5 Lesser-Known Dictatorships in Latin America (20th Century)

TheCollector.com published an article on May 2025 examining five lesser-known Latin American dictatorships of the 20th century. The piece details the regimes of François Duvalier (Papa Doc) in Haiti (1957-1986), Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic (1930-1961), the Somoza family in Nicaragua (1936-1979), Carlos Castillo Armas in Guatemala (1954-1957), and Manuel Antonio Noriega in Panama (1983-1989). Each regime is characterized by brutal repression, cults of personality, and close ties to the United States during the Cold War. The article highlights specific atrocities: the Tonton Macoute death squads in Haiti, the 1937 Parsley Massacre in the Dominican Republic where over 20,000 Haitians were killed, the Somoza family's accumulation of 23% of Nicaragua's land and 33% of its GDP, the CIA-backed coup in Guatemala that overthrew Jacobo Árbenz, and Noriega's drug trafficking and collaboration with the CIA. The article concludes that these dictatorships left a legacy of economic inequality, political instability, and impunity, with the U.S. often supporting or manipulating these regimes for geopolitical interests. The piece is part of TheCollector's historical content, offering a detailed overview of these authoritarian periods.