Federal Republic of Central America 196323 226110287 2008-07-16T21:30:01Z RussBot 279219 Robot-assisted fix [[WP:DPL|links to disambiguation page]] Liberal {{Infobox Former Country | native_name = ''República Federal de Centroamérica'' | conventional_long_name = Federal Republic of Central America | common_name = Central America | continent = North America | region = Central America | status = Federation | event_start = | year_start = 1823 | date_start = | year_end = 1838 | date_end = May 31 | event_end = | p1 = First Mexican Empire | flag_p1 = Flag_of_Mexico_1821.png | s1 = Costa Rica | flag_s1 = Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg | s2 = El Salvador | flag_s2 = El Salvador April 1865.svg | s3 = Guatemala | flag_s3 = Guatemala 1838 - 1843.svg | s4 = Honduras | flag_s4 = Flag of Honduras.svg | s5 = Nicaragua | flag_s5 = Nicaragua 1852 qu.svg | s6 = Los Altos, Central America | flag_s6 = Flag of Los Altos.svg | image_flag = Flag of the Federal Republic of Central America.svg | image_map = Location ProviniasUnidasdelCentrodeAmérica.png | capital = [[Guatemala City]] <small>(Until 1834)</small><br>[[San Salvador]] | currency = Central American Republic real | government_type = Republic | common_languages = [[Spanish language|Spanish]] }} The '''Federal Republic of Central America''', also known as the '''United Central Provinces of America''', was a short-lived [[Americas|America]]n [[state]] in [[Central America]], which consisted of the territories of the former [[Captaincy General of Guatemala]]. An experiment in republican [[democracy]], it existed from July 1823 to 1840. It was intended to be a [[federal republic]] modeled after the [[United States|United States of America]]. The [[coat of arms]] on the [[nation]]'s [[flag]] from 1823&ndash;1824 referred to the [[federation]] (in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]) as ''Provincias Unidas del Centro de América'' ("United Provinces of the Center of America"); however, its 1824 [[constitution]], coat of arms, and flag called it ''República Federal de Centroamérica / Centro América'' ("Federal Republic of the Center of America"). It is also sometimes incorrectly referred to in [[English language|English]] as the United States of Central America. The concept flag was introduced to the area by Commodore [[Louis-Michel Aury]] inspired in the [[Argentine flag]]. Commodore Aury established the first independent republic in [[San Andrés and Providencia Department|Old Providence Island]] (Isla de Providencia) in 1818, off the coast of [[Nicaragua]]. The republic consisted of the states of [[Guatemala]] (which initially included a large part of what is now the [[Mexico|Mexican]] state of [[Chiapas]]), [[El Salvador]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]], and [[Costa Rica]]. In the 1830s, an additional sixth state was added – [[Los Altos, Central America|Los Altos]], with its capital in [[Quetzaltenango]] – occupying parts of what are now the western highlands of Guatemala and Chiapas. Although the new nation was now independent of [[Spain]], it had been [[Annexation|annex]]ed by [[First Mexican Empire|Mexico]]. The annexation was the focus of disagreement, some seeing the Mexican constitution with its abolition of slavery and establishment of free trade as an improvement over the status quo. During the period of 1838&ndash;1840, the federation engaged in [[civil war]] by Conservatives fighting against the Liberals. Without a sustained struggle for independence to cement a sense of national identity, the various political frictions were unable to overcome their ideological differences and the federation dissolved after a series of bloody conflicts.<ref name="central">{{cite book | first=Lynn V. | last=Foster | year= 2000 | title= A Brief History of Central America | edition= | publisher=Facts on File, Inc. | location=New York | pages= pp 134&ndash;136 | id= ISBN 0-8160-3962-3 }}</ref> == Politics == [[Image:557px-CentralAmerica1860Map a.jpg|290px|thumb|left|States of the Federation]] Central American [[Liberalism|liberals]] had high hopes for the federal republic, which they believed would evolve into a modern, democratic nation, enriched by trade passing through it between the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] and the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] [[ocean]]s. These aspirations are reflected in the emblems of the federal republic: the flag shows a white band between two blue stripes, representing the land between two oceans. The coat of arms shows five mountains (one for each state) between two oceans, surmounted by a [[Phrygian cap]], the emblem of the [[French Revolution]]. In practice, however, the federation faced insurmountable problems. As a governor of Mexico, [[Vicente Filisola]] occupied [[Guatemala City]] after the formation of Federal Republic of Central America and was successful in annexing [[El Salvador]] in 1823, causing an uprising there. In compliance with the Mexican constitution, Filisola convened the [[Central America]]n congress which forthwith declared its independence from Mexico. Filisola was not able to maintain a fighting force, and his troops were sent back to Mexico by the residents of Guatemala City who paid for their transportation.