IV.

Reunion Efforts

Efforts to reunite the Central American federation in the 1840s all failed. But unity was still seen as a desirable goal—to give the states more power when dealing with foreign nations and to tie together people with a common heritage. But as conservatives came to power in each of the states, they rejected a restored federation, associating the idea too closely with the hated Morazán and his liberal policies. Carrera’s Guatemala was the first formally to declare itself an independent republic, in March 1847. Costa Rica followed in 1848, Nicaragua in 1854, El Salvador in 1856 and Honduras in 1864. Carrera became dictator of Guatemala, ruling until his death in 1865. He also frequently exerted control over El Salvador and Honduras, using force to depose or install leaders.

The Central American states did take joint action at times. Perhaps their greatest act of unity occurred in 1856, when a U.S. soldier of fortune, William Walker, made himself president of Nicaragua. Walker, who had brought in U.S. mercenaries to support a Nicaraguan liberal faction, planned to form a Central American union under his own leadership. The conservative governments of all five Central American states, led by Costa Rican President Rafael Mora, formed an army to defeat Walker. But after their victory, those governments showed no interest in union. As liberals returned to power later in the 19th century, they often expressed enthusiasm for restoring the federation. Guatemala’s Justo Rufino Barrios and Nicaragua’s José Santos Zelaya both attempted to achieve this by military conquest, but failed.

In the 20th century, efforts at reunion have at times led to greater cooperation among the states. Among the institutions formed to promote political and economic cooperation were the Organization of Central American States (1951), the Central American Common Market (1960), and the Central American Integration System (1993). Following the civil wars of the 1980s, the Central American Parliament was established to serve as a forum for discussing issues of common concern. Its members are elected by popular vote in each member state. Costa Rica has not yet agreed to join.