Revolution In El Salvador : From Civil Strife To Civil Peace, Second Edition

Since the first edition of this book appeared in 1982, El Salvador has experienced the most radical social change in its history. Ten years of civil war, in which a tenacious and creative revolutionary movement battled a larger, better-equipped, US-supported army to a standstill, have ended with 20 months of negotiations and a peace accord that promises to change the course of Salvadorean society and politics. This book traces the history of El Salvador, focusing on the oligarchy and the armed forces, that shaped the Salvadorean army and political system. Concentrating on the period since 1960, the author sheds new light on the US role in the increasing militarization of the country and the origins of the oligarchy-army rupture in 1979. Separate chapters deal with the Catholic church and the revolutionary organizations, which challenged the status quo after 1968. In the new edition, Dr Montgomery continues the story from 1982 to the present, offering a detailed account of the evolution of the war. She examines why Duarte's two inaugural promises, peace and economic prosperity could not be fulfilled and analyzes the electoral victory of the oligarchy in 1989. The final chapters closely follow the peace negotiations, ending with an assessment of the peace accords, and evaluate the future prospects for El Salvador and for the 1994 elections. Since the first edition of this book appeared in 1982, El Salvador has experienced the most radical social change in its history. Ten years of civil war, in which a tenacious and creative revolutionary movement battled a larger, better-equipped, U.S.-supported army to a standstill, have ended with twenty months of negotiations and a peace accord that promises to change the course of Salvadorean society and politics.This book traces the history of El Salvador, focusing on the two actorsthe oligarchy and the armed forcesthat shaped the Salvadorean economy and political system. Concentrating on the period since 1960, the author sheds new light on the U.S. role in the increasing militarization of the country and the origins of the oligarchy-army rupture in 1979. Separate chapters deal with the Catholic church and the revolutionary organizations, which challenged the status quo after 1968. In the new edition, Dr. Montgomery continues the story from 1982 to the present, offering a detailed account of the evolution of the war. She examines why Duarte's two inaugural promises, peace and economic prosperity, could not be fulfilled and analyzes the electoral victory of the oligarchy in 1989. The final chapters closely follow the peace negotiations, ending with an assessment of the peace accords and an evaluation of the future prospects for El Salvador. An Epilogue analyzes the 1994 elections. Dr. Montgomery's prognosis in the first editionthat no lasting, viable political solution was possible without the participation of the revolutionary organizationshas been borne out by events: Today the FMLN is a legal political party. Since The First Edition Of This Book Appeared In 1982, A Decade Of Civil War Has Ended In A Peace Accord That Promises To Change The Course Of Salvadorean Society And Politics. Concentrating On The Period Since 1960, The Author Sheds New Light On U.s. Involvement In The Increasing Militarization Of The Country And On The Origins Of The Oligarchy-army Rupture In 1979. In The New Edition, Montgomery Offers A Detailed Account Of The Evolution Of The War, A Clear Analysis Of Why Duarte's Promises For Peace And Prosperity Could Not Be Fulfilled, And An Evaluation Of The Electoral Victory Of The Oligarchy In 1989. Final Chapters Offer An Assessment Of El Salvador's Prospects For Peace. Fifteen Years Later: Peace At Last / Ignacio Martin-baro And Rodolfo Cardenal -- Prologue: Recollections And Reflections -- Fifteen Years In El Salvador -- The Roots Of Revolution, 1524 -- 1960 -- Challenges To Power, 1960 -- 1980 -- The Church -- The Revolutionaries -- Descent Into Anarchy, 1980 -- 1982 -- High-intensity Politics And Low-intensity Conflict, 1982-1984 -- Electoral Authoritarianism And The Revolutionary Challenge, 1984-1989 -- Epilogue: The Electronic Tamale. Tommie Sue Montgomery ; Introduction By Ignacio Martín-baró And Rodolfo Cardenal. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 321-326) And Index. This book traces the history of El Salvador, focusing on the two actors-the oligarchy and the armed forces-that shaped the Salvadorean economy and political system. It offers a detailed account of the evolution of Civil war, and analyzes the electoral victory of the oligarchy in 1989.