The Dominican Republic, and its owner, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Essay

The Dominican majority rule, and its owner, Rafael Leonidas TrujilloAll throughout the 20th century we can observe the marked presence of totalitarian regimes and governments in Latin America. Countries wish Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic all suffered under the merciless rule of dictators and military leaders. Yet the latter country, the Dominican Republic, experienced a unique variation of these favorite dictatorships, one that in the eyes of the world of those times was great, exclusively in the eyes of the Dominicans, was nothing short of deadly.Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, or El Chivo, controlled the people of the Dominican Republic in a manner that set him apart from the other leaders of that time. By controlling every aspect of the countrys economy, he controlled the people, by controlling each individuals income and their jobs, he controlled their lives. (Sagas, 173) It is true that from the outside it may appear that the economy was getting better in the Dominican Republic, scarce the problem was that all of the enterprises and businesses were directly or indirectly owned and controlled by Trujillo himself, not the government. Building bridges, making better roads, and establishing monuments were Trujillos ideas as to how to make the Dominican Republic a better place. (de Besault, N/A) True that these things made the Republic more appealing and made transportation better, but the inhumane methods Trujillo employed to follow his complete and utter control of the people completely overshadowed any positive things that he may have done.This previously inexistent economy is what allowed Trujillo to attain and strengthen his business leader in the Dominican Republic. Oddly enough, the same peo... ... In addition to being powerful, his ruthless murders made him a dangerous man too. This specific case in Latin American history comes to show how economic stability does not always mean happiness and wealth. The Dominican Republics economy was stable, but all the wealth belonged to one man, Trujillo. A Nations wealth in the hands of one man only means that the Nations safety and life-force also rest in his hands. Works Cited Bosch, Juan. Trujillo Causas de una tirania sin ejemplo. Caracas n.p., 1961. de Besault, Lawrence. President Trujillo His work and the Dominican Republic. Santiago Editorial El Diario, 1941. Ferreras, Ramon. Trujillo 20 aos despues. N.p. n.p., 1981. Roorda, Eric. The Dicator Next Door. London Duke UP, 1998. Sagas, Ernesto. The Dominican People A Documentary History. Princeton Markus Weiner, 2003.