army, once again demonstrating his skills as a combatant and military man. During this time, however, the nation fell into a political and economic turmoil. Buenaventura Báez, the newly elected president following the resignation of Jimenes, failed to come to a mutual political agreement with Santana, and was ruling the country under a corrupt bureaucracy. He would bankrupt the national treasury for his profit, and propose that the country be annexed to United States. Santana, on the other hand, presided over the country with Báez, but ruled the nation under military dictatorship. He would eventually overthrow and send Báez into exile. From 1849 to 1861, Santana would continue to propose that the country be annexed with Spain, which Mella strongly rejected. Also plunging the nation's economy were the constant Haitian invasions. Haiti had already made numerous attempts to reconquer the Dominican Republic, but each attempt was crushed by the Dominicans, who despite being greatly outnumbered, managed to successfully rebel off every invasion so far. These attempts would intensify as Haiti's new leader, Faustin Soulouque, having just declared himself emperor, made more drastic and desperate attempts to bring the island under his control. From 1849 to 1856, Soulouque made numerous attempts to reconquer the Dominican Republic, including one instant where Soulouque, at the head of a 30,000-man army, marched into the eastern side of the island, with the purpose of reinstalling Haitian rule. His efforts failed, his army retreated after suffering heavy losses, and Soulouque came close to falling into the hands of the Dominican army. His support eroded over the years, mostly from Haitian women, fearful of losing their sons, brothers, and husbands in these failed invasions. He would later be overthrown in a coup d'état, led by his former general Fabre Geffrard, in 1859, and sent into exile in Jamaica. He returned to Haiti at some point just in time to see Geffrard himself be overthrown in 1867, and died that same year at age 84. Final years Return to Spanish rule Despite the country's independence being secured, the nation was still in a crisis. Following the conclusion of the war, Santana had inherited a bankrupted government that was on the brink of collapse. His misrule of his power, as well as the aftermath of Baez's corrupt government, drastically exhausted the nation treasury. Faced with the economic turmoil, and fearful of another invasion from Haiti, Santana turned to a