balaguer,
who as vice president had taken over upon Trujillo's
death, was forced into exile by opposition elements. A provisional
government was formed to prepare for democratic elec-
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