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RaIael Trujillo, president turned dictator oI the Dominican Republic, achieved some good
Ior his nation, but overall historians have concluded that he hurt the economy, disrupted the class
system oI the people, used violence to win peoples votes and exiled thousands oI people. His liIe
and dictatorship has been controversial because he was able to make many positive and negative
changes to the Dominican Republic, which will be a part oI their history so that the country and
its people will never Iorget. He was unaware oI how he treated the people, and how he became a
ruthless leader but still considered himselI to be the 'Genius oI Peace, and 'Protector oI the
Working Class.
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He was a man oI many hidden motivations in which were revealed with time,
and caused historians to have heavily debated views on his aIIects oI the Dominican Republic.
RaIael Trujillo was born on October 24, 1891 in the Dominican Republic.
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He had an
uneventIul childhood, in which he attended school, and was supported by an averagely wealthy
Iamily consisting oI eleven siblings. This part oI his liIe was reIerred to as his 'quiet time, to
many historians, which Ialsely Ioreshadowed his actions oI the Iuture. Because Trujillo was one
oI so many children, Historian Helen Chapin Metz, a graduate oI the University oI Pennsylvania
who studied women`s rights and Iocused on the relationships oI Trujillo and women, along with
his Iamily suggests, that this time in Trujillo`s liIe could be part oI the reason he why he acted
out so oIten with women.
3
The lack oI attention Irom his parents may have Iueled Trujillo`s need
to have the upper hand, and marry Iour diIIerent women all in which he had multiple children
with and then divorced. This seemed to also play into how he treated women later when he rose
to power.

1
Kisck, Hyman J. "RaIael Trujillo- Carribean Cyrus." Judaism (2006). Print.
2
Metz, Helen Chapin. 4minican Republic and Haiti. C4untry Studies. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research
Division, Library oI Congress, 2001. Print.

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TransIerring into a more negative time in Trujillo`s liIe thought by many historians began
in 1919 when he emerged Irom being a minor oIIicer to the head oI the country`s army. Trujillo
organized his own opposing party to the previous provisional government, and created polls to
elect a new president, with only himselI winning the election in mind. Instead oI running in the
polls, he manipulated the people into voting Ior him by telling them that he would kill them iI
they didn`t vote Ior him.
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Historian, Albert Hicks who was just a man who started oII interested
in the turmoil involving Trujillo made a trip to the island in order to Iully understand what was
going on during his reign oI terror. He talked to people who admitted to voting Ior him because
they were scared oI what Trujillo`s party would do to them. Trujillo ended up winning the
election, by scoring ninety nine percent oI the population`s votes. Hicks interviewed a man who
said, 'As I handed in my ballot, six men standing in armed suits dressed in black, took hold oI
man walking out oI the door and shot him dead to the ground with a machine gun. There was a
sense oI Iear that took over the room, and I just wanted to escape everything.
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How is it that this
governing tactic was stronger than the previous one that ruled the Dominican Republic? Hicks
argues that someone so strong had to understand that violence couldn`t have been the only
answer, but that was the only way Trujillo knew how to do his business.
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Although he won the
election, at this point many Dominicans were still truly unaware oI what he was capable oI.
It just so happened that as Trujillo took over; things were beginning to come together in
cities and Ior the more important developing governmental relations. This is where historians
have had contradicting views on Trujillo`s outcome. InIrastructure, communications and

4
Hicks, Albert C. l44d in the Streets, the Life and Rule 4f Trufill4. New York: Creative Age,
1946. Print.

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transportation systems were all strengthened, but in a corrupted way
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. The entire governing
system beneIitted Irom the eIIorts that Trujillo contributed in order to win the election and thus
cause more people to like him. But the way he went about doing so was corrupt and ineIIicient.
Historian Lauren Derby who taught Caribbean history at UCLA and the University oI Chicago,
discussed his use oI his diIIerent orating genres and how they aIIected the people opinions.
Trujillo would gather in public places and give speeches, in hopes to strengthen the relationship
between him and his people. He used denunciation, or scolding words to scare his people and
create a sense oI Iear in which would somehow strengthen his messages.
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Another style oI
speaking in which he used was panegyric, or a praise speech. The combination oI these styles led
to Trujillo`s gain oI popularity as a governing savior and threat to the community.
His bribery and dictating methods didn`t change once he became president; they just
became more prevalent to the everyday Dominicans liIe. Historians have come to the consensus
that Trujillo had Iully enveloped into the idea that he was the only man in charge at this point.
From the years 1930 to 1952, Trujillo manipulated the daily liIe oI each person by regulating
who and what could be published in newspapers, on televisions and radios.
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Any inIormation
spread about the government or about him would be a criminal oIIense. People who opposed
Trujillo`s ideas were immediately killed and any Iamily member or Iriend who was associated
with them would be killed as well. These ideas oI controlling the press led everyone to Iear each
other and not trust anyone. In the book In the Time oI the ButterIlies, Iamilies began to run Irom
Trujillo`s Iorces because they were would be killed Ior not agreeing with his views. The Mirabal
sisters did this multiple times and Iound themselves shunned Irom many houses because they

