U.S. Invades the Dominican Republic (1965)

Wed Apr 28, 1965

Image

On this day in 1965, the U.S. invaded the Dominican Republic with more than 22,000 troops in order to prevent a “communist dictatorship” from forming there. The military action was supported by the Organization of American States (OAS).

The Dominican Republic had been fraught with political instability since the assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961. Although Trujillo brutally suppressed the population, his anti-communism made him a natural ally of the U.S. government. After his death, liberal reformer Juan Bosch became president, but he was deposed in a coup after less than a year in power.

In the ensuing power struggle, the U.S. was committed to preventing “another Cuba” (i.e., a communist revolution) from taking place. On April 28th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that he had taken action to forestall the establishment of a “communist dictatorship” in the country, providing reporters with lists of suspected communists there as evidence. These lists, however, contained people who were not communists or were in fact deceased.

The military action was supported by the Organization of American States (OAS). Over the next few weeks, they established a conservative, non-military government, which held fraudulent elections in June 1966. 69% of American people approved of the decision to send in troops at the time.

According to Rory Fanning of Jacobin: “Upon taking power, U.S.-backed leader Joaquín Balaguer began funneling nearly all of Dominican Republic’s minerals and sugar into the warehouses of U.S. businesses. His three-decade rule was marked by corruption and fraud. Wages plummeted, unions were dismantled, inflation soared, and unemployment hovered around 30 percent.”

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
    34·
    2 days ago

    Okay then, why doesn’t somebody do something about the capitalism in those Communist Dictatorships? Hopefully the process involves dethroning the Dictator.

    • Fingolfinz@lemmy.world
      31·
      2 days ago

      Decentralization is what needs to occur next. Communism is far from perfect and I think anarcho-syndicalism is where it’s at. The parts that communism has right on is that economies need to be based around the needs of people and not profits, the dictatorship wouldn’t be necessary if the higher classes gave up power but they never do. It’s not the end all solution but a step forward

    • WanderingVentra@lemm.ee
      54·
      2 days ago

      You can’t instantly go to communism from capitalism. Even Marx knew this. It was a process (like everything is, that’s part of the dialectical materialism component of Marxism).

      Lenin called that process from capitalism to communism socialism, and that term has basically stuck. Basically, you need to build up productive forces, and in a globalized society like we have now you also need to trade with capitalist countries, especially when the current hegemony is capitalist and only trades with you if you’re capitalist.

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
        74·
        2 days ago

        What Lenin built, intentional or otherwise, was the biggest, most hostile, least free, fastest self-destructing world power in modern history.

        So your theory doesn’t hold water, mate. A bowl that is filled can hold no water.