Dominican Republic Imperialism

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After being colonized and the first Dominican Civil War, it was time for the second round of imperialism. The U.S. thought it was best to step in and help resolve central issues, however they were most likely doing it for their own good. The Dominican Republic was never formally a colony of the U.S., however it was very similar. A report states “President Woodrow Wilson sent Marines to the Republic in 1916. The United States navy ruled the country, with captain H.S. Knapp as president and with marine officers as cabinet members”(H.S. Knapp. This shows that although the Dominican Republic was under direct control, it was not a colony. During that time, the military were seen somewhat like police. After the U.S. military left the Dominican Republic in 1924 they still were in control because when they left a Dominican Military commander named Rafael Trujillo who was essentially a dictator in the pocket of the U.S. Government. …show more content…
Trujillo and his military are estimated to have taken the lives of tens of thousands of Haitians during the time he ruled. The worst thing that happened under his reign was the Parsley massacre in which Trujillo and his army were estimated to have taken the lives of over 25,000 Haitians. These were almost all civilian casualties and just people working in the sugar cane fields. Trujillo and his men went to the border of the Dominican Republic and tested peoples pronunciation of the word “parsley”. If a person failed this test, they were considered Haitian and would be killed on the spot. Trujillo ended up being executed in 1961. Overall during the time Trujillo reigned it would be considered a protectorate because the U.S. had control of Trujillo and it was indirect