You are right. I should know by now a thread about Trujillo will be mostly praising him here on dr1. Better just not read it.
- Thread starter Dolores
- Start date
Trujillo used architecture to impose his dictatorship in the psyche of Dominicans
Asked gemini.google.com "Did Trujillo used architecture to impose his dictatorship in the psyche of Dominicans"
Yes, Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican dictator, absolutely used architecture to impose his dictatorship on the psyche of the Dominican people. Here's how:
Alexander
Yes, Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican dictator, absolutely used architecture to impose his dictatorship on the psyche of the Dominican people. Here's how:
- Monumental grandeur: Trujillo commissioned grand buildings in a neoclassical style. Think massive columns, high ceilings, and imposing facades. These structures aimed to project an image of power, stability, and permanence – all qualities associated with his regime.
- Dominating the landscape: These buildings were often placed in prominent locations, dwarfing existing structures. This physical dominance served as a constant reminder of Trujillo's authority. The National Palace in Santo Domingo is a prime example.
- Gloryfying himself: Many buildings incorporated Trujillo's name, image, or symbols. This constant visual presence reinforced his cult of personality and instilled a sense of omnipresence.
- Controlling Public Space: The construction of grand avenues and plazas served a dual purpose. They facilitated military parades and public displays of loyalty, further solidifying his control.
Alexander
What does something that happened outside the era has to do with the era?As we are interested in history and Trujillo,
It is worth remembering the period in the DR.
On 24 April 1965, young military officers rose in revolt in the Dominican Republic. Four days later US troops invaded the country. It was the first US military intervention in Latin America in more than three decades. These dramatic events brought to center stage a small, backward Caribbean republic where until 1916 civil war and dictatorship had been the rule, democracy and honest government the fleeting exception. Then the United States invaded, and the eight-year US occupation paved the way for the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, which stretched from 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. The country emerged from the trauma of Trujillo at a time when the United States was haunted by the fear of a second Cuba. In December 1962 the Dominican Republic held its first free elections in almost four decades. The victor, Juan Bosch, established a government characterized by administrative probity, political freedom, and the promise of social reform, but the Kennedy administration decided that he was soft on Communism. Bosch was overthrown in September 1963, and the de facto government that replaced him indulged in an orgy of corruption. As long as it ruled, there would be no social reforms and no free elections. When young officers rebelled on 24 April 1965 and announced that they would return Bosch to the presidency, the population responded with relief and enthusiasm. Urged on by Washington, “loyalist” generals attacked the capital, the stronghold of the revolt, only to be defeated by thousands of armed civilians and hundreds of rebel soldiers. On 28 April the US embassy warned, correctly, that it was a matter of days before the rebels took control of the entire country. It also alleged that Communists had gained control of the revolt. President Lyndon B. Johnson sent in the troops. A four-month stalemate ensued in the glare of the international press, with the rebels holding out in downtown Santo Domingo while the United States and the Dominican government it had created controlled the rest of the country. Finally in September 1965 a provisional government was established. Elections followed in June 1966. Observers and scholars at the time and later have disagreed as to whether the provisional government was a fair compromise brokered by Washington’s patient diplomacy or a diktat forced by Washington on the besieged rebels, and as to whether the June 1966 elections were free. The documents declassified by the US government since the 1980s show clearly that it was a diktat and that the elections were not truly free.
The United States Invasion of the Dominican Republic, 1961–1966
"The United States Invasion of the Dominican Republic, 1961–1966" published on by null.www.oxfordbibliographies.com
President Lyndon Johnson sent U.S. Marines to the island to support the junta and to place Joaquin Balaguer back in power. Balaguer had succeeded Gen. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the brutal dictator who ruled the country with Washington's blessing for 31 years.
Trujillo used the U.S.-trained National Guard to banish, torture or kill his opponents.
40 years later, U.S. invasion still haunts Dominican Republic
40 years later, U.S. invasion still haunts Dominican RepublicBy Juleyka Lantigua It's been 40 years since the United States invaded the Dominican Republic, and my native country is still suffering the effects of that misguided intervention...
Of course despots can rule with mano duro, and create architecture with government money to enhance their glory and power.
And of course political interests of foreign powers and their money frequently help to install despots to their liking,
To enhance their sphere of power.
History is fascinating and worth studying.
Why not talk about the killers of Trujillo and hiw they had private cars and many of them were allowed to have guns at a time when only family members of Trujillo and his friends were the only ones with guns? A private car is something hardly any Dominican home had. Want to guess the social class these people belong to?
In the interview Alicia Ortega made of the late Angelita Trujillo, the second one once said that one thing she laments is that her fsther treated them as great friends and received them in his house. Whichever way you want to see it, these were privileged people.