El Salvador Government

El Salvador вЂ" Government

The government of El Salvador is one that has encountered many hardships. Both the early and more recent government of El Salvador has encountered frequent revolutions and riots. Though the government has switched hands many times, it cannot find a place that satisfies all of the diverse social classes.

The independent state of El Salvador was created on September 15, 1821, when El Salvador among other Central American states broke away from Spain and declared their independence. (El Salvador (1)) First joining the United Provinces of Central America, created with other countries declaring their independence from Spain and modeling their country after the United States of America, the country dissolved abruptly. The union only lasted seventeen years after Honduras broke away from the union and caused a civil war. (El Salvador (3)) After El Salvador became an independent state once again, the country was a pushing for the creation of another republic, The Greater Republic of Central America. In 1895, Honduras, Nicaragua and of course El Salvador, under the Pact of Amapala, became the nation that El Salvador had hoped for. This union also broke up in 1898, due to El Salvador’s dominating role, lasting only three years. Coffee, being one of El Salvador’s main exports, made enormous profit for the county and thus greatly backed the still forming government financially so they could start new once again. (El Salvador (1))

A peaceful uprising led by General Tomas Regalado in 1903 showed that El Salvador was a stable state and helped comfort citizens and as they looked toward the future. The sense of stability was once again crushed, as it had been so many times already, by the post World War I Depression from 1931 to 1932. (El Salvador (2))

In 1930 the El Salvador’s own Minister of Defense, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, took power through another uprising. This disturbance caused the creation of many activist groups and parties. A Communist Party, led by Agustin Farabundo Marti, was the root of many revolts during this time. A military conflict involving this party in 1932, left approximately 20,000 people dead; this event became known as “La Matanza.” (El Salvador (3))

Although government revolutions were very prominent at the time, some economic progress was made during the rule of military generals in the 1950s, but yet again the controversially “stable” government was overthrown in 1960. (El Salvador (1)) After about a year of confusion, the National Conciliation party became dominant. The party’s candidate was Julio Adalberto Rivera. Rivera was elected and due to this election and troubles with border control, relations with Honduras were almost nonexistent. (El Salvador (2))

The so-called Soccer War began as rioting among fans during the World Cup soccer playoff matches between teams from El Salvador and Honduras, but the poverty in overpopulated El Salvador was at the root of the war. About 300,000 El Salvadorans had migrated into more sparsely populated Honduras, taking over land and jobs. (El Salvador (1)) On July 14, 1969 what started in the stadium turned into El Salvadoran troops launching an invasion, driving about 75 miles into Honduras. Honduras responded by launching damaging air strikes against El Salvadoran ports. The Organization of American States quickly negotiated a ceasefire, and El Salvadoran troops withdrew on August 3, 1969. (El Salvador (3))

El Salvador’s 1983 constitution, the 23rd in its history, was set for a representative government with three independent branches much like the United States. It also allowed anyone over the age of eighteen to vote in elections. After Marxist groups caused clashes with the government in place, a twelve year civil war broke out that took the lives of about 75,000 people. (El Salvador (3)) These people were not just El Salvadorans, but people from foreign countries brought to the area to help restore a sense of peace and offer help at a great time of need. The United States funded and trained some of the military in El Salvador to try and restore peace. This was a very controversial act by the US because many thought it was causing more harm than good. El Salvador passed the San Salvador Protocol, signed in San Salvador in 1988, which guarantees the exercise of economic, social, and cultural rights without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, or economic status. This bill was one of many milestones that led to peace being restored in 1992 when rebels and the government alike signed a ceasefire treaty. (El Salvador (1))

El Salvador, or more formally Republica de El Salvador, is now a unicameral government. The country’s president is