Coffee Presidents
Throughout the boom period this group consolidated their power through a series of personal hegemonies in which the wealthiest families vied for dominance and leadership transitions were generally determined by military coups and interventions. Fortunately, although militarism played a role in making and toppling presidents, the leaders installed followed in the country’s liberal tradition and were surprisingly progressive, in favor of reform and social welfare, a kind of ‘benevolent oligarchy’.
In addition to its contribution to social peace and economic stability, the coffee industry’s other great legacy is its commitment to the liberalist agenda that continues today. The coffee oligarchy, professional and educated, was heavily influenced by Enlightenment principles and the ‘ideology of progress’ They were the ‘true heirs of the European Enlightenment’ 11 a somewhat paternalistic elite promoting ideals of education, rationality, secularism and the pursuit of science and technology; discouraging the influence of the Church and of traditional customs and beliefs and creating a hegemonic reality based on economic and intellectual freedom. In this way they consolidated what had previously been a vague tendency, making ‘Liberalism’ the only viable political and economic standpoint.
In 1847 the Costa Rican Congress named José Maria Castro, an enlightened supporter of education and freedom of the press, as the first ‘President’ of the new Republic. Castro inaugurated the University of Santo Tomas, the country’s first university; founded the first high-school for girls and established a new national newspaper. However, the increasingly powerful cafetaleros announced their ascendancy by using the army to force his resignation and replacing him with their own candidate, Juan Rafael Mora (1849 -1859), a leading personality within the coffee aristocracy and the first in a long line of ‘coffee presidents’ serving the industry’s needs.
Initially Mora faced opposition and was not accepted by the general populace. However, his actions during the invasion of US filibuster William Walker and the subsequent ‘National Campaign of 1856-57’, made him a national hero, temporarily at least.
In 1847 the Costa Rican Congress named José Maria Castro, an enlightened supporter of education and freedom of the press, as the first ‘President’ of the new Republic. Castro inaugurated the University of Santo Tomas, the country’s first university; founded the first high-school for girls and established a new national newspaper. However, the increasingly powerful cafetaleros announced their ascendancy by using the army to force his resignation and replacing him with their own candidate, Juan Rafael Mora (1849 -1859), a leading personality within the coffee aristocracy and the first in a long line of ‘coffee presidents’ serving the industry’s needs.
Initially Mora faced opposition and was not accepted by the general populace. However, his actions during the invasion of US filibuster William Walker and the subsequent ‘National Campaign of 1856-57’, made him a national hero, temporarily at least.
