republic · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Second Dominican Republic

1865 CE – 1916 CE · capital Santo Domingo

The restored Dominican state of 1865 to 1916, marked by caudillo rule, Ulises Heureaux's dictatorship, a sugar boom and mounting debt to foreign creditors.

Origins

The War of Restoration ended Spanish rule in 1865, re-establishing Dominican independence. The victorious generals and rival parties, the Reds of Buenaventura Báez and the Blues led by Gregorio Luperón, fought for power in a long series of revolts.

Rule and society

Báez's six-year rule of 1868 to 1874 negotiated annexation to the United States, which President Grant supported but the US Senate rejected in 1870. Ulises Heureaux dominated from 1882, ruling as dictator from 1887 until his assassination in 1899. Cuban and American investors built sugar mills in the southeast, and railways linked the Cibao to the coast. Heureaux's borrowing left huge foreign debts, and in 1905 the United States took control of Dominican customs to pay creditors.

Decline and legacy

President Ramón Cáceres was assassinated in 1911, and renewed civil strife followed. In 1916 the United States landed Marines and installed the Military Government of Santo Domingo.

Lineage

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Second Dominican Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-dominican-republic
MLA
“Second Dominican Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-dominican-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Second Dominican Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-dominican-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Second Dominican Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-dominican-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