User:Kcoecollins/sandbox

Ideas for what pages to Edit

United Fruit Company - There are definitely some places that need citations and development - Overall, there has been a lot of editing but I am interested in topic - The Cuba section is very small, which could be interesting to work on.

Central American Crisis - This article is REALLY lacking - Not only is there limited Material for each region, but there is also no talk of theory or impact/ larger meaning of what was a huge moment in time in Latin America - Would have to really just make sections from scratch

Conference of Latin American Bishops - Truly lacking - Only two sections - Seems to lack citations - Interested in Colombia

Final Decision about what to edit: Central American Crisis

Annotated Bibliography of Sources I plan to Use Flemion, Philip F. “El Salvador Civil War.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed October 14, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/place/El-Salvador/Civil-war. Philip F. Flemion, the author of this source is a professor of History at San Diego State University, California, and is specialized on the history of El Salvador. I will use this source to elaborate on the El Salvador section of the Central American Crisis page. The source contains specific timeline information and good context about El Salvador’s role in the Central American Crisis.

Lloyd, Siobhán. “Guatemala.” Socialist Lawyer, no. 64 (June 2013). http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/socialistlawyer.64.0038. Siobhan Lloyd is a barrister with extensive knowledge on legal matters in international policy with Guatemala. I will use this source to place Guatemala in the context of the Central American Crisis. It has important dates and understanding of agendas of the revolutionary cause.

Marcus, Bruce, ed. Nicaragua: The Sandinista People’s Revolution. New York City, NY: Pathfinder Press, 1985. This book is an overview of the Nicaraguan Revolution and is an extensive history of the conflict. I will use this source to add to the Nicaragua section of the wikipedia page. It has an extensive timeline of the conflict and the aftermath and speaks to the ideology behind the movement.

Miguel Cruz, José. “The Root Causes of the Central American Crisis.” Current History 114, no. 769 (February 2015): 42-48. http://www.currenthistory.com/pdf_org_files/114_769_043.pdf. JosÃ© Miguel Cruz is the director of research at the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University in Miami, and focuses his research on the politics, international relations of Latin America and the Caribbean. This source does a good job of framing the conflict from a birds eye view perspective of all of the countries involved. It focuses on the legacies of the Central American Crisis and the turbulence in the nations effected today. I plan on using this source for the Legacy section of the wikipedia page (which needs to be created) and for small details surrounding what characterized the Central American Crisis.

Rosenberg, Mark B. “Honduras in the Central American Conflict: Trends and Recent Developments.” LACC Occasional Papers Series: Dialogues, 1988. Accessed October 14, 2017. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=laccopsd. Mark B Rosenberg is the president of Florida International University and former chancellor of the state university system of Florida. He has a Ph.D in Political Science and a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean studies, which he received admits the Central American Crisis. This source goes into great depth surrounding Honduras role in the Central American Crisis. It summarizes the events that took place and outlines the ideologies present in the country.

Torres-Rivas, Edelberto. “Seven Keys to Understanding the Central American Crisis.” Contemporary Marxism, no. 3 (1981): 49-61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29765685. Edelberto Torres-Rivas is a Guatemalan sociologist recognized for his Latin American studies of political sociology. He was secretary general of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), consultant of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and coordinator of the six volumes of General History of Central America. This source gives a very detailed overview of the ideological framework of the Central American Crisis. I hope to use this source to elaborate on the impact of the Central American Crisis on the future of the countries involved and to frame the takeaway points wikipedia users should absorb in the first overview paragraph of the page.

Weeks, John. “An Interpretation of the Central American Crisis.” Latin American Research Review 21, no. 3 (1986): 31-53. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2503446. The Latin American Research Review is an interdisciplinary journal that published peer reviewed original research and surveys of current research on Latin America and the Caribbean. This source will be used to structure the overview of the Central American Crisis and to explain specifically the context from with the Central American Crisis arose, which is a lacking element to the wikipedia page at the moment.