<ref name="central"/> The liberal democratic project was strongly opposed by [[Conservatism|conservative]] factions allied with the [[Roman Catholic]] [[clergy]] and the wealthy landowners. [[Transport]]ation and communication routes between the states were extremely deficient. The bulk of the [[population]] lacked any sense of commitment towards the broader federation, perhaps owing to their continued loyalty to the Roman Catholic church in Spain. The [[Federation|federal]] [[bureaucracy]] in [[Guatemala City]] proved ineffectual, and fears of Guatemalan domination of the union led to protests that resulted in the relocation of the capital to [[San Salvador]] in 1831. [[War]]s soon broke out between various factions both in the federation and within individual states. The poverty and extreme political instability of the region prevented the construction of an inter-oceanic [[canal]] (''see'' [[Nicaragua Canal]] and [[Panama Canal]]), from which Central America could have obtained considerable economic benefits. == Presidents == ===Superior Political Chiefs=== *[[Gabino Gaínza]] ([[September 15]], [[1821]] - [[January 5]], [[1822]]) *[[Vicente Filisola]] ([[July 1]], [[1823]] - [[July 10]], [[1823]]) ===First Triumvirate ([[July 10]], [[1823]] - [[October 4]], [[1823]])=== *[[Pedro Molina Mazariegos|Pedro José Antonio Molina Mazariegos]] *[[Antonio Rivera Cabezas]] *[[Juan Vicente Villacorta Díaz]] ===Second Triumvirate ([[October 4]], [[1823]] - [[April 29]], [[1825]])=== *[[Juan Vicente Villacorta Díaz]] ([[October 6]], [[1823]] - [[March 15]], [[1824]]) *[[Manuel José Arce|Manuel José Arce y Fagoaga]] ([[March 15]], [[1824]] - [[October 20]], [[1824]]) *[[José Manuel de la Cerda y Aguilar]] ([[October 20]], [[1824]] - [[April 29]], [[1825]]) *[[Tomas O'Horan|Tomás Antonio O’Horan y Argüello]] ([[October 4]], [[1823]] - [[April 29]], [[1825]]) *[[José Santiago Milla Pineda Arriaga]] ([[October 4]], [[1823]] - [[February 5]], [[1824]]) *[[José Cecilio del Valle]] ([[February 5]], [[1824]] - [[April 29]], [[1825]]) ===Presidents===<!-- This section is linked from [[Francisco Morazán]] --> *[[Manuel José Arce|Manuel José Arce y Fagoaga]] ([[April 29]], [[1825]] - [[April 13]], [[1829]]) *[[Francisco Morazán Quesada]] ([[April 13]], [[1829]] - [[June 14]], [[1829]]) (1st time; as commander-in-chief) *[[José Francisco Barrundia|José Francisco Barrundia y Cepeda]] ([[June 26]], [[1829]] - [[June 16]], [[1830]]) (interim) *[[Francisco Morazán Quesada]] ([[September 16]], [[1830]] - [[September 16]], [[1834]]) (2nd time) *[[José Gregorio Salazar|José Gregorio Salazar Lara]] ([[September 16]], [[1834]] - [[February 14]], [[1835]]) (interim) *[[Francisco Morazán|Francisco Morazán Quesada]] ([[February 14]], [[1835]] - [[February 1]], [[1839]]) (3rd time) *[[Diego Vigil Cocaña|Diego Vigil]] ([[February 1]], [[1839]] - [[March 31]], [[1840]]) == Dissolution of the Union == The [[federation|union]] dissolved in civil war between 1838 and 1840. Its disintegration began when [[Nicaragua]] separated from the federation on [[November 5]], [[1838]], followed by [[Honduras]] and [[Costa Rica]]. The union effectively dissolved in 1840, by which time four of its five states had declared [[independence]]. The union was only officially ended upon El Salvador's self-proclamation of the establishment of an independent republic in February 1841. Because of the chaotic nature of this period an exact date does not exist, but on [[May 31]], [[1838]] the congress met to declare that the provinces were free to create their own independent republics. In reality, they were just making legal the process of disintegration that had already begun.<ref>Thomas L. Karnes, ''The Failure of Union: Central America, 1824-1960'' (Durham, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1961), 85.