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The Political Role of the Dominican Armed Forces: A Note on the 1963 Overthrow of Juan Bosch and on the 1965 Dominican “Revolution”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Abraham F. Lowenthal
Abraham F. Lowenthal*
Affiliation:
Center for International Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
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Extract

Several years ago, in a general essay on Dominican politics, I wrote a few pages about the political role of the Dominican Armed Forces. I argued that “the history of the past few years in the Dominican Republic may best be viewed as a constant struggle among changing alliances, not in terms of confrontation between civilian authority and the military establishment” (Lowenthal, 1969: 40). I suggested that “far from being a professional institution dedicated to certain principles that impel its occasional entry into politics, the Dominican Armed Forces have never had any significant function beyond politics, except for plunder” (Lowenthal, 1969: 40). Painting a picture of constant struggle within the Dominican Armed Forces, for power and a chance at the spoils, I played down the importance, for understanding the political role of Dominican military officers, of institutional and ideological considerations.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , August 1973 , pp. 355 - 362
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1973

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References

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