Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Balaguer maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when U.S. In 1966, the caudillo Joaquín Balaguer defeated Bosch in the presidential election. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore Bosch. Juan Bosch was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. Around 1930, the Dominican Republic found itself under the control of the dictator Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the country until his assassination in 1961. Many leaders seized power through military force. Between 18, the Dominican Republic experienced multiple transitions in leadership, with 53 presidents (only 3 completing their terms) and the adoption of 19 constitutions. In 1844, Dominican independence was proclaimed and the republic, which was often known as Santo Domingo until the early 20th century, maintained its independence except for a short Spanish occupation from 1861 to 1865 and occupation by the United States from 1916 to 1924.ĭuring the 19th century, Dominicans were often at war, fighting the French, Haitians, Spanish, or amongst themselves, resulting in a society heavily influenced by caudillos, who ruled the country as if it were their personal kingdom. It was then part of a unified Hispaniola with Haiti from 1822 until 1844. What would become the Dominican Republic was the Spanish Captaincy General of Santo Domingo until 1821, except for a time as a French colony from 1795 to 1809. With fewer than 50,000 remaining, the survivors intermixed with Spaniards, Africans, and others, forming the present-day tripartite Dominican population. After 25 years of Spanish occupation, the Taíno population in the Spanish-dominated parts of the island drastically decreased through genocide. It was inhabited by the Taíno, an Arawakan people, who called the eastern part of the island Quisqueya (Kiskeya), meaning "mother of all lands." Columbus promptly claimed the island for the Spanish Crown, naming it La Isla Española ("the Spanish Island"), later Latinized to Hispaniola. Click on the following map to see the route Christopher Columbus traveled.The recorded history of the Dominican Republic began in 1492 when the Genoa-born navigator Christopher Columbus, working for the Crown of Castile, happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean. On this first voyage, Columbus seized about twenty natives and took them back to Spain. Believing that he had reached Asia, Columbus was eager to return to Europe with samples of the people and treasure to be had. Columbus’ group immediately began interacting with los indios, as he called them, claiming in his journal that they were friendly people and willing allies.įinding the land beautiful and the people agreeable, Columbus left about forty men behind and sailed home with news of success. The expedition was met with friendly natives bearing gifts for the newcomers. Columbus promptly claimed the area for the Spanish crown. The expedition then continued to present-day Haiti, a part of an island that Columbus called Hispaniola. After several weeks at sea, the expedition finally landed in October of 1492 on an island off the Bahamas, and named it San Salvador, meaning “blessed savior.” Columbus’s next stop was Cuba. ![]() The Santa Maria was a larger, slower rig. ![]() Both the Niña and the Pinta were caravels. He intended to explore and trade, as well as conquer and exploit.Ĭolumbus left Spain with ninety men aboard three vessels: the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. While his destination is disputed, his goals were apparent. While historians disagree about Columbus’s intended destination, most assume he was seeking Japan and the East Indies. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabell, the joint monarchs of Spain, agreed to finance Columbus’s voyage in return for the gold, spices, and riches that he might find. Unsuccessful finding funding in Portugal, Columbus moved to Spain. Learning to sail from Portuguese seamen, Columbus sailed for many years before moving to Lisbon, Portugal, to try to gain support for a voyage to find a route to India, China, and Japan by sailing west across the Atlantic. The exploration process was too slow for Christopher Columbus, who was born in the Italian seaside city of Genoa in 1451 to a family of weavers. Ferdinand and Isabella promised to finance his voyage but only after the last Moorish Kingdom had been captured and Islam driven from their realm. Columbus waited in Spain for several years for Spain’s war of reconquest against the Moors to end before receiving funding for his voyage.
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