Central America Essays - Nicaraguan Revolution, Free Essays

Central America Central America, just south of Mexico and North of Panama, consists of just six countries; Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Of those six, all share a distinct common history except for Belize. Belize for one is incredibly small, and while Spanish is the official language of other Central American countries, in Belize English is spoken. So throughout this paper as I carelessly say 'Central American' I am not including Belize whose history and development was far different than the others. Although Central America is located close to the United States in relation to the Eastern Hemisphere, our ways of life are indescribably different. When we discuss Poverty in the United States many of us, including myself, don't really know what 'poverty' is. It seems like only a select few are afflicted by it here and programs like Welfare and Food Stamps (with varying degrees of success) seem to lessen the effects. In Central America when one speaks about 'poverty' he/she is including a large proportion of the population. One measure of poverty is the earning power of an individual. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is a measure of income is around $12,000 in the United States. In Central America on the other hand, the wealthiest Country, Costa Rica, came in at just under $2000. Distortion plays a role on the $2000 also, due to the fact the the elite-rich have an enormous concentration of wealth and land ownership, the real GDP of the poorer half of the population is around $200-$400 a year (Pg 10, Booth and Walker). Accompanying poverty or as a result is poor or unavailable education, health care, and an extremely bad job market. Government 'for the people and by the people is not present is Central America'. What is present is a corrupt military- big business conglomerate which cares little or none for the common people. The military is responsible for enforcement, which includes death squads, torture, and public execution. The big businesses who are able to extract an endless supply of 'minimum wage' labor, amass great wealth but instead of reinvesting it locally, most invest overseas or in capital intensive labor whereby local jobs are eliminated. Taking all this into effect and the fact that social classes and living conditions of many Central Americans are deteriorating rapidly leads some to rebellion. Some have taken a path of Passive rebellion. This can be seen in literature and popular music which questions the government. Others exercise their right to vote (even if it doesn't really matter because the results are fraudulently attained). For example, "the 1974, 1978, and 1982 presidential elections in Guatemala were all fraudulently manipulated by military regimes "(Pg 109, Booth and Walker). Others take a more active stance. During times of increased repression by the government many coalitions and reform-aimed organizations were formed. Many were actively involved in large-scale marches, labor strikes, and transportation boycotts. A little more on the radical side are the Guerilla groups. Composed mostly of peasants fed up with the government who see no other way than violence. This guerilla groups have special ties to the community. Many times they visit villages explaining their cause hoping to recruit new guerrillas. The typical guerilla varies from young to old, male to female. The Guerillas are a most important part of rebellions but they are not effective alone. Their effectiveness is increased greatly when they develop formal links with outside organizations and have strong popular support. An example of popular support occurred in Guatemala where peasants would fight alongside the guerillas, greatly increasing their number. The Catholic Church was activity involved in rebellion also. They helped to organize community and labor groups for the people (Christian base communities). These groups gave people the inspiration and mass power to combat the government. Although the Catholic clergy did not fight violently alongside the guerillas, their lives were at risk, and some were taken. A situation that combines all these ideas happened not too long ago in Nicaragua. All the hardships discussed earlier were present : extreme poverty, corrupt government, and worsening of conditions, driving many to rebellion. The early 70's was a time where, unions were repressed, wages were set by the military regime, inflation was 10%, and 13% of the working class was un/under employed (compared to 5-6% in the United States). This set the stage for the 1973-1975 'revitalization of labor movement' which included strikes, stoppages, and organization of labor unions. Christian Base Communities began to spring up, whose goal was better urban services and housing. This