7
Hicks, Albert C. pg. 73
8
Derby, Lauren. Hispanis American Hist4rical Review. Vol. 83. Durham NC: Duke University Press, 2003.
9
Plcks AlberL C pg 102
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were aIraid to be associated with them.
10
At this point, Iear successIully overtook the entire
Dominican Republic and many seemed to think there was no return to the liIe beIore Trujillo.
Although Trujillo made improvements to the liIestyles oI the middle class, he pushed his
limits to the extreme and changed many rights which caused distress among the people and
ultimately hurt there well being. A historian, Helen Chapin Metz talked about the Ieelings oI
many Dominican`s beIore Trujillo`s reign and they Ielt there was much more disorder and
disconnection between the people and the government. However that does not justiIy the amount
oI rights that were taken away and how much liIe was changed during Trujillo`s regime. Trujillo
changed many city names to his name, or his Iamily names to Iorce people into thinking highly
oI his presence. He renamed street names, which conIused many people and created disorder.
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Albert Hicks thinks strongly about the way people were aIIected by this; he Iound Trujillo`s
regulation was sort oI a good outcome, but never once did the people have the proper right to
make their own decisions.
The economy oI the Dominican Republic seemed to prosper in the terms during Trujillo,
globally the countries` economy seemed to be rising, but behind the scenes he was manipulating
the entire system to work towards his beneIit. Trujillo single handedly manipulated the country
by taking control oI all easily obtained resources that the people used on a daily basis. He
monopolized both the necessities, like Iood, milk, tobacco, government Iinances and Iees and
even the more promiscuous parts oI society, including prostitution, illegal gambling and drug
trade.
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At this point, he essentially controlled the entire country with little opposition. Every
item he monopolized he gained a huge personal income Irom, to the extent where prices oI goods

10
Alvarez !ulla ln Lhe 1lme of Lhe 8uLLerflles CharloLLe Pall Mu 8ecorded 2007
11
Plcks AlberL C pg 11
12
Plcks AlberL C pg 14


got so expensive that people were unable to buy them because Trujillo sneakily took all oI their
money.
13
How is it that people could argue that he stabilized the government when he ruined it?
Historians have shown many diIIerent sides to this argument, but Albert Hicks speaks strongly to
agree with the negativity Trujillo created.
How is it that Trujillo was able to cause such distress to this developing country without
anyone stepping in to help? Trujillo slyly and intelligently created Iriendships with high level
people who he knew would end up helping him do his dirty work. Hyman Kisck, is a scholar
who wrote about all the diIIerent kinds oI relationships Trujillo had with his Iriends, Iamily, the
people, women and even himselI.
14
The United States relied heavily on the Dominican
Republics` exports oI sugar, so Trujillo prestigiously Iriended many people in high places to
think that his dictatorship and what he was doing in the Dominican Republic was beneIicial. II
other countries were getting what they wanted in terms oI exports, they were more likely to not
tamper with Trujillos` motivations. So the United States realized they were getting what they
wanted so it wasn`t necessary Ior them change anything. Kisck also analyzed his relationship
with European countries, and realized Trujillo tricked them into thinking that they were receiving
what they wanted while he was really just taking advantage oI putting his money in their global
banking system, allowing it to be untouched iI he was to be executed Irom power.
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Trujillo
operated always with secret intentions, and with time everyone was soon able to Iigure them out.
When it came to public aIIairs, Trujillo Ielt it was important to always appear as iI he was
in the right. In 1938, Trujillo Ielt that it would strengthen the country as well as its place in the

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Kisck, Hyman J. p.369
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Plcks AlberL C pg 12

