Coffee and Power: Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America,

By Jeffery M. Paige

Book Overview

Between 1979 and 1992 it would have been difficult to find three political systems as different as death-squad-dominated El Salvador, peaceful social-democratic Costa Rica, and revolutionary Sandinista Nicaragua. Yet when the fighting was ended by a peace plan initiated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, all three had found a common destination in democracy and free markets. This book aims to explain this turn of events, exploring political, economic and cultural analysis. Both the divergent political histories and their convergent outcome were shaped by a single commodity that has dominated these export economies since the 19th century - coffee. The book explores the crisis of the 1980s and its roots, compares the history, economics, and class structures of all three countries, and presents interviews with the leaders of the elite dynasties, who tell their story of the Central American revolution. The book aims to challenge contemporary approaches to transitions to democracy, and shows that a focus on either political economy or culture alone cannot account for the transformation of elite ideology.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674136489
• ISBN13: 9780674136489
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.5"