How did Costa Rica become a country without an army? Is it related to the 44-day civil war to de-militarize = high-speed development? The Dilemma after The Break from Colonial Rule: Nicaragua's Surprise Attack on Costa Rica, The War Created the First War Heroes after the Founding of the Nation III ▌ The 44-Day Civil War, Which Killed 2,000 People: Choices and Changes in Crisis ▌ " The Army Was Permanently Banned as Part of the System "Highlight Moment"

Central America

On December 1, 2018, the Central American country of Costa Rica held the 70th anniversary of the abolition of the army,

"Costa Rica, as a peaceful State, reaffirms to the world its renunciation of the use of force and decides to give priority to dialogue and understanding as a means of coexistence among States".

What is the happiest country in the world? According to the "Happy Planet Index", the distant Central American country of Costa Rica has won the championship for 3 consecutive times and led the entire Latin American region in environmental protection, renewable energy, education level and other fields, and even won the title of "Switzerland of Central America".

Costa Rican women

Many believe that Costa Rica's ability to emerge from the typical problems of Central and South America, such as drugs, corruption, and social depression, has a lot to do with the active abolition of the military by then President Ferrer after the 1948 civil war.

Diagram

Costa Rica decided on December 1, 1948, by the Commission established by the Second Republic, to abolish the army:

"The Commission for the Establishment of the Second Republic announces the formal dissolution of the national army, and in view of security concerns, there will be an excellent police force ..."

As warlords lost power and were free from violence, large sums of military spending were spent on health care, education, health, infrastructure, etc., leading to the rapid development of the post-war economy and the rule of law.

Central America, 1856

After more than 60 years, Costa Rica has freed itself from the original export economy of coffee and banana farms, as well as the military and political system that is attached to it and lacks the effective allocation of social resources, and actively develops high-value-added industries such as high-tech and service industries.

banana

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But de-militarization and the prosperity of the people are certainly not necessarily causal, as in Haiti, for example, which was on the brink of a failed state during the period of disarming its military from 1995 to 2017. The absence of an army is just one piece of the grand puzzle, and the key to really moving Costa Rica out of the typical trajectory of Latin America is to de-militarize and leave the spiral of turmoil.

Costa Rica

Since it is difficult to include everyone's opinion, when the country faces a huge crisis such as civil war and division, it is even more necessary to strive for consensus.

In addition, the long-term stability of Costa Rica depends to a large extent on the willingness of the various elites to smoothly hand over and find a platform for consensus, which can naturally actively develop and attract foreign investment, which is also the secret of their success.

But in fact, Costa Rica's early development can be described as a bumpy pace. Fraud, violence, manipulation of the law, and even military intervention were used to ensure that positions of power were routine, for example, from 1824 to 1949, only 8 out of 48 presidents and heads of state were justifiably elected.

The turning point in Costa Rica's real divergence from its neighbours occurred around the 1950s. To understand Costa Rica, you must first re-read its historical rhetoric.

Central American countries

<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ▌ The dilemma after escaping colonial rule: Nicaragua raided Costa Rica and created the first war heroes after the founding of the country</h1>

1554 Map of the Americas

Founded in 1899, the United Fruit Company dates back to 1872, when the acquisition of banana plantations began and the construction of railways in Costa Rica began. United Fruit Company succeeded in turning the previously unknown tropical fruit banana into a staple food for people in the United States and Western Europe. Despite these achievements, the United Fruit Company was often the target of attacks by the opposition in the countries in which it operates, accusing the company of neglecting the lives of workers and manipulating the government for its own benefit, hence the nickname "Banana Republic".

Banana Republic

After breaking away from colonial rule in the 19th century, Costa Rica was no different from many Latin American countries at the time, requiring a political structure to fill the power gap.

But unlike other colonies, Costa Rica was located on the outskirts of the Spanish Empire, its inhabitants scattered in the verdant forests and mountains, and never developed an effectively centralized governor's office or ruling elite. At the same time, the country's main agricultural products, coffee and bananas, most of the profits fall on processing and export, and the manor lords can operate on a small scale of homework. The scattered and sparse people's livelihood community met the mountaintop doctrine of the family economy, and the "mountain high emperor yuan" became the social norm after the revolution.

At that time, the warlords' intentions became the chips for various factions, and the family factions of the coffee economy worsened the position war of discourse, and even intensified after the "national disaster", believing that the army was the only way to seize power.

Spanish colonies

In 1856, the American adventurer William H. Walker gained power by intervening in the Nicaraguan Civil War and leading a private army to conquer the capital. Later, Walker announced his intention to "expand" Central America, which led to a feud with then-President Mora, and the "War of 1856-1857" occurred after Walker raided Costa Rica, but did not return.

The Spaniards are in the Americas

Costa Rica has never seen a bloody campaign, and this sudden defensive war created the first war heroes after the founding of the country. Triumphal soldiers became protectors of the state, and national sentiment reached historic heights, which in turn led to the formation of governance alliances by elites and warlords of various factions.

