Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar and Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina A Comparative Study

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dungy, Kathryn

Keywords

Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dictators

Area of Concentration

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Abstract

This thesis attempts to understand the similarities and differences between the governments of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba and Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Batista and Trujillo came from similar backgrounds and rose through the ranks of the armed forces. From Batista and Trujillo�s heightened position in the armed forces they gained political power. After examining the governments of the two men, an obvious pattern emerges within each government. Batista relied heavily on the United States and by doing so placed Cuba dependent and susceptible to the ups and downs of the economy of the United States. Trujillo did not remain dependent on the United States for the Dominican Republic�s economic needs and was able to diversify the economy of the country. This better economic state in the Dominican Republic allowed Trujillo to control Dominican society through physical and mental repression. Without economic independence, Batista could not effectively control Cuban society, which left room for opposition to grow and fester. In conclusion, Fulgencio Batista was unable to control Cuban society due to the poor economic conditions of Cuba while Rafael Trujillo was able to control and manipulate all sectors of Dominican society because of the higher degree of economic independence.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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