History UsefulNotes / TheSalvadoranCivilWar

Many outside the country have stated that the accords are the only thing that has kept El Salvador from becoming a corrupt autocracy like Honduras and Nicaragua. However, current president Nayib Bukele (who has been accused of being an autocrat with a huge ego) has shown contempt for the accords with him feeling that they "hold the country back" and them "being a relic of the past" and has made moves to diminish or downright take out most of its guarantees and protections (since his party holds more than half of the Legislative Assembly) such as the denial of presidential re-election [[labelnote:*]]he has been given the permission to have a second term after dismissing five independent judges of the Supreme Court and replacing them with loyal judges[[/labelnote]], protections to free-press and rights to information, and some of his proposed changes to the constitution include the ability to pass laws based on public referendums rather than the assembly [[labelnote:*]]which means that even if his party loses seats in the assembly, he would be no longer beholden to any opposition parties or political body his party doesn't control[[/labelnote]], longer presidential terms (from five years to six and a half) and even the ability to shut down political parties and opponents based on corruption charges, which have raised alarms with Human Rights groups and in the United States' government. It remains to be seen if his proposed reforms are passed or he steps back due to pressure from the United States, the country's biggest economic partner, to which the Salvadoran economy is highly dependent.

During the 1970 World Cup qualifiers, El Salvador and Honduras played against each other three times, with each game just increasing the tensions between the populations of the two nations. The Salvadoran government, getting overwhelmed by tens of thousands of expatriates from Honduras, declared war on Honduras the day after El Salvador beat Honduras during the last qualifying game. This was the beginning the infamous [[UsefulNotes/TheFootballWar Football War]].

The reasons for the conflict are similar to other revolutions of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar; many among the lower classes and the educated getting fed up with an authoritarian regime plagued by corruption, and rising up with the support of the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]], RedChina and/or UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}}. But the lead up to the war is a lot more complicated than it was with a series of events that futher deteriorated an already-fragile small nation.

The Salvadoran Civil War was a military conflict between successive US-supported right-wing military governments of UsefulNotes/ElSalvador and a coalition of five left-wing rebel factions under the banner of the ''Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front'' (named after a peasant farmer who led a short-lived insurgency against the government during TheThirties) that started in TheEighties and ended in 1992 after the sign of the peace accords in UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}}.

Following the Nicaraguan Revolution, the United States grew nervous at the prospect of another leftist revolution in Central America. Vowing that there would never again be another such success, they would increase their support for the Salvadoran government by giving them huge amounts of leftovers weapons and vehicles from the UsefulNotes/VietnamWar.

On January 1981, The F.M.L.N launched its first military campaign against the government which consisted of simultaneous attacks and raids against police and military targets across the nation. This would showcase their organization and preparation in contrast to the fractured Guatemalan rebel factions, and they would score a few victories against the Salvadoran government even after a counter-offensive that pushed the rebels back to the mountains with heavy casualties, something that would lead to the United States exerting greater control over the Salvadoran armed forces by sending "advisors" and training their mechanized battalions and elite forces themselves, with the U.S government feeling that the only reason the Salvadoran government was able to push back the rebels was because most citizens refused to join the rebel forces in their campaign due to their distrust of the F.M.L.N (since most Salvadorans are very conservative and didn't want to live under communism) or out of fear of retribution from Death Squads.

On December 11, 1981, a US-trained anti-guerrilla force would perpetuate one of the most infamous atrocities of the conflict; ''El Mozote Massacre'', were 800 civilians of the rural town of El Mozote were systematically killed just because of their proximity to rebel-controlled areas and towns. The Salvadoran and government would deny the massacre even happened or heavily downplay the casualties, all while claiming that they had good reasons to do what they did.

Many outside the country have stated that the accords are the only thing that has kept El Salvador from becoming a corrupt autocracy like Honduras and Nicaragua. However, current president Nayib Bukele (who has been accused of being an autocrat with a huge ego) has shown contempt for the accords with him feeling that they "hold the country back" and them "being a relic of the past" and has made moves to diminish or downright take out most of its guarantees and protections (since his party holds more than half of the Legislative Assembly) such as the denial of presidential re-election [[labelnote:*]]he has been given the permission to have a second term after dismissing five independent judges of the Supreme Court and replacing them with loyal judges[[/labelnote]], protections to free-press and rights to information, and some of his proposed changes to the constitution involve the ability to pass laws based on public referendums rather than the assembly [[labelnote:*]]which means that even if his party loses seats in the assembly, he would be no longer beholden to any opposition parties or political body his party doesn't control[[/labelnote]], longer presidential terms (from five years to six and a half) and even the ability to shut down political parties and opponents based on corruption charges, which have raised alarms with Human Rights groups and in the United States' government. It remains to be seen if his proposed reforms are passed or he steps back due to pressure from the United States, the country's biggest economic partner, to which the Salvadoran economy is highly dependent.

