In the Time of the Butterflies Historical and Background Information

Setting for Film Takes place in the Dominican Republic Focuses on the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo between the years

What is a dictatorship? A form of government in which absolute power of a leader is bestowed upon the people -total control in all political issues Examples of dictators in history? RUSSIA GERMANY CUBA

Dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo Established absolute political control over the Dominican Republic while promoting economic development (which did not benefit the people; only brought the leaders more power) Spent most of his time maintaining a powerful military and less on bettering the conditions of the people Complete control over the people -required them to carry ID cards and “good conduct” passes at all times

Trujillo’s Form of Government Fascism - oppressive government control over all aspects of life: political, social, cultural, economic; interest of the state, not the individual

Trujillo’s Oppressive Dictatorship People lived in constant fear under his leadership—secret police Did not tolerate any opposition to his gov’t Assassinated and tortured those who spoke or acted against him Took control of people’s land and businesses—forming a monopoly of power Massacred thousands of Haitians because of his extreme racism

Statues of Peace Statue of Liberty Monumento a la Paz de Trujillo

The Mirabal Sisters Example of a Trujillo tragedy Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa, and Dede were a group of sisters who stood up against Trujillo They set up an underground movement to overthrow the tyrant—inside their group they were known as the “mariposas” (the butterflies) In time the sisters were captured, imprisoned, and tortured for conspiring against Trujillo Sisters eventually released; husbands were not

Assassination of the Sisters Assassinated by Trujillo’s men on Nov. 25, 1960 Their murder was presented as an “accident” to the public The public saw through the accidents and held the sisters as heroes of the Dominican Republic Movement grew stronger in their death Their bravery and death only encouraged the efforts to overthrow Trujillo

In memory of the Mirabal sisters November 25 is the official international for elimination of violence against women

End of Trujillo’s Tyranny On May 31, 1961 Trujillo was murder in his car by a group of assassins The assassination was a culmination of the efforts of the Mirabal sisters, the Catorce de Junio Movement, and all the Domincan people who were fed up with Trujillo’s oppression

Machismo Machismo-in Spanish and Portuguese it refers to the belief in the superiority of male over female -being “sexist” or “male chauvinist” Prevalent belief in Latin America Typical ideas behind machismo: proof of manliness was the ability to completely dominate the wife and children to have sexual relations with any woman he wants never let anyone question, deprecate or attempt to thwart manhood never to reveal his true feelings “Women are like shotguns; they should be loaded and kept indoors” What word can you almost see in “machismo”?

What comes to mind when you think of a MACHO MAN?

Look for evidence and the affects of machismo in the film In the Time of Butterflies We will explore elements of machismo and the severe suppression of women in literature in the Latin American Unit Essential question for unit: How do Latin American women show their strength and assert power in the face of machismo? Latin American Unit