Editing Joaquín Balaguer (section)

==Vice presidency and first presidency (1957–1962)==
{{POV|date=March 2020}}
When Trujillo arranged to have his brother [[Héctor Trujillo|Héctor]] re-elected to the presidency in [[1957 Dominican Republic general election|1957]], he chose Balaguer as [[Vice President of the Dominican Republic|vice president]]. Three years later, when pressure from the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS) convinced Rafael that it was inappropriate to have a member of his family as president, Trujillo forced his brother to resign, and Balaguer succeeded to the post.

[[File:Rafael Trujillo and Joaquin Balaguer with Pius XII.jpg|thumb|left|Rafael Trujillo (second from right) and Balaguer (third from right) being received in audience by [[Pope Pius XII]] (far right) in 1955]]

[[File:Presidente D. Joaquín Balaguer en 1960.jpg|thumb|left|A portrait of Trujillo (left) and Balaguer (right) in 1960]]

The situation was dramatically altered, however, when Trujillo was [[Assassination of Rafael Trujillo|assassinated]] in May 1961. Balaguer initially remained president, with the real power held by Trujillo's son, [[Ramfis Trujillo|Ramfis]]. They initially took steps to liberalize the regime, granting some civil liberties and easing Trujillo's tight censorship of the press.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} 

Meanwhile, he revoked the nonaggression pact made with Cuba in January 1961. These measures did not go nearly far enough for a populace who had no memory of the instability and poverty that preceded Trujillo, and wanted more freedom and a more equitable distribution of wealth.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} At the same time, Ramfis' reforms went too far for the hard-line ''trujillistas'' led by his own uncles, [[Héctor Trujillo|Héctor]] and José Arismendi Trujillo. As the OAS continued economic sanctions imposed for Trujillo's attempted murder of [[Venezuela]]n President [[Romulo Betancourt]], Ramfis warned that the country could descend into civil war between left and right.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

Although official and unofficial repression of the opposition parties (the [[Dominican Revolutionary Party]] and National Civic Union, as well as the communist Dominican Popular Movement) continued, Balaguer publicly condemned this repression and in September he pledged to form a coalition government. Hector and Jose Trujillo left the country in October but the opposition parties demanded Ramfis withdraw from the government as well. At the end of October, Ramfis announced that he would resign if the OAS agreed to lift the economic sanctions. The OAS agreed on November 14 but Ramfis' uncles returned to the country the following day, hoping to lead a military coup. Ramfis resigned and went into exile on November 17 and rumours circulated that Air Force general Fernando Arturo Sánchez Otero would support pro-Castro revolutionaries. The United States now sent a small fleet of ships and 1,800 marines to patrol Dominican waters. The US consul informed Balaguer that these forces stood ready to intervene at his request, and would be supported by forces from Venezuela and Colombia. Air Force general Pedro Rafael Ramón Rodríguez Echavarría announced his support for Balaguer and bombed pro-Trujillo forces. The Trujillo brothers again fled the country on November 20 and Echavarría became [[List of Dominican Secretary of Armed Forces|Secretary of Armed Forces]].<ref>Giancarlo Soler Torrijos, "One Round for Us and Freedom", ''[[Life (magazine)|Life Magazine]]'', 1 December 1961.</ref><ref>''In the Shadow of the United States'' (2008), p. 52</ref>

The Union Civica Nacional (UCN) called a national strike and demanded the formation of a provisional government under their leader, [[Viriato Fiallo]], with elections to be delayed until 1964. The military were vehemently against the UCN taking power and Echaverría proposed a continuation of the Balaguer regime until the elections. The American consul mediated between the two sides and in January 1962 final agreement led to the creation of a seven-member Council of State, led by Balaguer but including members of the UCN, to replace both the Dominican Congress and the President and his cabinet until the election.<ref>[[Eric Thomas Chester]], ''Rag-tags, Scum, Riff-raff, and Commies'' (2001), p. 27, {{ISBN|1-58367-032-7}}, New York University Press.</ref> The OAS finally lifted sanctions against the country upon the formation of the council. However, popular unrest against Balaguer continued and many saw Echaverría as positioning himself to seize power. Military forces opened fire on demonstrators on 14 January which led to rioting the following day. On 16 January, Balaguer resigned and Echaverría staged a military coup d'état and arrested the other members of the council. With the US supporting the UCN and a new national strike beginning immediately, Echaverría was arrested by other officers two days later. The Council of State was restored under the leadership of [[Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly|Rafael Bonnelly]] and Balaguer went into exile in [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Puerto Rico]].<ref>Harry Kantor, "The Dominican Crisis", ''The Lingering Crisis'' (1969), p. 1-19<!-- ISBN needed --></ref>

[[Juan Bosch (politician)|Juan Bosch]] was elected president in 1962 in the country's first free election. He only held office for seven months, from February 1963 to September 1963, when he was [[1963 Dominican coup d'état|overthrown in a military coup]]. The country then began a tumultuous period which by 24 April 1965 saw the start of the [[Dominican Civil War]]. Military officers had revolted against the provisional Junta to restore Bosch, whereupon U.S. President [[Lyndon Johnson]], under the pretext of eliminating Communist influence in the Caribbean, sent 42,000 U.S. troops to defeat the revolt in [[Operation Power Pack]], on 28 April. The provisional government, headed by [[Héctor García-Godoy]], announced general elections for 1966. Balaguer seized his chance once he had the backing of the United States government, and returned to the Dominican Republic with the purpose of destroying the popular groups that had participated in the rebellions of 1965.<ref>Escalante, F., & Muñiz, M. (1995). ''The secret war: CIA covert operations against Cuba, 1959-62''. Melbourne: Ocean Press.</ref> He formed the Reformist Party and entered the presidential race against Bosch, campaigning as a moderate conservative advocating gradual and orderly reforms. He quickly gained the support of the establishment and easily defeated Bosch, who ran a somewhat muted campaign out of fear of military retribution.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}