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Historical figureCR1906-1990

José Figueres Ferrer

President of Costa Rica (1948-1949, 1953-1958, 1970-1974) · Co-founder of the National Liberation Party

Costa Rican social democrat who won a 1948 civil war, nationalized the banks, abolished the army and gave women and Afro-Costa Ricans the vote, then returned twice as elected president.

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Profile on 12 axes7 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

José Figueres Ferrer, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership-35
    PublicPrivate

    He nationalized the banks and set up a state electricity and telecom monopoly, and in the 1970s he created the state holding company CODESA.

  2. 02Markets-30
    PlannedFree
  3. 03Welfare-40
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority-30
    DemocraticStrong leader

    He seized power by arms in 1948 after Congress annulled an election, yet he handed power to the winner after about 18 months and later won elections.

  5. 05SecurityNo clear record
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06StructureNo clear record
    LocalCentral
  7. 07Morality-20
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious
  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10Culture-25
    MulticulturalNational identity

    He extended the vote and nationality rights to Afro-Costa Ricans.

  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy-60
    CooperationStrength

    Abolishing the army is the clearest signal, though he armed a Caribbean-supported force in 1948 and criticized communist influence in Cuba.

5 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was José Figueres Ferrer?

José Figueres Ferrer was born in San Ramón, Costa Rica, in 1906 and lived in the United States from 1923 to 1938. He studied electrical engineering without finishing the degree, then farmed in Tarrazú. The government expelled him in 1942 after a radio speech. In 1948 he took up arms when Congress annulled an election the opposition had won. His junta governed for about eighteen months and then handed power to the winner, Otilio Ulate. He co-founded the National Liberation Party, served as elected president in 1953-1958 and 1970-1974, and died in 1990.

Political views

  • After Congress annulled the 1948 election won by Otilio Ulate, he took up arms on 12 March 1948, and the civil war lasted nearly six weeks.Source: sites.usp.br
  • His junta established state control over bank deposits and nationalized the banks.Source: sites.usp.br
  • In December 1948 the junta abolished the army, and Article 12 of the 1949 Constitution enshrines the ban.Source: sites.usp.br
  • He founded the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, a state body that monopolized electricity generation and distribution and telecommunications.Source: sites.usp.br
  • His government extended voting rights to women and to Afro-Costa Ricans, and gave people of African descent access to Costa Rican nationality.Source: artsandculture.google.com
  • He promised to uphold the social reforms of his rival Calderón Guardia, and he stepped down after about eighteen months in favor of Ulate.Source: sites.usp.br
  • He first supported the Cuban Revolution in 1959 but later publicly criticized communist influence on it.Source: sites.usp.br
  • In the 1970s he created the state holding company CODESA, which stirred mistrust in the business community.Source: sites.usp.br

Legacy

Admirers credit Figueres with building the modern Costa Rican state: no standing army, nationalized banking, public electricity. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times in the 1980s. Oscar Arias called him that little, gigantic figure. Critics note that he took power by force in 1948, that business owners distrusted CODESA, and that he welcomed the U.S. fugitive financier Robert Vesco, arguing his money would help Costa Rica. A book also claims that he accepted a 300,000 dollar KGB contribution in 1970, which the Tico Times presents only as the book's claim.

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José Figueres Ferrer: questions

Who abolished the army in Costa Rica?

José Figueres Ferrer's junta abolished it in December 1948, and Article 12 of the 1949 Constitution confirms the ban.

Did Figueres take power by force?

Yes. After Congress annulled the 1948 election, he led an uprising that won a war of nearly six weeks. His junta then handed power to the election winner, Otilio Ulate, after about eighteen months.

What did Figueres nationalize?

His junta nationalized the banks, and the state institute ICE took over electricity and telecommunications. In the 1970s he also created the state holding company CODESA.

Sources