Date of Award

5-1-1971

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Dr. Paul L. Beck

Abstract

I began this study with the intention of concentrating on the American military intervention in the Dominican Republic during the Dominican Revolution in 1965. I soon discovered that there already existed a vast body of literature on the intervention and on the events of the Revolution itself. Yet, most of the available material contained little background information and only an occasional, superficial examination of the underlying causes of the civil war. In addition, much of the writing reflected a strong preoccupation with the idea of constitutionalism as a cause of the Revolution. Such a preoccupation seemed strange indeed, in view of the fact that Dominican constitutional tradition has been one of the most chaotic in all of Latin America. At this point, I became interested in determining wheather or not constitutionalism had suddenly become a viable force in Dominican political life. I, therefore, decided to abandon my original idea of studying the intervention; and, instead, I began to examine early and recent Dominican constitutional history. Surprisingly, my research led me to discover some of the many societal tensions which were at the root of the 1965 crisis. My research also demonstrated that in the spring of 1965, despite the emphasis on constitutionalism, it was human and social concerns, and not political ideology, which disposed Dominicans to resort to collective violence.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of History and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska at Omaha In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts. Copyright 1971, Cynthia Schneider

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