</ref> Various attempts were made to reunite Central America in the nineteenth century, but none succeeded for any length of time: * The first attempt was in 1842 by former President [[Francisco Morazán]], who was quickly captured and executed. The abortive attempt aimed to restore the union as the Confederation of Central America and included El Salvador, Guatemala (which withdrew early), Honduras, and Nicaragua. This first attempt lasted until 1844. * A second attempt was made and lasted from October to November 1852 when El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua created a Federation of Central America (Federación de Centro América). Guatemalan President [[Justo Rufino Barrios]] attempted to reunite the nation by force of arms in the 1880s and was killed in the process, like his 1842 predecessor. * A third union of Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador as the [[Republic of Central America|Greater Republic of Central America]] or "República Mayor de Centroamérica" lasted from 1896 to 1898. * The latest attempt occurred between June 1921 and January 1922 when El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras formed a (second) Federation of Central America. This second Federation was nearly moribund from the start, having only a Provisional Federal Council made up of delegates from each state. Despite the failure of a lasting political union, the sense of shared history and the hope for eventual reunification persist in the nations formerly in the union. In 1856&ndash;1857 the region successfully established a military coalition to repel an invasion by [[United States|U.S.]] adventurer [[William Walker (soldier)|William Walker]]. Today, all five nations fly [[flag]]s that retain the old federal motif of two outer blue bands bounding an inner white stripe. (Costa Rica, traditionally the least committed of the five to regional integration, modified its flag significantly in 1848 by darkening the blue and adding a double-wide inner red band, in honor of the French tricolor.) The short lived sixth state of [[Los Altos, Central America|Los Altos]] was forcibly annexed by [[Guatemala]]'s [[Rafael Carrera]]. == See also == *[[History of Central America]] *[[Republic]], [[Province]], [[State]], [[Federation]] *[[Greater Colombia]] - another federal state on the American continent that underwent a similar fate. *[[Peru-Bolivian Confederation]] *[[Golden Circle (Slavery)]] - a proposed Caribbean federation that would have split off half of the USA. == Notes == {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portal/constituciones/Rep_Fed_Centroamerica/rep_fed_centroamerica.shtml Constitutions from several attempts at Central American unification (in Spanish)] *[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/cam-us.html Central America- Historical Unions and Federations] *[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Guatemala.htm#Central%20America WorldStatesmen- Guatemala] *[http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/centramerica/centram182140.gif Map of the UPCA] {| align=center style="text-align:center;" |+ '''Member Nations''' |- | [[Image:Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg|border|100x50px|Flag of Costa Rica]] | [[Image:Flag of El Salvador.svg|border|100x50px|Flag of El Salvador]] | [[Image:Flag of Guatemala.svg|border|100x50px|Flag of Guatemala]] | [[Image:Flag of Honduras.svg|border|100x50px|Flag of Honduras]] | [[Image:Flag of Nicaragua.svg|border|100x50px|Flag of Nicaragua]] | [[Image:Vlag Los Altos.PNG|border|100x50px|Flag of Los Altos]] | |- | [[Flag of Costa Rica|Costa Rica]] | [[Flag of El Salvador|El Salvador]] | [[Flag of Guatemala|Guatemala]] | [[Flag of Honduras|Honduras]] | [[Flag of Nicaragua|Nicaragua]] | [[Flag of Los Altos|Los Altos]] |} [[Category:Central America]] [[Category:History of Nicaragua]] [[Category:History of Guatemala]] [[Category:History of El Salvador]] [[Category:History of Honduras]] [[Category:History of Costa Rica]] [[Category:Short-lived states|Central America]] [[ar:جمهورية أمريكا الوسطى الفيدرالية]] [[ca:Províncies Unides de l'Amèrica Central]] [[cs:Federativní republika Střední Ameriky]] [[da:Mellemamerikas Forenede Stater]] [[de:Zentralamerikanische Konföderation]] [[el:Ενωμένες Επαρχίες της Κεντρικής Αμερικής]] [[es:Provincias Unidas del Centro de América]] [[eo:Unuiĝintaj Provincoj de Centra Ameriko]] [[fr:Provinces unies d'Amérique centrale]] [[ko:중앙아메리카 연방]] [[it:Province Unite dell'America Centrale]] [[he:הפרובינציות המאוחדות של מרכז אמריקה]] [[sw:Shirikisho la Amerika ya Kati]] [[lt:Jungtinės Centrinės Amerikos Provincijos]] [[nl:Verenigde Staten van Centraal-Amerika]] [[ja:中米連邦]] [[no:Den mellomamerikanske føderasjon]] [[pl:Zjednoczone Prowincje Ameryki Środkowej]] [[pt:Estados Unidos da América Central]] [[ru:Соединённые Провинции Центральной Америки]] [[sk:Stredoamerická federatívna republika]] [[sr:Уједињене провинције Центроамерике]] [[fi:Keski-Amerikan liittovaltio]] [[sv:Centralamerikanska federationen]] [[zh:中美洲联合省]]