Maximiliano Hernndez Martnez

1931-1944
El Salvador

Origin
Martnez was born October 29, 1882. He was born a Native American Mestizo with poor in common with
the elite. He was a firm believer in the occult, seldom appeared in public, was a vegetarian and believed in
reincarnation and held sances at his home. One of his most famous quotes that represented his beliefs
was, "It is a greater crime to kill an ant than a man, for when a man dies he becomes reincarnated, while
an ant dies forever." He entered the Salvadoran army at age 17 (1899) where he gained combat
experience. Martnez fought in the 1906 war with Guatemala. A war in which he became a substantiated
leader with a reputable record. Due to this he rose to brigadier general in 1919. He was highly regarded
by his colleagues for his ability as a planner and strategist At the Salvadoran Military Academy, Martinez
served as a professor who trained young officers in the latest military technique.

Ideology
Martnezs rise to power began in 1931 during a time of political unrest. He ran as vice president with
Arturo Araujo, a wealthy landowner with aspirations for reform, running as president. The
Araujo/Martinez ticket beat out Zarate, the leading opponent. Under Araujo, Martnez served as minister
of war. It is thought that the only reason that the army remained loyal and
protest during the initial months remained calm was because of the
presence of Martnez in the government.
Araujo proved to be an ineffective leader who did not live up to his
promises of his campaign, which were modernizing the agricultural sector
among other objectives. He was also unable to deal with the problems
resulting from the global depression, especially the depressed price of
coffee, the nation's principal export.
In December 1931 a group of young military officers staged a coup to oust
Araujo due to the governments inability to meet the army payroll
punctually. None of the leading political party members appeared to have
been involved in staging the coup. The young military officers initially
arrested Martnez on charges of complicity. He was released and put into
power just days later.

Base of Support
Martnez had the support of the wealthy, landowning elite. El Salvador was a country in which thirty or so
families owned nearly all the land. The other people of El Salvador lived without luxuries. Martnez kept
the support of the wealthy, landowning elites by putting down all communist uprisings. He and the later
military regimes gave the plantation owners and monopolist businessmen a free hand over the economic
life of the country.

Use of Propaganda
Not Applicable.

Treatment of Minorities
Not Applicable.

Treatment of Opposition
The opposition was the communists of El Salvador. In 1932 an agrarian revolt broke out. Discontented
peasants wanted to seize land. Fighting broke out in the interior of the country. The discontented peasants
killed several landowners. Even though Martinez himself was of a lower class background, he saw the
opportunity to suppress the communist uprising as a way to gain the support of wealthy and most
powerful people in the nation.
The army put down the revolt after receiving extensive casualties that varied between 10,000 and 30,000
casualties. This suppression came to be known as the massacre. The result changed the nation's political
climate, solidifying the power of General Martnez, creating support for a military regime, and leaving the
entire isthmus frightened of communism.
Martinez held on to control through the use of spies and harsh methods of repression. The regime became
more oppressive in its later years, especially after 1938. Among his reforms were laws reinstituting the
death penalty for such crimes as rebellion, which he hoped would deter the communists from acting out.
Martinez was successful because there were no more major attempts to jeopardize Martinezs
dictatorship.

Political and Economic Policies

El Salvador was bankrupt in the 1930s due to the global depression, leaving little money for government
projects. Martinez refused to contract new loans abroad. He heavily depended on the people to live on the
resources of the country. In 1937 he had a plaque installed in the National Congress Building over his
signature saying: "I propose before the Nation that it never consent to the incurrence of new debts."

Martinez did use some money to construct a network of dirt roads, several government buildings and a
few schools and hospitals. A program devoted to land distribution was also instituted by the government.
Through this program government owned land was distributed in small parcels to landless peasants. The
regime also purchased several estates for division, but due to lack of funds the distribution of land was
largely ineffective.
Politically the communists were suppressed throughout the regime of Martinez and the land owning
sector of people controlled politics. Martinez was eventually forced to leave office because of the strike
opposing him to extend his tenure again. He was exiled to Honduras where his driver murdered him later
on in life.

Regional and Foreign Impact

The United States opposed the coup that put Martinez in power because they supported Araujo. The
Washing Treaty of 1932 was a statement that said that the governments of Central America had pledged
not to grant diplomatic recognition to any regime installed by an armed revolt. The U.S. was never an
official signer of the treaty, but the supported the idea. The timing of the coup worked to the advantage of
El Salvador because when the U.S. had pledged not to intervene militarily in Latin America, the
Salvadoran military felt that it could resist pressure from Washington due to the domestic issues the U.S.
was trying to manage.
El Salvador was viewed in American eyes as citadel for U.S. policy in central America; if El Salvador
could not be controlled, then the U.S. would not be able to control the rest of the region. U.S. prestige
declined due to Martinezs resistance to diplomatic pressure. The U.S. saw that Martinez could not be
controlled and stronger action to make him relinquish office appeared inadvisable. Ubico, from
Guatemala was prepared to oust Martinez with the help of the U.S., but the U.S. was unwilling to invade
militarily. European governments recognized the Martinez government, even with the persuading of the
U.S. to try and diplomatically isolate El Salvador. After the recognition from governments all over the
world, the U.S. also recognized the government in 1934.

Bibliography

COMISIN CVICA DEMOCRTICA. Website name.

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March 9, 2010).

Grieb, Kenneth, ed. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Farmington Hills: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1996.

Grieb, Kenneth. The United States and the Rise of General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, Journal
of Latin American Studies 3, no. 2 (Nov., 19771): 151-72.