After Guadía stabilized the regime between 1870 and 1882, power shifted significantly to the executive branch, such as the president's arbitrary change of cabinet members, the appointment of key regional or municipal officials, full control of the army, and the appointment of officials to supervise and conduct elections. As a result, the presidency became a must-fight between the ruling faction and the opposition, and the two sides fought with all their might, eager to gain the strength to sweep away their opponents.

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<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ▌ 44-day civil war with 2,000 casualties: choice and change in crisis</h1>

Fans

The social elite creates crises in their struggle for power, and creates favorable elements in dealing with them. In central China and the United States, Sardo, Guatemala, and Nicaragua tended to interfere with military force, while Honduras and Panama directly moved their troops. In contrast, Costa Rica has made significant progress.

Americas in 1700

The Great Depression of 1929 hit Central America and brought crisis to Costa Rica, which had to face the discontent of a large number of grassroots people. At that time, Costa Rica opted for a "three-pronged" transition policy: strengthening market controls while engaging citizens while strengthening public education and health systems.

Costa Rica realizes that it takes a certain amount of nostalgia to continue. Although Costa Rica did not have a bright economic performance at the time, the government paid more attention to private development than its neighbors. It can be seen from this that although the historical trajectory is affected by objective conditions, the subjective choice to resolve the sudden crisis may also reverse the historical process.

Map of Costa Rica

Although Costa Rica changed to a limited extent, it gradually became uncontrolled by the mid-20th century. The moment that really turned Costa Rica upside down was an unprecedented crisis: a full-blown civil war in 1948.

In 1940, after Calderon won, he chose to turn his back on the coffee nobles who had supported him and draw other forces to form an alliance. A year later, he announced that he would join the fascist invasion and confiscate the property of Germans and Italians in the country, a decision that caused dissatisfaction among many people, after all, they needed the European market to sell their crops.

Location map

Later, Calderon pushed his cronies Picardo as his successor. The angry middle class and the landlord class joined forces to elect the young Ferrer.

In February 1948, Urart successfully defeated Calderon. However, the ruling party refused to admit the result and decided to appeal to Congress, so with the blessing of Congress, Calderon was successfully re-elected to the presidency a month later. Seven days later, Ferrer declared an "uprising" in the south, and the 44-day Civil War in Costa Rica, which killed 2,000 people, began.

<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ▌ " Army permanently banned as part of the system ": Highlight Moment</h1>

Americas

The civil war was the largest civil strife in Costa Rican history. Although Ferrer eventually succeeded in deporting Calderón from power, the insurgents were not able to govern the country effectively: there were still many warlords at work after the war, and the crisis of legitimacy in reorganizing the government remained after the civil war. Ferrer and Urat agreed to an 18-month military junta, after which Urat returned to the presidency until the end of his four-year term.

An important economic and trade organization in Central and South America

In April 1948, 21 countries in the Western Hemisphere established the Organization of American States, reaffirming their commitment to common goals and mutual respect for sovereignty. Subsequently, the Organization of American States expanded and now includes English-speaking Caribbean countries and Canada. The predecessor of the Organization of American States was the Pan American Union, founded in 1910.

Central America routes

Ferrell's most important legacy was The twelfth article, officially promulgated in 1949 after the Civil War:

"The military is permanently banned as part of the system. At the same time, the presence of the police is necessary for the sake of state security and order. ”

The police

By creating a national police force of 1,500 people, replacing the total abolition of Costa Rica's army, Costa Rica became the first country in the world to disarm.

According to The Latin American scholar Booth, Costa Rica has been able to go so well precisely because domestic elites are willing to level the struggle, reach consensus, and use this method to prevent imbalances.

The absence of an army does reduce the risk of wrestling, but the consensus behind it is the trick. While Costa Rica's civil war crisis is deeply influenced by the elite, popular participation is equally important.

In any case, Costa Rica has accumulated huge welfare resources in the context of a stable political situation, which has made it one of the happiest countries in the world. However, Costa Rica also has certain problems.

First, there has been concern that the opposition parties will enter San Jose and shake up the century-old foundation with a strong Catholic background and a conservative political platform.

Secondly, Costa Rica's debt has grown to the point of jeopardizing the economy, with a deficit of 6.2 per cent of gdp. The problem stems from the fact that the state has used the tax system of the last century to pay for the welfare level of the developed countries, and naturally there will be a situation of insufficient income.

festival

Third, in recent years, the transnational drug problem has begun to spread to costa Rican borders, the police force seems to have difficulty coping with the huge border work, and civil society discussions have revived the establishment of the army. These questions can only be questioned on the surface of the process of democratization, asking the wisdom of Costa Rica's ruling elite and citizens.

However, Costa Rica, as a special case, does not mean that all regions can follow suit, much less that the Costa Rican case is the right process. Surely, elite decision-making has never been monolithic, and in costa Rica's case, how can we shape opportunities for transformation? And after the transformation, how to consolidate? That's what we should think about next.

Read more about the Mesoamerican series:

Why didn't the United States annex Puerto Rico for 121 years? How difficult is it to carry out "territorial expansion"?