Notes on Sources

1. An Interpretation of the Central American Crisis: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2503446 Central America in the nineteenth century remained in the early stages of country formation. Political Future of the region remained unsolved. 34 During the second half of the nineteenth century, however, the two major powers Great Britain and the United States were largely content to exercise their influence through local rulers and leave the political instability of the region to resolve itself as it might. 34 The powerful, direct role of the U.S. government in mediating intra-elite disputes and often imposing solutions imparted a particularly reactionary and anti popular character to the regimes in Central America. 35 Washington willing to use force in order to keep certain groups in power, so the ruling elites felt little pressure to accommodate the demands of middle and lower classes for reform or even nominal political participation. This complemented the system of land tenure and labor coercion that emerged during the nineteenth century 35 In El Salvador and Guatemala, coffee production was concentrated on large estates and the landed oligarchy required a large supply of labor. 37 The role of the state in facilitating coffee production expanded dramatically with the return to power of the liberals in the 1870s. Formally proclaiming a classic liberal philosophy of laissez faire, these governments in Guatemala and El salvador, as well as Nicaragua (under Zelaya) intervened aggressively on behalf of the coffee elites. Dispossessed the peasantry and codified forced labor for the coffee estates 37 Marginalizing the peasantry onto small and unproductive plots tended in itself to generate the labor supply required for large coffee estates 38 Liberal regimes of the 1870s and 1880s facilitated the expansion of coffee production and therefore the commercialization of the countryside. Forced labor not capitalist system of labor 39 Democratic forms superimposed upon antidemocratic, authoritarian societies 40 Few governments have been as closely allied with narrow corporate interests as those in Central America, specifically Guatemala and Honduras 42 Banana Era (1890-1940) 42 The commercialization of Central America through coffee, the entry of foreign capital for banana production, and the emergence of cotton as a major export all served to strengthen the hold of landed property over the economic and political life of the region 44 Armies largely a pawn to the political game rather than themselves making or breaking governments 45 In the 1950s, Liberal Capitalism was a revolutionary doctrine 47 In the early 1980s, however, oligarchic rule in Honduras faced major destabilizing influences. 49 The tension between these principles of eighteenth-century liberalism and the concentration of economic power inherent in capitalist society has been a motive force in the political evolution of Latin American countries away from their feudal Hispanic heritage. 49 Reactionary despotism in Central America is that in each case this type of state was designed so that it would always be “too late” for peaceful reform. 50

2. Seven Keys to Understanding the Central American Crisis: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29765685 Capitalism in crisis 50 After WW2 but especially during the 1960s and 1970s, Central America went through the most important period of growth and economic differentiation in its history. 50 Economic system seemed to unfold as a result of external dependence, so the old model of agricultural exportation gave way to one that promoted internal development stimulated by a plan for a regional common market 50 Economic growth has only increased social differences 51 Concentration of banking capital and access to public credit, interest rates, customs and duties regulations, fiscal exemption policies, taxes and the repression of unions all constitute a permanent subsidy of capital at the expense of labor 51 Independent popular movement led by peasants 54 Whenever the worker and peasant movement organizes itself, it does so autonomously, independently of state control or the bosses support 54 The union movement is “illegal”, to the extent that the regime cannot make it legal and assimilate it. 54 Anti-populism 55 In Guatemala, the Rebel Armed Forces (FAR) based exclusively in rural areas, especially with peasant- indian populations are carrying out successful multifaceted activities on the theory of mass struggle should lead to armed mass struggle of a national character 56 In Nicaragua, they put together guerilla warfare in the countryside 57 Sandinista militias recruited from the urban unemployed 57 Guatemala coup of March 30, 1963 prevented the election of Dr. Juan José Arévalo and placed the armed forces at the center of power, as a state institution. 58 In El Salvador, it was the coup of January 25, 1961 that the army was definitively institutionalized as the executor of state power. 58 Nicaraguan bourgeoisie was isolated by an anti-somoza front. 59 General strike in June 24-25, 1980 in El Salvador. 59 Revolutionary crisis has a decisive international dimension 60 International factors weighed into the Sandinista victory and how they worked against the Salvadoran revolution. 60