Many outside the country have stated that the accords are the only thing that has kept El Salvador from becoming a corrupt autocracy like Honduras and Nicaragua. However, current president Nayib Bukele (who has been accused of being an autocrat with a huge ego) has shown contempt for the accords with him feeling that they "hold the country back" and them "being a relic of the past" and has made moves to diminish or downright take out most of its guarantees and protections (since his party holds more than half of the Legislative Assembly) such as the denial of presidential re-election [[labelnote:*]]he has been given the permission to have a second term after dismissing five independent judges of the Supreme Court and replacing them with loyal judges[[/labelnote]], protections to free-press and rights to information, and some of his proposed changes to the constitution involve the ability to pass laws based on public referendums rather than the assembly [[labelnote:*]]which means that even if his party loses seats in the assembly, he would be no longer beholden to any opposition parties or political body his party doesn't control[[/labelnote]], longer presidential terms (from five years to six and a half) and even the ability to shut down political parties and opponents based on corruption charges, which have raised alarms with Human Rights groups and in the United States' government. It remains to be seen if his proposed reforms are passed or he steps back due to pressure from the United States, the country's biggest economic partner, which the Salvadoran economy is beholden to.

By TheNewTens, El Salvador has [[BittersweetEnding become infamous for its high levels of crime and murder but is still more politically stable than its neighbors]]. UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} is currently plagued with so much crime, corruption and nepotism that it has been classified and one of the most corrupt countries in the world. UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} meanwhile, has [[FullCircleRevolution become a corrupt authoritarian aristocracy ruled by the Ortega family]], as of 2020.

On January 1981, The F.M.L.N launched its first military campaign against the government which consisted of simultaneous attacks and raids against police and military targets across the nation. This would showcase their organization and preparation in contrast to the fractured Guatemalan rebel factions, and they would score a few victories against the Salvadoran government during the campaign even after a counter-offensive that pushed the rebels back to the mountains with heavy casualties, something that would lead to the United States exerting greater control over the Salvadoran armed forces by sending "advisors" and training their mechanized battalions and elite forces themselves, with the U.S government feeling that the only reason the Salvadoran government was able to push back the rebels was because most citizens refused to join the rebel forces in their campaign due to their distrust of the F.M.L.N (since most Salvadorans are very conservative and didn't want to live under communism) or out of fear of retribution from Death Squads.

In 1988, after far-right and US-supported ARENA candidate Alfredo Cristiani won the national elections via voter intimidation, the FMLN essentially said 'enough' and launched an all-or-nothing offensive in 1989 on the capital city of San Salvador, which lasted days with various upper-class suburbs becoming battlefields with one notable battle inside a luxurious hotel that lasted hours. Eventually, the armed forces repelled the FMLN out of San Salvador and went on a renewed campaign of political terror against dissidents. The US Vice President Dan Quayle would visit the country to "ask the government to stop the atrocities". However, some sources have alleged that in secret, US advisors essentially told the government to "kept killing commies, but this time try and be less obvious about it".

Communism and socialism would gain a good deal of popularity and support among farmers, the lower class and the expatriates as a consequence of the humanitarian crisis. Attempts from the government to compromise would almost invariably receive an extremely hostile response from foreign companies, the oligarchs and the military, who would threaten to take over the government under the pretext of fighting communism and Soviet/Cuban/Nicaraguan influence. By the late 70s, various left-wing groups of the political and paramilitary type would appear to fight or protest the government's abuses, which often led to crackdowns where many supporters and sympathizers were arrested and even executed. In 1980, five of the most prominent left-wing factions' leaders would attend a meeting in Cuba, officially announce the formation of the F.M.L.N and declare war on the then-recently installed ruthless military junta that was officially recognized and supported by the United States and other members of the Western bloc.

Unlike the left-wing insurgency in UsefulNotes/{{Guatemala}}, the F.M.L.N would prove to be a big problem. They would showcase themselves as a lot more aggressive and score a few victories against the Salvadoran government, something that would lead to the United States exerting greater control over the Salvadoran armed forces by sending "advisors" and training their mechanized battalions and elite forces themselves.

Communism and socialism would gain a good deal of popularity among and support from farmers, the lower class and the expatriates as a consequence of the humanitarian crisis. Attempts from the government to compromise would almost invariably receive an extremely hostile response from foreign companies, the oligarchs and the military, who would threaten to take over the government under the pretext of fighting communism and Soviet/Cuban/Nicaraguan influence. By the late 70s, various left-wing groups of the political and paramilitary type would appear to fight or protest the government's abuses, which often led to crackdowns where many supporters and sympathizers were arrested and even executed. In 1980, five of the most prominent left-wing factions' leaders would attend a meeting in Cuba, officially announce the formation of the F.M.L.N and declare war on the then-recently installed ruthless military junta that was officially recognized and supported by the United States and other members of the Western bloc.

The United States government -- particularly the intelligence community == would religiously cover-up any atrocities committed by the Salvadoran government under the UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan administration.