DOMINICAN HISTORY

Seat of the Capital of the Hispanic New World, the Dominican Republic has primacy on: the first permanent European seat, the first University in the new world, first church, and first cathedral, first mass celebrated, and first royal parliament, among other things.

On December 5, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the island naming it later as Hispaniola. The name it was called by the island natives then was “Quisqueya” and “Bohio”.

“Quisqueya” is an indigenous word meaning “Mother of all lands” The word “Bohio” was accepted by the Spanish Language Royal Academy with the meaning of “America’s log, branches, and straw cabin”.

The Hispaniola was divided into two states by the Ryswick Treaty signed between Spain and France, in 1682, the western side of the island remaining under French domain, with an extension of 27,750 square km, and the Easter side under Spaniard domain, with an extension of 48,734 square km. The western side proclaimed its independence on January 1, 1804, creating the Republic of Haiti. En 1821.

In 1821, the Dominicans gained an “ephemeral” independence, breached when the Haitians took control of the whole island in 1822. They remained in power for 22 years. In 1844, the Dominican Republic was liberated from Haitian domain thanks to the heroic deed carried out by Juan Pablo Duarte, and a group of Dominicans forming “La Trinitaria”. It went back to being a Spaniard colony in 1861. In 1863 a fight for restoration of the Republic gave its fruits, and independence was regained.

The United States occupied the Dominican Republic for 8 years, parting from 1916, seeking the assurance on payments of debts contracted by the Dominican Republic with American and European banks. In 1930, the dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo took office, inflexibly governing until his execution in 1961.

Times following Trujillo’s death were of social and political turbulence. Juan Bosch was elected president in 1962, but was the object of a military coup. A series of short-term provisional government sequence took place until the civil revolution in 1965. President Lyndon Johnson sent the marines to stop the conflict, and to avoid the fact of “another Cuba” emerging. Elections took place in 1966, and Joaquin Balaguer was elected. He performed diverse functions during the “Trujillo’s Era”.

Reelected in 1970, and 1974. In 1978, Antonio Guzman, presidential candidate with the Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano –PRD) won the elections, and a power transition was effected.

In 1982, Salvador Jorge Blanco, also from “PRD” was elected. In 1986, Joaquin Balaguer was elected by a narrow margin, being this his fourth presidential period in history. In the elections of 1990, Balaguer wins again over his all-time political rival Juan Bosch.

In the May 1994 elections Balaguer is declared the winner by a narrow margin over Jose Francisco Peña Gomez, from PRD, and Juan Bosch reaching a far third place. Numerous accusations on irregularities caused a constitutional amendment, reducing to two years Balaguer’s presidential term. New elections were celebrated in May, 1996, won by Dr. Leonel Fernandez Reyna, a young attorney, from the high ranks of the Dominican Liberation Party (Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana -PLD)

At the present time the presidency of the Dominican Republic is occupied by Hipolito Mejía, supported by the legendary Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano) where he is a prominent member. Hipolito Mejia is serving a four year term (2000-2004). He was elected by the majority of the voters, on May 16,2000.