Rafael Trujillo

Trujillo, as commander of the National Army, staged a coup against President Horacio V

Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican border region. Soldiers killed an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people using machetes. The event was named for the shibboleth used to distinguish Haitians from Dominicans.

Trujillo used state power to acquire control over the sugar industry, the country's main economic sector. He and his family became the largest landowners and sugar producers, enriching themselves while the state managed the industry.

Trujillo was ambushed and killed by a group of Dominican dissidents on a highway near Ciudad Trujillo. The assassination was aided by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, which provided weapons. His death ended the dictatorship.