Editing Rafael Trujillo (section)

==In government==
[[File:Presidente Rafael L. Trujillo (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Trujillo in 1933]]
[[File: Rafael Trujillo 1933.jpg|thumb|upright|Stamp issued in 1933 on the occasion of Trujillo's 42nd birthday]]
Two and a half weeks after Trujillo ascended to the presidency, the destructive [[1930 San Zenón hurricane|Hurricane San Zenón]] hit Santo Domingo and left 2000 dead. As a response to the disaster, Trujillo placed the Dominican Republic under martial law and began to rebuild the city. He renamed the rebuilt capital of the Dominican Republic, Ciudad Trujillo ("Trujillo City") in his honor and had streets, monuments, and landmarks to honor him throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/rafael-trujillo|title=Rafael Trujillo|date=8 March 2021 }}</ref>

On 16 August 1931, the first anniversary of his inauguration, Trujillo made the [[Dominican Party]], founded two weeks earlier, the nation's sole legal political party. However, the country had effectively become a one-party state with Trujillo's inauguration. Government employees were required by law to "donate" 10% of their salaries to the national treasury<ref name="Block pp. 870-72">{{harvp|Block|1941|pp=870–872}}</ref><ref name="Diamond p.">{{harvp|Diamond|2005}}</ref> and there was strong pressure on adult citizens to join the party. Members had to carry a membership card, nicknamed the "''Palmita''" since the cover had a palm tree on it, and a person could be arrested for vagrancy without one. Those who did not join or contribute to the party did so at their own risk. Opponents of the régime were mysteriously killed.

In 1934, Trujillo, who had promoted himself to [[generalissimo]] of the army, was [[1934 Dominican Republic general election|up for re-election]]. By then, there was no organized opposition left in the country, and he was re-elected unopposed. In addition to the widely rigged (and regularly uncontested) elections, he instated "civic reviews" with large crowds shouting their loyalty to the government, which would in turn create more support for Trujillo.<ref name="Block pp. 870-72"/>