High class muscle men for capital
In May 1916 US troops entered Santo Domingo. They would leave eight years later, after reshaping the economy in the interests of US big business. But the legacy of the occupation has been much more lasting both economically and in terms of democracy, writes Hassan Mahamdallie.
On 5 May 1916 an advance party of two seaborne companies of US marines landed on the coast of the Caribbean republic of Santo Domingo (also known as the Dominican Republic) with orders to secure US interests. Ten days later they had taken over the capital city. They would not leave for another eight years, by which time they had made sure that Santo Domingo’s freedom had been subjugated to the political and economic imperatives of the US.