The Cold War: Latin American--Central American Country Trends

Figure 1.-- As in Cuba, the Sandanista National Liberation Front turned a democratic resistance to a brutal dictator into a Communist seizure of power and a Cold War conflict. The Contras tried to ovethrow the Saninista Communist Government. Cuba and the oviers supported the Sandanistas nd heavily armed them with equipmenbt like this Soviet armored personeel carrier (APC). It is the Soviet BRDM-2 (Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle), an amphibious armoured patrol carwhich the soviers supplied in large numbers to its Cold war allies. The United States supported the Contras with mostly light arms. This became a political issue in the United States. The Democrats in Congress attempting to stop Republican President Reagan from assisting the Contras. A reader writes, "The BRDM-2 and different varuants are still in use around the world as an amphibious patrol car. They are recognizable by the two paralell line imprints at the side near the bottom. No idea of what they are for but they are noticeable."

Central America was the scene of tragic conflict during the Cold War. A mixture o conservatives, military, and caudillos brutally supressed individual demanding social change. After the Cuban Rebolution,, left-wing groups received the support needed to challenge corupt leaders ;aunching another Cold war theater. Costa Rica was quite during first stage of the Cold War with the region dominated by leders in power as a result of generlly undemocratic elections and supported by right-wing militaries. There was, however, a restive landless campesino class living only slighltly aboce sibsistence levels and a small wealthy class that owned much of the land. The first shots of the Cold war was in Guatemala wnen the United States helped to overthrow the Arbenz Govrnment in Guatemala, various described as a Communist/social reformer. The American concern was the possibility of a Soviet-allied govnment close to the United states and the Panama Canal. At this stage of the Cold War, many throughout the Third World saw the Soviet Union and Communism as the way to rapidly develop their economies and achieve social justice (decent wages and living standards) for their people. This was the situation when the reformist 26 July Movement seized power in Cuba and Fidel Castro converted it into aotalitarian ommunist Revolution. As the Cold war progresed an as Cstrol demonstrated, Communism could gnrrate political and military power, but not economic success and decent lives for the people inder their control. Cuba did, however, support left-wing insurgencies against corrupt, represive governments in Central America and finally helped the Sabinistas seize power in Nicaragua. Although lft-wing groups complained about undemocratic, repressive right-policis, both Cuba and Nicaragua pursued exactly these policies in addition to reporting economic failure. As a result of the Saninista victory, civil wars and pro-communist revolutions erupted in Central America at the very time that not only the economic failire in Communist countries were bcominging increasingly apprent, but that the success of market economics was being demonstrated by the asian Tigers and evenully China. The Sandinistas once installed in Nicaragua provied a conduit for getting military supplies to insurgents throughout the region. An thus in the late-Cold war era, Central America became a Cold War hot spot. The fighting on El Salvador was especially intense. It also marked the time that Ronald Reagan was elected president un the United States with a deteminination to oppose Soviet expbsion and Communism. While revolutionaries foughtbit out with local governments, many other Central Americans voted with thir feet by bginning the trek to the Uninted States where the prospect of jobs beckoned. In the end, only the Sandinista among the Guerilla groups suceeded in Central America. But neither they or the other Central American countries in the post-Cold War era have managed to achieve economic success and posperity. Areader writes, " I can understand the people in these Centrl American countries thinking that Communism was their salvation. They lived in countries where they never had any opportunities to share in the wealth. To them anything was better than a dictator or military junta. Of course in the 50s no one knew how the Castro type revolutions would turn out. We really do not know how things would have gone had we not helped to overthrow Arbenz but probably the Soviets would have cozied up to him possibly creating an earlier version of Cuba."

Belize

Costa Rica

A civil war erupted in Costa Rica after World War II. Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon and the United Social Christian Party refused to step down after losing an election (1948). Jose Maria (Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer returned from exile and headed an armed insurection that forced Calderon from power. He became one of Costa Rica's most important leaders. He headed the Founding Junta of the Second Republic of Costa Rica. The Junta inituated a reform program including a civil rights program. Women and blacks were given the vote. Other steps included banning the Communist Party, nationalizing banks, and establishing presidential term limits. Ferrer became Costa Rica's most popular political figure and firmly established a tradition of democratic government in the country at a time when the region was still dominated by military and other authoritative regimes. As a result, Costa Rica overted the Cold war violenced the wracked the other countries of Central America.

