Part 1
Mirador offered this link in another thread and it brought to mind some observations.
Of special interest, I thought, was the second article titled "?Fuerzas Armadas o grupos militares de crimen y extorsi?n?". After reading that article it should make a person pose the question as to who really has the control within this country.
When studying the history of this country some things become very apparent. Since back in the days of Columbus it has always been ?to those with the most men and better arms? (continuous competition for supremacy). When things seemed to have gotten out of hand with too many different groups warring then another country always seemed to step in which had a tendency to cause a sort of organization of sorts which resulted in only one major group obtaining control.
In the country?s earlier days (1844-1864) it was General Pedro Santana Familias and Buenaventura B?ez M?ndez who had the control but it was their unprincipled, self-serving dominance that seems to have entrenched the tradition of caudillo rule in the DR.
Situated in Santo Domingo Santana was a power freak with a strong army and wished to insure that Haiti never became a problem again with the DR borders after their freedom in 1844. Further North Duarte, who too had an army of his own, proved to not being a military leader was replaced with General Jos? Mar?a Imbert. This caused Duarte to assume the post of governor of the Cibao. In July of 1844 Mella and other Duarte supporters in Santiago urged Duarte to take the title of president of the republic. Duarte seems to be a man that had democracy in mind and agreed to the presidency if free elections were in the foreseeable future. Needless to say this was not to Santana?s liking and his forces took over Santo Domingo on 12 July 1844 and proclaimed Santana ruler of the DR. It didn?t take long for Duarte, Mella and S?nchez to be imprisoned and then exiled by Santana.
After a few years Santana responded to general discontent, prompted mainly by the deteriorating currency, economy and the way he was running the country, by resigning from the presidency in February 1848 and retiring to his ranch in the province of El Seybo. Santana was replaced by Manuel Jim?nez, who didn?t really want the position, and the Haitians quickly attacked again. Santana, coming out of retirement, quickly checked the Haitian advance at Las Carreras in April 1849 and with some additional brief skirmishes between his forces and those loyal to Jim?nez
Santana took control of Santo Domingo and the government on May 30, 1849.
Having held the office of president (ruler) before, with bad results, Santana declined from holding that position again and was content as commander of the military forces. It was this that allowed B?ez, another military minded individual as a colonel under Santana, to become president.
This switching of leaders of the DR went back and forth between Santana and B?ez and in 1857 B?ez fled to Cura?ao with as much of the DR treasury he could carry,
In March of 1861 Santana allowed the annexation of the Dominican Republic by Spain. Being the idiot that he was Santana failed to understand the large amount of Dominicans that were against this annexation and the first rebellion broke out in May 1861, but it was quashed in short order. A better organized revolt, under the leadership of the baecista, General S?nchez, sprang up only a month later. Santana at this time had the title of captain general of the Province of Santo Domingo. He was forced to take to the field against his own countrymen as the representative of a foreign power. The wily Santana lured S?nchez into an ambush, where S?nchez was captured and executed.
Mirador offered this link in another thread and it brought to mind some observations.
Of special interest, I thought, was the second article titled "?Fuerzas Armadas o grupos militares de crimen y extorsi?n?". After reading that article it should make a person pose the question as to who really has the control within this country.
When studying the history of this country some things become very apparent. Since back in the days of Columbus it has always been ?to those with the most men and better arms? (continuous competition for supremacy). When things seemed to have gotten out of hand with too many different groups warring then another country always seemed to step in which had a tendency to cause a sort of organization of sorts which resulted in only one major group obtaining control.
In the country?s earlier days (1844-1864) it was General Pedro Santana Familias and Buenaventura B?ez M?ndez who had the control but it was their unprincipled, self-serving dominance that seems to have entrenched the tradition of caudillo rule in the DR.
Situated in Santo Domingo Santana was a power freak with a strong army and wished to insure that Haiti never became a problem again with the DR borders after their freedom in 1844. Further North Duarte, who too had an army of his own, proved to not being a military leader was replaced with General Jos? Mar?a Imbert. This caused Duarte to assume the post of governor of the Cibao. In July of 1844 Mella and other Duarte supporters in Santiago urged Duarte to take the title of president of the republic. Duarte seems to be a man that had democracy in mind and agreed to the presidency if free elections were in the foreseeable future. Needless to say this was not to Santana?s liking and his forces took over Santo Domingo on 12 July 1844 and proclaimed Santana ruler of the DR. It didn?t take long for Duarte, Mella and S?nchez to be imprisoned and then exiled by Santana.
After a few years Santana responded to general discontent, prompted mainly by the deteriorating currency, economy and the way he was running the country, by resigning from the presidency in February 1848 and retiring to his ranch in the province of El Seybo. Santana was replaced by Manuel Jim?nez, who didn?t really want the position, and the Haitians quickly attacked again. Santana, coming out of retirement, quickly checked the Haitian advance at Las Carreras in April 1849 and with some additional brief skirmishes between his forces and those loyal to Jim?nez
Santana took control of Santo Domingo and the government on May 30, 1849.
Having held the office of president (ruler) before, with bad results, Santana declined from holding that position again and was content as commander of the military forces. It was this that allowed B?ez, another military minded individual as a colonel under Santana, to become president.
This switching of leaders of the DR went back and forth between Santana and B?ez and in 1857 B?ez fled to Cura?ao with as much of the DR treasury he could carry,
In March of 1861 Santana allowed the annexation of the Dominican Republic by Spain. Being the idiot that he was Santana failed to understand the large amount of Dominicans that were against this annexation and the first rebellion broke out in May 1861, but it was quashed in short order. A better organized revolt, under the leadership of the baecista, General S?nchez, sprang up only a month later. Santana at this time had the title of captain general of the Province of Santo Domingo. He was forced to take to the field against his own countrymen as the representative of a foreign power. The wily Santana lured S?nchez into an ambush, where S?nchez was captured and executed.