Introduction It is impossible to write the Dominican Republic’s history without mentioning former ruler Rafael Trujillo’s regime, commonly known as the Trujillo era. The nation is located on Hispaniola Island, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean area. Rafael Trujillo was a dictator who ruled the country for over three decades, and he assumed near-absolute power of the nation from 1930-to 61. This paper will cover Trujillo’s years in power and the deeds he committed during his rule. The History of the Dominican Republic and Its Rulers The Dominican Republic, a nation of the West Indies, occupies two-thirds of Hispaniola, the largest island in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea. The country’s capital is Santo Domingo, located on the southern coast. The Republic has standard features with the Latin American countries, and several writers refer to the Dominican Republic as the microcosm of the region. Dominican people have witnessed civil and political disorder, long military rule, ethnic tension, export booms, and oppressive Dictator Rafael Trujillo’s rule (BBC, 2021). There have been several foreign military occupations of the Dominican Republic, such as 1822-44 Haitian occupation, 1916-24, and 1965-66 by the United States. The country’s population comprises mixed European and African ethnicities and a minority of White and Black people. The nation’s recorded history began when navigator Christopher Columbus, who was working for the Spanish monarchy, arrived on the island, by then occupied by Arawakan and Taino people. Columbus immediately claimed the island to the Spanish Crown naming it La Isla Española (the Spanish Island). The country had changed from Spanish to French and later to a Spanish colony in its former days until the proclamation of independence as Santo Domingo before acquiring its current name. The US occupation ended in 1924, and a democratic government was elected under president Vásquez, bringing enormous economic and social prosperity. However, in 1930 a Santiago lawyer Rafael Estrella proclaimed a revolution, as the aging president was forced to leave. Estrella became the provisional president with the support of Rafael Trujillo who was the Army commander. Meanwhile, Trujillo ordered troops to remain in barracks while the election was being prepared in May of the same year to deceive the masses of his neutrality. Nevertheless, he participated in the election and won by a landslide, garnering 95 percent of the total votes after using the Army to intimidate potential opponents and electoral personnel. Rafael Trujillo was inaugurated in august 1930 as the leader, and he immediately requested Dominican Congress to proclaim the commencement of the Trujillo era. The Trujillo Era 1930-1961 Within some months after taking over the presidential seat, the capital city Santo Domingo was hit hard by an intense hurricane, destroying much of the country’s resources. The disaster killed more than 2,000 individuals, leaving the nation devastated. Trujillo’s first reaction was to place the Dominican Republic under martial law as he embarked on motivating the resident to clear debris and rebuild the city. After rebuilding the city for six years, Trujillo renamed it, Cuidad Trujillo, in his honor, including several monuments, streets, and significant landmarks across the country (History.com, 2021). During his oppressive rule, Trujillo was hailed for sanitation improvement, the construction of schools, new roads, hospitals, and better living standard