3. The Root Causes of the Central American Crisis: http://www.currenthistory.com/pdf_org_files/114_769_043.pdf Legacy of this time period is huge. 43 In Honduras, the military renounced control of the executive branch in the early 1980s, but it remained an unaccountable institution in charge of the secularity apparatus until 1998, when law-enforcement institutions were handed over to civilians. 44 Goal of revolutions was to curb the state’s power to tyrannize its own population. 44 By the late 1980s, after a decade of political conflicts and statist politics, all northern triangle countries had implemented reforms with the purpose of stabilizing their troubled economies and public finances. They concentrated on privatizing state companies, liberalizing trade, introducing greater flexibility to labor laws, and increasing consumption taxes in the form of the value-added tax. 44 & 45 Violence reigns over Central America 46

4. Guatemala: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.13169/socialistlawyer.64.0038.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aef83252a1d49f7e1fc6af62e3723d806 Guatemala caught between the West and the Soviet Bloc. 39 Guatemala is mainly Mayan and whose culture and traditions have been preserved since the Spanish conquest. 39 Jacobo Arbenz was ousted from power in 1954 by a CIA backed coup. Following this, a number of left-wing guerrilla movements began to form and a civil war ensued between 1962 and 1996. Over 200,000 died. 39 1978-1982: president was Lucas Garcia and 1982-1983 Efrain Ríos montt, who overthrew Garcia in a military coup (39) Forced displacement of indigenous communities if they are considered potential supporters of guerrilla forces. 39 Mayan indigenous people seen as domestic enemies. Massacres endsued. 39 200,000 refugees crossed the border with mexico between 1981 and 1984. Guatemalan army sent aircrafts and soldiers to harass and kill refugees in Mexico fleeing Montt’s brutal regime. 40 On May 10th 2013, 86 year old Ríos Montt was convicted of genocide and sentenced to 80 years’ imprisonment by a Guatemalan court. 5. Honduras in the Central American Conflict: Trends and Recent Developments: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=laccopsd Regional conflict, stagnating economy, festering border hostilities w Nicaragua, growing refugee and exile presence is backdrop to the milestone that is the 1985 election in Honduras. 1 For the first time since WW2, one democratically elected president was succeeded by another (Jose Azcona Hoya) 1 Formal democratic governance was consolidated in Azconas election but the Honduran military continued its role as the country’s key political actor. 1 Between 1981 and 1986 the region’s economy continued to show zero or negative economic growth on a per capita basis. 2 Stagnating agricultural production, de-industrialization, deteriorating terms of trade, the continuing problems of the central american common market, the decline of international financial reserves, a real salary decline, increasing unemployment and underemployment characterize the region’s continuing economic crisis. 2 Honduras and El Salvador were increasingly dependent on U.S. economic assistance, which tended to strengthen the region’s public sector 3 Ronald Reagan’s regional concerns continues to be driven by his support for the anti-Sandinista forces known as the contras. 4 Mid-June 1986, the US congress approved 100 million in aid to guerrillas 4 Official military expenditures in each country of the region have taken larger bites of the national budget and military/national security concerns have come to dominate the decision-making agenda of each country at the cost of attention to other pressing social and economic needs. 5 Since the 1950s, the country has been run alternatively by military civilian coalitions and civil-military coalitions. 7 Personalism, centralization and authoritarianism are critical characteristics of the honduran polity 7 US interest in Honduras has continued to give primacy to the regional security situation, alternatively evincing concern for the guerrilla struggle in El Salvador and/or the potential for Sandinista consolidation and expansion. 8 Iran-contra scandal 38

6. El Salvador Civil War: https://www.britannica.com/place/El-Salvador/Civil-war General Romero was ousted and civil war lasted 12 years Military loss of the monopoly it had held on the direct exercise of governmental authority for nearly 50 years. Nationalist Republican Alliance was created in 1981 to broaden the propertied elite base of support. US interest in the region increased immensely with ronald reagan’s inauguration January 1981. US supplied El Salvador with $4 billion over a decade, assumed responsibility for the organization and training of elite military units; supported the war effort through the provision of sophisticated weaponry. Oscar Romero, Archbishop was assassinated while performing mass March 1980. Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) was the one single guerilla unit. Elections held in 1982 enabled the formation of a constituent assembly that organized a provisional government and drafted a new constitution. November 1989, FMLN launched a major offensive on a number of urban centres in the country including San Salvador. UN mediated peace negotiations began in the spring of 1990 and the two parties signed the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City on Jan 16, 1992. More than 75,000 people had been killed, the economy was in shambles and there was massive damage to the infrastructure.

