50th Anniversary of the US Invasion of the Dominican Republic | teleSUR English

5.5.15

50th Anniversary of the US Invasion of the Dominican Republic | teleSUR English: Most of his time in exile, he spent it in Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico, with several visits throughout Latin America, where he actively spoke against Trujillo's brutal dictatorship.

Bosch, who was a progressive, held a strong friendship with other regional leaders such Cuba's Fidel Castro, Costa Rica's Jose Figueres and Venezuela's Romulo Betancourt.

Bosch, Figueres and Betancourt were all victims of assassination plots orchestrated by Trujillo.

In the 1962 elections, Juan Bosch swept in, winning the presidency and a majority in parliament. Soon the democratically elected president began to make profound changes in the country.

By April 1963, a new constitution was drafted, meant to incorporate social rights and to impede dictatorships in the future. Bosch had also began to implement a land reform.

In September 1963, a coup – headed by General Elias Wessin y Wessin – ousted the president, after only 7 months in power. The coup was backed by the CIA. Bosch fled the country.