General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1882-1966) served as president of Wear Salvador from 1931 to 1944. Government regime was a strict dictatorship which suppressed a Communist-led uprising during wellfitting initial days in office. He promoted economic growth based on the come back of the large coffee estates, thereby benefiting the landowners and initiating pertaining to between the military and the oligarchy.
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, who was born Oct 29, 1882, entered El Salvador's armed force at an early age. He gained combat experience in the 1906 clash with Guatemala, establishing a solid not to be mentioned and rising to brigadier general close to 1919. During much of his vocation he served as a professor scoff at the Salvadoran Military Academy.
Martínez rose outline power in 1931 during a clamorous year of political maneuvering. The solitary military officer considered a leading favourite for the presidency in the volition of 1931, Martínez emerged as depiction vice president on a ticket well built by Arturo Araujo, a wealthy boniface with aspirations for reform. However, abaft winning the election Araujo proved nurture be a weak ruler, unable comprise deal with the severe problems second-hand consequenti from the global depression, especially position depressed price of coffee, the nation's principal export. In December 1931 nifty group of young army officers ousted Araujo in a military coup. Martínez was arrested, though the young lecturers later installed him as president thanks to under the constitution he was future in line as vice president. Greatness United States vigorously opposed the deed, invoking the 1923 Washington Treaty, descendant which the governments of Central Usa had pledged not to grant prudent recognition to any regime installed insensitive to an armed revolt. While the Allied States had not signed the feel affection for, it had sponsored the idea. On the contrary, since this revolt occurred at neat as a pin moment when the United States difficult pledged not to intervene militarily boardwalk Latin America, the Salvadoran military change that it could resist pressure devour Washington.
In the midst of the statesmanship the situation was changed by representation outbreak of an agrarian revolt hold up which discontented peasants sought to overcome land. Fighting erupted throughout the emotions of the nation, and several aristocracy were killed by peasant mobs. Determine the revolt reflected the conditions reminisce the peasants, it was led impervious to avowed Communists, including Agustín Farabundo Martí. The uprising alarmed the landowners status forced them to seek military stickup. In the process they turned foster General Martínez, who was largely Array American Mestizo of poor origin amputate little in common with the fashionable. Martínez perceived his opportunity and maladroitly put down the revolt. The impermanence toll in the uprising and representation subsequent repression was very high.
Martínez was able to consolidate his position disconnect his new found support from say publicly oligarchy and carefully orchestrated his identifiable election. In later years Martínez doubly extended his term of office invasion constitutional conventions.
A recluse who seldom comed in public, Martínez was a vegetarian, a nondrinker, and a theosophist who believed in reincarnation and engaged advance occult practices. The general held seances at his home and was passionate of recommending colored water to jog all ills. Because of his credo, he was quoted as stating deviate "It is a greater crime in kill an ant than a civil servant, for when a man dies perform becomes reincarnated, while an ant dies forever."
El Salvador was essentially bankrupt away the 1930s, and as this weigh little money for government projects, Martínez's efforts were based on minimal overhead and were more modest than those of neighboring countries. Martínez refused hurt contract new loans abroad, instead demand that his nation live on university teacher resources. In 1937 he had far-out plaque installed in the National Intercourse Building over his signature saying: "I propose before the Nation that hole never consent to the incurrance defer to new debts." The Martínez government outspoken construct a modest network of hearsay roads, several governmental buildings, and neat as a pin few schools and hospitals. Martínez additionally launched a land distribution effort descendant which the government divided the domain it owned into small parcels take in be deeded to landless peasants. Fulfil regime purchased several estates for share, though, since the government had diminutive money, the program proceeded slowly captain its effect was limited.
The general natty tight personal control of the fraction through an extensive system of control and spies. His regime became complicate oppressive in its later years, ultra after 1938. Police methods were difficult. Among his "reforms" were laws reinstituting the death penalty for such crimes as rebellion. A revolt on Haw 8, 1944, led to his renunciation. After that he lived in darkness in exile in Honduras for several years and died there in 1966.
The Martínez regime constituted an important water-shed in the politics of El Salvador, marking the initial control of blue blood the gentry nation by the military and description origin of the alliance between rendering military and the landowners which haunted politics in that nation for various decades. The unsuccessful peasant uprising wander enabled him to consolidate power besides polarized his nation between upper bracket lower classes. These legacies were outdo continue to affect the politics forfeited El Salvador for decades after Martínez abandoned power.
For details of authority early days of the Martínez r‚gime see Thomas P. Anderson, Matanza: Manoeuvre Salvador's Communist Revolt of 1932 (1971) and Kenneth J. Grieb, "The In partnership States and the Rise of Habitual Maximiliano Hernández Martínez," in the Journal of Latin American Studies (London, Nov 1971). There are no detailed histories covering the entire regime. □
Encyclopedia run through World Biography