The Dominican Invasion was the result of a pro-democracy rebellion against the Trujillo military regime, which was installed by the United States in the 1930s. On April 28, 1965, the U.S. entered the Dominican Republic, the fourth time in 58 years, to protect its interests. It was an incursion by American troops into the thick of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore the country's first democratically elected president of the 20th century, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown in 1963.
The intervention helped to establish the regime of Joaquín Balaguer (1966-1978), and ensured that Bosch's constitutional government would never return. Domino Theory anxiety contributed to the rationale for the invasion; the U.S. worried that the rebellious Dominican population would follow in the footsteps of the Cuban Revolution. The result was more than 3,000 Dominicans and 31 American servicemen killed. The new regime pursued policies that were more accommodative of U.S. corporations and military power.