CENTRAL AMERICAN

A. INDEPEDNECE AND THE FAILURE OF UNION, 1810-1865 1. Spainss hold over its American colonies had weakened after 1800 as a result of its involvement in European wars, the resulting disruption of trade, and growing political turmoil at home 2. Mexico declare Independence in 1821 CA did as well 3. Cabidos (municipal) a. Voted in favor of union with Meixco b. Iturbides overthrow 1823 permanently ended Mexican connection 4. Constituent assembly met and created the federal republic of Central America out of five former provinces a. Guatemala b. Honduras c. Nicagua d. Costa Rica e. El Salvador 5. In 1826 and 1829, Civil war as a result of fed gov in Guat. City tto assert prerogatives by stb of strong army and collection of taxes a. Loss of land support intersts combined with racages of a cholera epidemic that spread over CA in 1837 b. At the ehad of an army of Indians and castas, Carrera took Guatemala City c. Struggle eneded in Carreras victory and Morazans death at hands of his enemies in 1842 GUATEMALA 1. Liberal Reform and a New Dependency (1865-1944) a. The liverals ho opposed the radicals were more responsive to changes in the world economy, in particular to the mounting foreign demand for coffee and adjustments this required b. 1871: liberals seized power c. 1872, Justo Rufino Barrious became president and launched reform programs d. died 1885 in battle e. Manuel Estada Cabrera ruled for 1898-1920 (infamous for cruelty) - overthrown 1934 f. 1934: Ubico abolished debt peonage, replacing it with vagrancy law that required all persons owning less than a stipulated amount to land to carry cards showing that they had worked at least 50 2. Revolution and Counterrevolutions (1944-1963) a. Guatamalan democratic revolution of 1944 = largely work of a coalition of urban middle class groups and discontned junior military b. Installments
i. In 1947, labor code est. worker code Sparked by a depression that struck Cuban economy ii. Constitution of 1945, permitted expropriation of private property iii. 1952 Agrarian Reform Law

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The guerilla struggle achieved high point organization and unity in 1981, following the decision of three major guerilla org.

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RETURN TO DEMOCRACY, GUATAMALAN STYLE, 1983-1994 1. August 1983L Rios Mont was overthrown by a coup headed by defense minister, General Oscar Mejia Victores 2. July 1, 1984, election of a constituent assembly 3. Nov 3, 1985: assembly (Christian Democratic Part and National Center Union) produced constitution providing runoff election for pres. And (date for congressional and pres. Elections) 4. 1987: give Cen American countries signed peace plan in Guatemala City 5. Feb. 1990 year of most free elections 6. Jan 1991: conservative born-again Christian Jorge Serrano Elias won a runoff election(receied less than half of the countrys registered votors) 7. 1990s: Guatemal was the worst human rights violator 8. 1992: Noble Peace Prize Maya activist: Rigoberta Menchu provided the Indian masses of Guat with an internationally recognized leader in their struggle for political and social rights 9. August 1994: Congressional elections of a right-wing pary headed by famous formere dicator Egrain Rios Montt, but victory was flawed by abstention rate of 79 %

D. NICARAGUA 1. Modernization a. Principal economic activities 1848-1870 were cattle rancing and subsistence agriculture b. Growth of world market caused, series of laws recquired Indian villages to sell their communal landsfor sale

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As result, new class: coffee planters In 1909, North Americans controlled much of the production of coffee, gold, lumber, and bananas the principal sources of Nicaguas wealth Revolts: i. 1909: conservative revolt with the influence of US and supported by US marines ii. liberal revolt in 1912: led by young liberal Ben Zeledon 1926: marines returned to protect American and other foreign policy Feb. 1934:Sacasa invited Sandino to Managua for negotiations, giving assurance for his security

