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s a step toward military withdrawal by the United States, entrenched Dominican political leaders, who
had a keen interest in occupying the presidency, usurped a right that belonged to the entire nation.
Without the people’s consent, they designated or “elected” a representative from the merchant bour-
geoisie. He was designated to direct and prepare the elections in 1924, in which the main politicians
would compete to secure the presidency. On October 21, 1922, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos took office as pres-
ident, conscious of his role as a representative of the hegemonic sectors to which he belonged.
The provisional president was the son of the Italian entrepreneur Juan Bautista Vicini, the owner of sugar
mills and a man considered as distanced from politics. After his “election,” the individuals who had signed
the withdrawal agreement, advised by Sumner Welles, assistant secretary of state and previous head of the
Division of Latin American Affairs, distributed government positions, especially plum cabinet appointments,
among the closest collaborators of each of the signers of the withdrawal agreement.
The provisional government went on for two years in the midst of an economic crisis that had begun in
1921. The end of World War I and the onset of the “dance of the millions”
1
made it imperative to speed up
plans for a military withdrawal.
During the period, principal export products were not well-priced, and favorable markets were difficult to
find. Export revenues crashed from approximately $58 million in 1920 to $30 million in 1924. Because of the
crisis affecting the country, the provisional government was unable to weather the grave economic problems,
additionally due to the war bonds issued by the U.S. government that same year. These bonds carried a 5.5%
interest rate and were due to be repaid in 10 years, impinging on customs revenues.
The fundamental role of the provisional government was to prepare for the 1924 elections. Its activities
were geared toward compliance with the Hughes-Peynado Agreement. For such purposes, Vicini Burgos was
advised by Sumner Welles to resolve all matters related to the transitional arrangements between the U.S.
military government and the new civil government that would arise from the upcoming elections.
An important task for the provisional government involved reform of the still-valid 1908 Constitution, in
order to allow the Dominican Congress to pass certain legislation imposing a newmodel of government. After
the general elections, held in March 1924, this government had achieved its historic objective and handed over
the presidential sash to Vicini Burgos’s substitute: General Horacio Vásquez.
CHAPTER 16
The Provisional Government
of Juan Bautista Vicini
By Alejandro Paulino Ramos
Former director of the Dominican Hall of the Central Library of the Universidad Autónoma
of Santo Domingo and Deputy Director of the Archivo General de la Nación
•
ENDNOTES
1
Dance of the Millions was the boom-and-bust period of pros-
perity associated with the rapid rise and collapse of sugar prices
in the Caribbean region at the conclusion of World War I (Trans-
lator’s Note).