An unheard alliance in the name of a social reform
How an improbable group of relevant citizens but with very different backgrounds, change the way social justice could be reached.
In the midst of World War II between 1940 and 1943 in Costa Rica, a political and religious coalition was formed for the benefit of the working class, led by the former president Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia from the National Republican Party (1940-1944), the leader of the Costa Rican Communist Party, Manuel Mora Valverde; and the archbishop of San Jose and leader of the Catholic Church of Costa Rica, Victor Manuel Sanabria Martinez, as explained by Semanario Universidad.
Costa Rica has had a long democratic history and 200 years as an independent republic, however a social revolution had to happen to change the course of a Latin American country in the first half of the 20th century, affected by the world economic crisis.
It was a nation full of injustice, hunger, poverty and diseases. Workers had no social rights, lower class citizens couldn’t afford to get medical assistance because only private clinics and charity hospitals were available and higher education was reserved for the elite who study abroad.
After the Atlantic strike in 1934 with the purpose of improving the worker’s conditions in the banana plantations which were controlled by the United Fruit Company (UFCO), intellectual groups, workers and peasants discussed ways to revindicate social issues.
The alignment era
When Dr. Calderon got elected as president in 1940 with more than 80% of the votes, he realized the scope of his influence, so a crossroad began to understand the needs of the different sectors and the best option to achieve the ambitious idea of bringing social justice to the country, without succumbing to the opposition demands.
During this time, a group of labor workers and farmers following the communist ideology had been leading a fight by themselves for years, to achieve social benefits and when the president made clear his position, Manuel Mora decided to make a pact for what they believed was the best for the greater good.
Another unusual supporter was the Catholic Church led by Monsignor Sanabria, who while assuming the archbishopric stated that his contribution would be in the social field. This was something unprecedented in the region, the fact that the church was on the side of the poor, the workers and social justice for all.
The progressive political reforms approved during Calderon’s administration were diverse and related to human rights such as policies in education, health and labor. There are three main ones, first of all he founded the University of Costa Rica (Universidad de Costa Rica or UCR for its acronym in Spanish) for the children of low and middle class workers and their need to become professionals.
In the meanwhile Costa Rica left the neutral side of the war and declared its loyalty to the allies, which meant a direct attack for many groups who had helped Calderon win the presidency. After that, most capitalists resent him and withdraw their support to any idea that affected their privileges, such as the social guarantees.
In late 1941, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social or CCSS for its acronym in Spanish) was created to universalize healthcare and provide proper medical attention to workers and their families.
The last implemented guarantee was the promulgation of the labor code, a law that covers the rights of all workers in Costa Rica, including minimum wage, 8-hour shifts, holidays, paid vacations and sick days, aguinaldo (Christmas bonus), severance pay and more.
Dr. Calderon Guardia raised all of the social guarantees to constitutional status to establish a permanent commitment of the government with and for the people. While promising hope for a better tomorrow in every town of the country, participating in demonstrations alongside the people and joining efforts with multiple silent heroes who paved the path of justice, a war that was going to divide brothers and sisters was starting to brew.
Crucial times
An article by La Nacion points out that the civil war in 1948 enabled the opposition agenda led by powerful classes such as the coffee oligarchy and the aristocracy who were distrusted by the communist party involvement in Costa Rica’s politics, to search for new leaders like Jose Figueres Ferrer to defend the Social Democratic Party.
After Figueres became the 32nd president, Calderon had to exile in Mexico for 10 years. However the social reforms survived an armed conflict, the abolishment of the army, the founding of the second republic and the 1949’s constitution.
In 1958 Calderon returned to a grateful country who remembered and appreciated the implementation of all the social reforms that made Costa Rica come closer to social equality.
Some historians think that he promoted the reforms for electoral reasons, in order to recover the popular support that he had lost due to corruption and the delegitimization of his government. Either way, Calderon differentiates himself from other politics by supporting marginalized classes and their interests, and recognizing the value behind
putting differences aside to achieve greatness for the long run.
80 years of legacy
Despite any political disagreements over the years or the changing parties in power, social guarantees are still valid and impactful on Costa Rica’s social and economic development.
The University of Costa Rica is ranked the best university in Central America and the Caribbean, and is also considered one of the best universities in the world. The healthcare system has one of the highest ratings among the globe and has the second lowest infant mortality in Latin America. The labor code allows workers to have better benefits than first world countries and some studies agree that it contributed to the creation of a strong middle class.
There are no longer any big conflicts, but the country’s leaders must ensure that the social reforms stay up to date, in order to achieve a true social justice sense for equality.