7. Nicaragua: The Sandinista People’s Revolution: (book) July 19th, 1979 a massive popular insurrection led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew a 46 year long US backed dictatorship of Somoza family in Nicaragua. ix Revolutionary government came to power, a government of workers and peasants. ix Anti imperialist. ix US opposed the Nicaraguan Revolution. Instead it backed Anastasio Somoza dictatorship. ix Bipartisan US war against Nicaragua conducted by CIA organized counterrevolutionaries or contras. ix July 30 agrarian reform and expropriation of somocista land xiii

Changes I plan to make to the page

- Develop the overview section, which is the first thing you see on the page

- Give a summary of each countries history during the Central American crisis to supplement the links to the "Main Pages" that describe the events in more detail

- Make a section about "Legacy and Impact" of the crisis

- Completely rewrite "United States Response" and change title to "United States Involvement"

- Possibly delete "Peace Efforts" because it doesn't seem to be adding much value

Sentences I plan to add

Overview

Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the United States and Great Britain often pursued their interests through puppet governments and the elite classes, who tended to ignore the demands of the peasant and working class.

Post World War 2, and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Latin America’s economic landscape changed drastically. Great Britain and the United States both held political and economic interests in Latin America throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, and Latin America’s economy developed based on external dependence. Rather than solely relying on agricultural exportation, this new system promoted internal development and relied on regional common markets, banking capital, interest rates, taxes and growing capital at the expense of labor and the peasant class. These conditions led to independent popular movements led by peasants across Latin America, known as the Central American Crisis, each case a distinct struggle.

The central american crisis was, in part, a reaction by the lower classes of Latin American society to unjust land tenure, labor coercion and unequal political representation. Landed property had taken hold of the economic and political landscape of the region, giving large corporations a lot of influence over the region and forcing formerly subsistent farmers and lower class workers into very harsh living conditions.

Guatemala

In Guatemala, the Rebel Armed Forces (FAR) fighting against the government were based exclusively in rural areas, and were made up of a large peasant and indian population. They ran a multifaceted operation and led an armed mass struggle of national character. Following a CIA backed coup ousting Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, civil war ensued between 1962 and 1996. Over 200,000 people died. On May 10th, 2013, Ríos Montt was convicted of genocide and sentenced to 80 years in prison.

Honduras

Honduras's economic crisis was framed by stagnating agricultural production, de-industrialization, deteriorating terms of trade, the continuing problems of the central american common market, the decline of international financial reserves, a real salary decline, increasing unemployment and underemployment. Honduras, like El Salvador was increasingly dependent on economic assistance from the United States. The United States was majorly concerned with regional security with El Salvador at their border.

El Salvador

Over a decade, the United States supplied El Salvador with $4 billion, trained their military elites and provided them with weaponry. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) was the one single guerilla unit and on November 1989 they launched a major offensive on multiple urban centres. Over 75,000 people were killed and there was massive damage to the economy.

Nicaragua

The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew the 46 year long Somoza dictatorship in 1979. The United States opposed the Nicaraguan revolution, and instead backed the Anastasio Somoza dictatorship.

Legacy

By the late 1980s, el Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras all implemented reforms such as privatizing state companies, liberalizing trade, introducing greater flexibility to labor laws, and increasing consumption taxes in attempts to stabilize their economies. Violence still reigns over Central America. A common legacy of the Central American crisis was the displacement and destruction of indigenous communities, especially in Guatemala where they were considered potential supporters of both the government and guerilla forces.