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global economy iI he allowed the emigration oI 100,000 Jewish reIugees Irom Germany and
Austria.
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A historian mentioned in Hyman J. Kisch`s article, Robert Crasweller states that he
wanted to introduce more white people into the Dominicans culture. Many other historians
thought that Trujillo just wanted the publicity Irom surrounding countries with hope that they
would help him out in the long run.
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This idea oI widening diIIerent types oI ethnicity on the
island seems to spoil when he later led the slaughtering oI IiIty thousand mulattos and Haitians.
Trujillo`s relationship with his Iamily and women seemed to show another side to him
which didn`t always reIlect his true intentions. Historians like Albert Hicks have analyzed why
Trujillo turned over being president to his brother during his second term in action. Hick believes
that 'he used his Iamily to illustrate his nobility and let the people, and other countries believe
that he wasn`t just this one man controlling the government, but that someone else could do the
same thing.
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He appointed his brother, Hector Trujillo to be the president, but he basically still
held all oI the power. Another relationship he used to manipulate power with was with women.
He essentially created a monopoly on women, which is called pulchritude. Hicks interviewed
many men during Trujillo`s regime who admitted to oIIering up their wives and daughters so that
Trujillo would kill their Iamily. Trujillo had many wives who he would impregnate, and just
leave them to think that he loved them. Julia Alverez, wrote a novel about the Mirabal sisters,
who tried to work against Trujillo`s` regime and get close to him in order to try to over throw.
Although this did not work, it is an example oI when he took advantage oI women, and how
women like the Mirabal sisters were able to stay strong and resist his eIIorts to womanize.

16
Metz, Helen Chapin. Pg. 474
17
klsch Pyman ! g 69
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Plcks AlberL C pg 140

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As Ior monopolizing the entire country Irom goods to people, as many could imagine, he
made permanent changes that he thought were considered right and Iair Ior the people. Though
he physically built the island up aIter hurricane San Zenon hit in 1931, which was thought to be
good, he Iailed to replace and expand upon the schooling systems.
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Trujillo said, 'I wish to see
emerge Irom the schools, generations oI men who are practical, methodical, disciplined and
valiant, who shape their personality and their destiny.
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What he thought and did were two
diIIerent things. He erased two hundred and seventy rudimentary schools when the population
was doubling, ultimately setting up the Iuture oI the Dominican Republic to Iail.
Trujillo seemed to hold the double standard when it came to the diIIerent nationalities
that he accepted to live in the Dominican Republic. While introducing thousands oI Jewish
reIugees into the population, he worked to exile many oI these people, along with thousands oI
Haitians in the Parsley Massacre. During his most vicious, dictating times, every historian
concluded by agreeing that this action negatively aIIected both the social and economic sides oI
the country. September oI 1937, incidents oI Iights were becoming more Irequent in cities
bordering Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He heard rumors that Haitians were stealing goods
and cattle and then were issued to exile every Haitian over the border. Hicks interviewed the
doctors in hospitals who treated many oI the wounded people and they said that Trujillo tried to
keep the entire massacre a secret. He gained so much power to rule over the entire island, and
censored mail that was sent on and oII the island. The river between Haiti and the Dominican
Republic was red Ior weeks due to the amount oI blood that Ilowed into the water. This massacre

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Plcks AlberL C pg 10

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by many historians is known as the 'bloodiest in the island oI Hispaniola`s history.
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How is it
that Trujillo had this much power to withhold his high ranked standings and do such a horrible
crime but remain untouched by any opposition? Historians have related this moment in history to
many current problems including starvation plaguing certain regions, drought limiting resources
and corrupt governments, resulting in possible threats to other countries.
Albert Hicks, who wrote the book Blood in the Streets actually traveled to the Dominican
Republic around 1945 and Ielt the exact oppression that many oI the people he interviewed Ielt
due to reign oI RaIael Trujillo. Trujillo Iound out that Hicks had entered the island and was
trying to understand and write about his dictatorship. He Iorced Haiti oIIicials to execute him
Irom the country. Although he went there to understand the aIIects oI Trujillo by actually
talking to him, he easily became aware oI his reign oI terror just by talking to so many Haitians,
as well as Dominicans that Iled Irom their mother land. 'I have experienced many who oI which
were true admirers and enemies oI Trujillo, and understand both sides, but I stand Iirmly in
saying that he was a terrible man with nasty intentions.
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This experience sculpted Hicks mind
and shows how Trujillo can have such an important aIIect on a stranger.
Trujillo was a powerIul man who nevertheless gave up his ideals and successIully
corrupted a society Ior the worse. He was assassinated, on May 30, 1961 in his car outside oI the
capital. While this action has seemed to have been problematic Ior the Iuture oI the Dominican
Republic, the people remarked upon this day as a, 'day oI returned Ireedom drenched in turmoil
that we won`t be able to escape Irom.
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Historians have agreed upon this day as being never

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Plcks AlberL C pg 169

22
Plcks AlberL C pg 198

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Plcks AlberL C pg 207
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Iorgotten to the Dominican people who suIIered so much. His hidden motivations were all
apparent and no longer would the people let a dictator have such a strong negative eIIect on their
social and economic lives.