Figure 1.--Here President Alejandro Woss y Gil after seizing the presidency in a coip is taking office (1903). The paintung by Luís Desangles (1861-1940) exudes an aura of stability. In fact Woss y Gil was deposed only 6 months later. After the assasination of dictator Heureaux, the Dominican Republic secended into the instability that ha dominated the 19th century.

The stability that Heureaux brought about began to break down after the turn-of the 20th century. This began with the prsidency of Horacio Vásquez who had served as provisional president after Heureaux's assasination. The presidency becomes a blur of short term and ineffectual leaders. Horacio Vásquez and others briefly replaced Vasquez. Gen. Alejandro Woss y Gil seized power from Juan Isidro Jimenes (1903). Gil after only 6 months was removed by Carlos Felipe Morales. Admist all the misical chairs in Santo Doming, the country very quickly returned to the instability that had plagued it during the 19th century. Short-termed governments again became the norm. The power of the essentially leaderless central government was usurped by loval war lords (caudillos) in important parts of the country. And to make matters worse, the national government was bankrupted by Heureaux's massive debts. European creditor nations threatened to intervene. France was particularly aggressive. This was still the era of gunboat diplomacy. And the idea of debt forgiveness was unheard of in international discourse. Debts were expected to be paid

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Created: 5:22 PM 12/21/2015
Last updated: 5:22 PM 12/21/2015