Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rafael Ángel Calderón
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| 29th President of Costa Rica | |
| In office May 8, 1940 – May 8, 1944 |
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| Preceded by | León Cortés Castro |
| Succeeded by | Teodoro Picado Michalski |
| Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica | |
| In office May 1, 1958 – April 30, 1962 |
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| Preceded by | Oldemar Chavarría Chinchilla |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Montero Castro |
| Constituency | San José (6th Office) |
| Deputy of the Constitutional Congress | |
| In office 1 May 1934 – 30 April 1940 |
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| Constituency | San José Province |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 8, 1900 San José, Costa Rica |
| Died | June 9, 1970 (aged 70) San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | National Republican Party |
| Spouses |
Yvonne Clays Spoelders
(m. 1927–1945)Rosario Fournier Mora
(m. 1947–1970) |
| Children | Rafael Ángel, Jr. (1949–), Alejandra Calderon Fournier (1954–1979), Maria Calderon Fournier (1960–) |
| Parents | Rafael Calderón Muñoz and Ana María Guardia Mora |
| Alma mater | Université catholique de Louvain Université libre de Bruxelles |
| Profession | Doctor |
| Signature |  |
Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia (born March 8, 1900 – died June 9, 1970) was a Costa Rican doctor and politician. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1940 to 1944. He is known for making big changes to help people in Costa Rica.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia was born in San José, Costa Rica, on March 8, 1900. When he was young, he studied in Costa Rica, France, and Belgium. In Belgium, he married Yvonne Clays Spoelders. She later became the first female diplomat from Costa Rica.
After his studies, Calderón Guardia became a medical doctor and a surgeon. He worked as a doctor for most of his life, even after he was president.
At 30, he became the Municipal President of San José. In 1934, he won a seat in the country's congress. In 1940, President Leon Cortes Castro supported him to run for president.
Becoming President of Costa Rica
In 1940, Rafael Calderón was elected President of Costa Rica. He had the support of wealthy coffee farm owners. Soon after, he met with the American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Before Calderón, Costa Rican presidents were elected by the people. However, they often supported the interests of the rich coffee families.
Social Reforms and New Laws
Calderón soon changed his focus. He decided to help people who were poor and had bad health. He was the first president in Central America to focus mainly on poverty and social problems.
When he became president in 1940, he promised many changes. He wanted to improve the country's social, cultural, and economic life. He paid special attention to areas like Guanacaste, which had been left behind.
He promised to change the tax system to be fairer. He also wanted to help farmers get loans and distribute land. He planned to build affordable homes for people.
Calderón Guardia also wanted to create a national university. This university would help guide public opinion on social issues. He also promised to start a modern social security system.
During his time as president, he created the Work Code. This law set a minimum wage and protected workers. Before this, working conditions for many poor people were very bad. He also started the CCSS, a national social security program for retirement. This was very advanced for its time. He also began a national healthcare program. In education, he founded the University of Costa Rica.
Today, Costa Rica is famous for its healthcare, high education levels, and social security system. These systems were started under Calderón.
World War II and Challenges
Calderón also brought Costa Rica into World War II on the side of the Allies. He worked closely with the United States. During the war, his government took action against some Costa Ricans of German descent. Their properties, like coffee farms and banks, were taken. This made him unpopular with the powerful German community in Costa Rica. Many German families later supported Calderón's rival, José Figueres Ferrer.
Despite the war, Calderón's government made many advances. They passed laws to encourage new industries. They created the Social Security System and the Labor Code. They also had a Land Law that allowed landless people to get land if they promised to farm it. A simple program gave free shoes to needy children. These actions aimed to build a better economy and help the poorest people in Costa Rica.
Calderón became close with labor unions and some Catholic Church leaders. He also worked with the Communist Party. This unusual group was strong enough to change the country's laws, health, and education. He was very popular with poor people. However, a group of landowners, business owners, military leaders, and conservative Church officials strongly opposed him. This caused a lot of division in society.
Calderón Guardia led a traditional political party. He gained a lot of support from ordinary people, more than any leader before him. His focus on social issues challenged the power of the wealthy elite. This made the elite more active in politics.
The Picado Years
In 1944, Calderón supported Teodoro Picado Michalski to become the next president. Picado also had the backing of the Archbishop and the former Communist leader Manuel Mora. There were claims of unfairness during the election. However, Picado won by a large margin, suggesting he would have won anyway. Picado's time as president was calmer than Calderón's. But both Calderón and his opponents were getting ready for the 1948 election. Calderón would be allowed to run for president again then.
The Costa Rican Civil War of 1948
In 1948, Calderón ran for president again. Otilio Ulate Blanco won the election by about 10,000 votes. However, the election results were disputed. Calderón's party controlled the Congress, and they said the election was invalid. They wanted a new election.
Historians say that leaders from both sides tried to end the conflict. They planned for an interim president and new elections. But José Figueres Ferrer rejected this plan. He continued to lead his army.
Figueres launched a military action against Picado's government in 1948. In the civil war, Picado's government forces were supported by the communists. They believed that Ulate would harm the social laws that Calderón had created. After about 2,000 deaths, the civil war ended. Figueres took control.
Figueres is known for taking power by force. He then created a strong modern democracy that still exists today. He also disbanded the military and later gave up power. He went on to be elected president twice with his National Liberation Party. Figueres is seen as a national hero in Costa Rica. Calderón's image is less positive, even though his social reforms were very important.
After Figueres' forces won, Calderón fled to Nicaragua and then to Mexico. In Mexico, he worked as a doctor to support his family. In 1958, Calderón Guardia was allowed to return to Costa Rica. He was elected as a congressman but did not serve. He ran for president again in 1962 but lost. He also served as ambassador to Mexico from 1966 to 1970. He died in 1970.
His son, Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, started a new political party in 1984. He became president of Costa Rica in 1990, fifty years after his father. His daughter Alejandra became a left-wing activist. Her career ended after a car accident in 1979. His youngest daughter, Maria del Rosario, became an author and educator. Calderón Guardia's second wife, Rosario Fournier Mora, lived until 1999.
Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia remains a very debated figure in Costa Rican history. Because he was the main opponent of Figueres, who was seen as the "hero of the revolution," his reputation suffered. Even though his social reforms greatly helped Costa Rica, the disputed 1948 election and his later attempts to regain power hurt his image.
Images for kids
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Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
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Signature of Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
See also
- Social Guarantees
In Spanish: Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia para niños