The Somoza Era (1934-1979) a. head of the Guard (Anastasio Somoza Garcia) U.S.-educated, a former diplomatic translator for the U.S., close friend of the previous Nicaraguan president, Moncada, and nephew of the current president, Sacasa. b. Somoza and a small circle of family and close associates were soon running virtually every institution in Nicaragua, from the police and courts to the post office and railway. c. Somozas controlled forty percent of the Nicaraguan economy d. Aug.. 1978: Somozas: Sandinistas launched their most audacsious operation to date (Invaded National Palace, seizing some 2,000 public emplyoees) e. July 16, 1979: Somoza agreed to go into exile in Florida Sandinistas in Power, 1978-1990 a. Cost of Sand. Victory i. 50 thousand dead ii. 2 percent of Nicaraguas pop lost iii. $1.3 billion damage iv. $1.6 billion debt b. In 1972, one immediate problem was repairing the ravages of war and earthquake of 1972 c. Repairs were completed with such speed that visitors of Nicaragua in the fall of 1979 maveled d. Policy: avoid radical changes that might causea rupture with the patriotic bourgeoise e. 1979:Land reform was placed under the Instituo de Reforma Agraria (INRA) which by the end of 1979 had confiscated without compensated over 1/5 of Nicaraguas cultivabe land that belonged to persons or coproations assoc. with Somoza f. 1980: >50thousand workers worked fulltime in state secotr g. 1979-1980: ecooomic production of cotton = 62% of production and 55% of production of coffee h. January 1985: Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Sergi Remirez Mercado took office as president and VP, respectively of Nicaragua Gov. and Church Relations a. Major probem of Nacaraguan regime concerned its relation w/ church hierarchy b. Achbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo c. 1980: major split occurred within the governing junta marked by the resignations of conservative businessman Alfonso Robelo and of Violeta Chamorro d. at the same time, church hierarchy moved into opposition to the Sandinista regime. e. Gov. responses to procontra activites by church spokesmen or media included the closing of the church newspaper Iglesia in October 1985 and the shutdown of Radio Catolico in Jan 1986

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EL SAVADOR 1. Coffee Cycle and Peasant Revolts (1850-1932) a. Most densely pop country b. Rapid concentration of landownership in the hands of landed oligarchy often often referred to as the Fourteen Families c. July 1929: price of coffee was cut in half between 7/29 and end of the year, ruining many small producers who were forced to go out of business and sell lands d. 1927, El Agustin Farabundo Marti expelled from El Salvador for his radical activities jailed after hunger strike e. ferocious repression- teaching peasantry a lesson to ensure to ensure no repetition of the revolts in 1932 2. Oligarchs and Generals (1932-1979) a. 1932 (Gen. Hernandez Martinez) i. aka: El Brujo (Witch Doctor) ii. dabbling in the occult iii. tight rule over country iv. 1944: Controlled National Guard b. Colonel Julio Adalberto Rivera (anti-Cuban revolution) c. Economic difficulties of country multiplied during the 1960s and 70s d. Land monomply and prevailing system of land use led to population pressure on alnd

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Early 1970s unemployment was running at 20 % 1977: presidential election, UNO decided to run a symbolic candidate Colonel Ernesto Claramount Rozeville g. assas. Of Roberto dAubuisson: assassinated by Jose Alberto Medrano The Salvadoran Revolution (1980-1995) a. January 1981: the Farabundo Mart de Liberacion Nacional (FMLN) launched first eneral offensive and achieved significant succeses b. 1982: ensuing military stalemate ended in the middle of 1982, when the scales began to tip in favor of the insurgents c. 1983: El Salvador considered the expansion of the zones of control by some 200 thousand people) d. April 1983: Garcia agreed to step down and Proisional Pres Alvaro Magan immediately appointd Gen Carlos Vides Casanova former head of the National Guard as US military advisors e. May 1984, Duarte defeated dAubuisson, the candidate of the extreme right, in a runoff election. f. Between 1981-1987: US gov military and economic aid to El Salvado totaled $2.7billion g. 1988: Beginning of the falure of US counterinsurgency strategy in El Salv. Was apparent to all h. March 1988: carried out under the guns of military, rep a repudiation of both Duarte and his American sponsors i. June 1989: alliance between Chistopher Dodd and John Kerry, did not deter VP Dan Quayle made ceremonial call on DAubuisson j. 3/15/93- Michaelas B-Day: the UN sponsored Truth Commission released a long-awaited report on its investigation into human rights abuses during the civil war k. 1980: assassination of Archbishop Romero l. 1989: murder of siz Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter (FMLN committed human rights violations by killed right-wing mayors) S m. Sept 1982, New Min. of Defense Pres Cristiani apponted Colonel Humberto Corado Figueroa, was reportedly involved in a massacre of 45 peasant in 9.1982 n. Nov. 1993: Truth Commission casta vivid light among other tuings on the Reagan and Bush administations to persuade Congress to provide continued military assistance to the Salvadoran armed forces o. Finally, January 1, 1995: Thrat of possible deportation of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Salvadorans form US asa result of the fed cutoff of Temperoary Protected Status p. Nov 1994: atmosphere bordering on panic in El Salvador

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