Repression, Resistance, and Democratic Transition in Central America [Paperback]

Recommended for all research collections.Great for teaching, reference, term papers, or just sorting out the contemporary politics of this tortured region.Welcome additions to the already rich body of literature on Central America. In addition to deepening analysis of and asking new questions about the effects of the region's political and economic crises, especially the impact of war, these authors also point to new directions for evaluating the prospects of lasting peace and democracy.While most of Latin America recently passed from repressive dictatorship to formal democracy, the unusual nature of that transition in nearly all of Central America has received considerably less scholarly attention than it deserves. Written by a team of internationally known specialists, this volume goes a long way in correcting that deficiency.For Central America, the last third of the twentieth century was a time of dramatic change in which most countries shifted from dictatorships to formal political democracy. The process of transition in most Central American countries was made possible only through violent conflict-costing over 350,000 lives-which either toppled the dictatorships or forced them to negotiate transition to a more democratic system. Repression, Resistance, and Democratic Transition in Central America shows how revolt and revolution serve as the motors of political change in this region. The book systematically examines the various ways in which democratic transition has taken place-all of which have been distinct from countries in South America, where democratization was relatively sudden and peaceful. Written by leading scholars, Repression, Resistance, and Democratic Transition in Central America examines the major forces shaping change in the region and provides the recent political history of all six Central American countries: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. Each country's particular transition adds to the reader's undels