History of the Costa Rican Liberal State and Social Reform

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the historical evolution of Costa Rica from the Liberal state in the late 19th century through the social reforms of the 1940s and the aftermath of the 1948 Civil War.

Liberal State

A period in Costa Rican history ($1870$ to $1914$) characterized by the consolidation of the agro-export model, the promotion of foreign investment, and reforms in education and land ownership.

Alfredo González Flores

A young lawyer from Heredia selected by political agreement to be president in $1914$; he proposed state intervention in the economy and the creation of the first state bank.

Direct Vote ($1913$)

An electoral reform that allowed citizens to vote directly for the president, deputies, and councilors, replacing the previous indirect two-round system.

Agro-export Model

A production system based on exporting agricultural raw materials—primarily coffee and bananas—to enter the global capitalist system.

Ferrocarril al Caribe

The railroad construction that facilitated the export of coffee and later bananas outside of the Central Valley.

Liberalism

A philosophical, economic, and political system promoting civil liberties, property rights, the separation of Church and State, and representative democracy.

Internal Factors of the Crisis

Causes for economic decline including economic dependency on agricultural exports, inequity in land ownership, and growing public debt.

External Factors of the Crisis

International events that affected Costa Rica's economy, specifically World War I, the $1929$ Crisis (Great Depression), and World War II.

Plan Escudo

A government plan presented by Óscar Arias ($2006$-$2010$) to mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis of $2008$ and $2009$, allocating $50\%$ of the budget to the social area.

Gamonalismo

A political practice where a local strongman influenced the population's choice and searched for votes on behalf of specific candidates.

Indirect Vote

The system used before $1913$ where citizens chose electors, who in turn chose the president, deputies, and municipal councilors.

Voto Masculino, Obligatorio, Secreto y Directo ($1925$)

An electoral reform approved on March $15$, $1925$, which established secret and compulsory voting for men but still excluded women.

Consejo Nacional Electoral

A body created in $1936$, composed of three main members and six alternates, to supervise the counting of votes and separate the executive branch from the suffrage process.

Instituto de Defensa del Café

An institution created in $1933$ to facilitate negotiations between small coffee producers and the processors (beneficiadores) who controlled commercialization.

Ley de Cabezas de Familia ($1909$)

A law that provided small properties to families to encourage settlement in remote areas of the country and counter the hoarding of land by large landowners.

United Fruit Company (UFCo)

A foreign company that managed banana plantations and was known for imposing unhealthy working conditions and paying workers with coupons redeemable only at company commissaries.

Liga Feminista

A group founded in $1923$ that fought for the political and legal rights of women, eventually contributing to the approval of female suffrage.

Bernarda Vásquez Méndez

Recognized as the first woman to vote in Costa Rica during a plebiscite on July $30$, $1950$.

Rerum Novarum

An encyclical promulgated by Pope Leo XIII in $1891$ focusing on social problems and the humanization of labor conditions.

Quadragesimo Anno

An encyclical issued by Pope Pius XI in $1931$ that deepened the social doctrine of the Church and influenced Costa Rican social reforms.

Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)

A social security institution created in $1941$ that helped increase life expectancy and control major causes of mortality.

Labor Code ($1943$)

A legal framework establishing the rights and duties of both workers and employers to ensure stability and fair wages.

Vanguardia Popular

The name adopted by the reorganized Communist Party after agreeing to work with the Catholic Church and the government based on social doctrine.

Teodoro Picado Michalski

The president elected in $1944$ by the Bloque de la Victoria who faced a severe economic crisis and the eventual outbreak of the civil war.

Huelga de Brazos Caídos ($1947$)

A protest strike involving businesses, banks, and commerce against electoral irregularities and demanding electoral guarantees for the $1948$ elections.

Mariachis

A nickname given to government supporters and workers during the late $1940$s, often seen wearing red blankets that resembled characters from Mexican movies.

Immediate Cause of the Civil War ($1948$)

The annulment of the presidential elections by Congress on March $1$, after Otilio Ulate Blanco had been declared the provisional winner.

Pact of the Embassy of Mexico

The agreement signed between Teodoro Picado and Father Benjamín Núñez to end the civil war, ensuring the safety of losing leaders and respect for social reforms.

Pact of Ochomogo

An agreement reached between Manuel Mora and José Figueres Ferrer to avoid a bloody takeover of San José.

Pact Ulate – Figueres

The agreement where José Figueres Ferrer governed for $18$ months as head of the Founding Junta before handing power to Otilio Ulate Blanco.

Founding Junta of the Second Republic

The group that took control of Costa Rica after the $1948$ war to reorganize the state and convene the Constituent Assembly.

Constitution of $1949$

The current constitution of Costa Rica, which abolished the army, nationalized the banks, established the Supreme Tribunal of Elections, and granted women the right to vote.

Supreme Tribunal of Elections (TSE)

An autonomous body created in $1949$ to ensure transparent, reliable elections independent of the executive branch.