Searching reconciliation: Spanish diplomacy to the Dominican Republic after the failure of the re-annexation, 1865-1879

Abstract

The failure of the re-annexation of the Dominican Republic to Spain between
1861 and 1865 conditioned the relations between both countries over the next
decade. Spanish-Dominican relations were not only mediated by the increased
risk of annexation of the Caribbean republic to the United States, especially during
the administrations of Cabral and Baez, but also by the outbreak of the Cuban
crisis in 1868. This complex scenario forced the Spanish diplomacy to attempt a
rapprochement with its former colony. The normalization of relations between the
two countries would be, however, hampered by internal Dominican instability and
because of the sympathy the Cuban insurgents found among important sectors
of society and the Dominican political class. This paper analyzes this process and
explores the reasons that postponed the resumption of diplomatic relations between
Dominicans and Spaniards until the late 1870’s.