POLI 319 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Alfredo Cristiani, Plausible Deniability, Capital Accumulation
13 May 2018
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POLI319: Wednesday Feb. 7th, 2018
Definition of the instrumentalist state (ex: El Salvador)
- El Salvador – quintessential latifundia state
- The state serves as an instrument to class domination
- The state acts to maintain the conditions necessary for capital accumulation
- To keep labor in line in such a way that would maintain access to capital accumulation
- Govt. serves particular purpose in the hands of dominant classes
Roots of State Repression in El Salvador
- Reaches back to the 1930s with a violent episode of state repression against peasants who are
seeking greater rights and greater political participation
- Peasants were no match for state forces who crushed them in event named “La
Matantza” 30 000 peasants killed
- Sharp class inequalities persisted from then onward
- These inequalities also had a strong racial component
- Leader of peasant uprising in 1930s was Farabundo Marti
- Salvadorian rebels of 70s and 80s named themselves after this revolutionary leader
Dynamics of Salvadorian civil war
- Military regime backed by the land owners
- State was an instrument to use violent power via the military
- Land was scarce: zero sum game
- Socialist FMLN rebels launched war against the military regime (1980)
- Regime survived with US Support; civil war ended in 1992
- By the mid to late 1980s, scholars believed that the guerillas would have won if it were not for
the intervention by the US
- protected right wing govt. in power, trained Salvadorian army, had its own military
presence in El Salvador
- 1977: Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) increased its activities in response
to human rights violations by govt. troops and death squads
- Whereas govt. troops have a recognized command structure and operate in a formal and
conventional capacity, death squads typically serve the role of providing a measure of plausible
deniability where the governments can say it had nothing to do with the activities of death squads
- 1979-81: Govt. death squads kill around 30 000
- 1980: Army stages coup; installs civilian president Duarte
- 1980: Death squads assassinates human rights activist Archbishop Romero- civil war begins
- Murdered whilst performing a mass
- 1982: Extreme right-wing National Republican Alliance (Arena) party elected amidst violence
- 1984: Duarte wins elections amidst war
- 1986: Duarte seeks negotiations with FMLN
- 1989: FMLN launches offensive; ARENA candidate Alfredo Cristiani wins (seemingly rigged)
elections
- 1991: FMLN recognized as political party; govt. and FMLN sign UN-sponsored peace accord
- 1992: Formal end of hostilities
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Salvadorian rebels of 70s and 80s named themselves after this revolutionary leader. State was an instrument to use violent power via the military. Peasants were no match for state forces who crushed them in event named la. To keep labor in line in such a way that would maintain access to capital accumulation. Govt. serves particular purpose in the hands of dominant classes. Definition of the instrumentalist state (ex: el salvador) The state serves as an instrument to class domination. The state acts to maintain the conditions necessary for capital accumulation. Reaches back to the 1930s with a violent episode of state repression against peasants who are seeking greater rights and greater political participation. Sharp class inequalities persisted from then onward. These inequalities also had a strong racial component. Leader of peasant uprising in 1930s was farabundo marti. Military regime backed by the land owners. Socialist fmln rebels launched war against the military regime (1980)
