Salvador Castaneda Castro

A general strike had begun on 19 April 1944 in reaction to the repressive policies of the President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez,[1] which included acts of civil disobedience by workers, students, and government employees, who refused to attend work or school during the strike.[2] During the strike a member of the police killed the son of a wealthy United States immigrant. The US ambassador demanded an explanation, and the struggling economy also contributed to the pressure on Hernández Martínez, who resigned.[1] Before leaving for exile, Hernández Martínez appointed General Andrés Ignacio Menéndez as provisional president.[2] Although the strike succeeded in ousting Hernández Martínez, its leaders were not organized well enough to form an enduring organization.[2] Hernández Martínez' supporters also succeeded in arresting or exiling many of the leaders of the strike.[1]

In October 1944, Osmín Aguirre y Salinas, who had been the director of the National Police, staged a counter-coup along with many other very conservative military officials.[2] He promptly repressed most dissident groups.[2] This repression radicalized the opposition, which armed itself in neighboring Guatemala, which had just overthrown its dictator Jorge Ubico during the Guatemalan Revolution.[2] An armed uprising was launched by students in San Salvador on 8 December, followed by an insurgent attack from Guatemala four days later. Both movements were crushed by the Aguirre government, which thus consolidated its position in power.[2]

In early 1945, Aguirre transferred power to Castaneda Castro.[2] In January 1945, Castaneda Castro was elected president, with the backing of the elites that had supported Hernández Martínez.[1] He contested the election as a candidate of Partido Agraria, or the Agrarian Party.[3] He faced no opposition in the election, and the country remained under martial law during the entire process.[2] Castaneda Castro had previously served as the interior minister in the government of Hernández Martínez,[4] as had many of the ministers that Castaneda Castro appointed.[2]

The Castaneda Castro government passed a measure that loosened the restrictions on labor unions in January 1946. However, the government did not liberalize its response to strikes; In October 1946, workers from a bakers union and a textile factory led a general strike in the hope of ousting Castaneda Castro from the presidency. The strike was put down by the government, and two hundred workers were arrested.[1] In September 1946, in response to a further strike, Castaneda Castro disbanded all the labor organizations and exiled their leaders.[2] The situation in the country during Castro's government has been described by historian Paul Almeida as a "state of siege.[2] R.V. Elam stated that the governments of Aguirre and Castaneda Castro "reestablished elitist rule, [and] restricted political activity."[2] James Dunkerley has stated that during Castaneda Castro's government, the country saw an economic recovery as the price of coffee rose, even as a return to democracy became less likely as the cold war strengthened anti-communist sentiment.[3]

In 1945 Castaneda Castro met Guatemalan President Juan José Arévalo to discuss the possibility of a Central American Union. In 1946, the two presidents signed the Pact of Santa Ana, and a year afterward they signed the Pact of the Confederate Union of the Central American States. However, this project was never fully realized.[5]

Castro was deposed in a coup in December 1948, after he attempted to extend his stay in office.[1] He initially intended to hand over power in 1949, but it was clear that his chosen successor Mauro Espinola Castro was unpopular while Osmín Aguirre y Salinas was among the favourites to win the election. The coup was led by many younger military officers.[2]

• Biography from the Salvadoran government