Guatemala

The Eisenhower Administration supported Castillo Armas in the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala (1954). [Wise] Arbenz was a former military officer who, after election as president, continued the reform policies of his predecessor. His reforms included a minimum wage law (26 cents per day). He also initiated aand reform program usung land owned, but not cultivated by the United Fruit Company (UFCO). This was a U.S.-owned company that was the largest landowner in the country and important in several other countries in the region. UFCO objected to the compensation rates set by the Government. U.S. ambassador Richard Patterson was convinced that Arbenz was either a communist or 'soft' on communism. After the overthrow of Arbenz, Castillo Armas returned the UFCO lands that the Government had seized. He also outlawed the communists, establihed a harsh military dictatorship, and set off began a repressive effort designed to root out Communists. Guatemalas during the Cold War were caught in the crossfire between Marxist guerrillas and a right-wing military. As many as 200,000 Guatemalans may have been killed in the resulting civil war. Many observers believe that it was the derailing of democracy, resulted in the formation of guerrilla armies and civil war. This may well be the case. As in other countries, however, it is difficult to say what may have happned with Arbenz. It may well be the case that he was a reformer and not a Communist, but Castro pretended that he was not a Communist when he first took over. What we do know is that in many countries rulked by harsh military givernments, democracy bnow flourishes. Cuba cintinues to be a totalitarian Communist regime frozen in time. A peace accord was in Guatemala was finally signed by the government and the last remaining guerrilla group, the Union Revolucionaria Guatemalteca (URG) (1996). The civil war would last 36 years, nearly as long as the Cold War itself.

Honduras

Leftist revolutionaries made little progress in Honduras. A factor here was that Honduras had a small population and was not as densely populated as ElmSalvador. Thus there were far fewer landless comesinos. Cuban efforts to establish a guerrilla insurgency failed. Conservative Hondurans were concerned with the insurgencies tearing apart its neighbors. Thus death squads attacked both left-wing radicals and moderate reformers. Here Battalion 316 was involved in the killings. Relatively stable Honduras became a training base for Cuban revolutionaries that led to the Eisenhower/Kennedy Bay of Pigs invasion. The Reagan administration also used Honduras. U.S. troops held large military exercises in Honduras during the 1980s. And they trained thousands of Salvadorans in the country. Honduras also probided a safehaven for the Nicaraguan Contras.

Nicaragua

The Cuban supported FSLN Sandinistas overthrew the brutal and corrupt Samoza regime (1979). President Reagan's first offensive stroke against Communism was Grenada (1982). Nicaragua and the Sandanistas were a bigger challenge. Reagan brought together and financed the Contras (counterrevolutionaries) who challenged the Sandinista Government. The Democratic controlled U.S. Congress cut off funding for the wars in Central America. Lt. Colonel Oliver North and other members of the Reagan National Security team from the White House launced a covert operation to support the anti-Communist forces. The scheme involved selling American weapons to Iran which when dicovered the press labeeled Iran Contra. This was a violation of a Congressional mandate to terminate funding for such activities. President Reagan claimed tht had no knowledge of these activities and Col. Nort never implicated the President. An estimate 100,000 Nicaraguan died in the ensuong conflict (1980s). The Sandinistas finally agreed to free elections. The United States helped organize an opposition party--UNO. A State Department unit, the National Endowment for Democracy, supported UNO which managed to defeat the Daniel Ortega and the Sandinoista. The Sandinistas remained, however, the largest and best organized political party.

Panama

(El) Salvador

The Civil War in El Salvador was part of the Cold War, but had long-simmering domestic roots. A left-wing military junta seized control of the government (1960). A more moderate military government replaced it (1961). An elected president, Julio Adalberto Rivera, was elected (1962). The country's tenous democratic institutions were unable to moderate the conflict between consrvatives and the military on one side and Cuban influenced left-wing insurgents on the other side (1970s). Cuba and El Salvador were very different. Cuba had been one of the mot prosperous Latin American countries before Castro whie El Salvador was one of the poorest. There is a tendency throughout Latin America to glorify the Cuban Revolutiion despite its abject failure. Salvadoran society was marred by gross inequality. A small, wealthy elite dominated the government and owned much of the land. Most of the population lived in poverty. Marxists guerrillas commited to the same dead-end Communist ideology that cripples Cuba launced an insurection. The success of the Sandistias in Nicaragua (1979) meant that the guerillas had access to arms and other support. The Civil War thus swung into a particuilarly deadly stage during the 1980s. The upswing in violence followed the Sandanista takeover in Nicaragua (1979). With a Communist Government installed in Managua, the Cubans could funnel aid to the Communists in El Salvador. An estimsted 75,000-100,000 Salvadorans were killed in the fighting and attacks by both sides on civilians. Damage to the economy my have reached $2 billion. The two sides after extended negotiations finally signed peace accords ending the war (1992). As part of the agreement the military was brought under civilian control. The guerillas laid down their arms and were allowed to form a legal political party and participate in elections.

Created: 6:54 PM 5/19/2017
Last updated: 6:54 PM 5/19/2017