Sixty years since the April 1965 Revolution

Today marks the anniversary of the April 1965 Revolution, a pivotal moment in the Dominican Republic’s history. The April 1965 revolution was a civic–military movement characterized by the active, militant, and armed participation of the popular masses, aimed at restoring Juan Bosch’s legitimate, constitutional government. It forged an alliance between the urban bourgeoisie and broad sectors of workers and laborers. Fundamentally, it was a democratic revolution, as its goal was not to establish a socialist or communist regime, contrary to the malicious claims made by the Americans.

Military command was primarily in the hands of officers led by Colonel Francisco Caamaño. One key feature of the revolution was its concentration in Santo Domingo. It did not spread to the country’s interior; instead, many revolutionaries and Bosch supporters traveled from rural areas to the capital to take part.

The political and military structure formed by the constitutionalists was composed of “comandos”—units made up of armed civilians and constitutionalist soldiers, acting as organs of power in various zones controlled by the parties supporting Bosch’s return.