| Socialist José (Pepe) Figueres won a sweeping victory over his Conservative opponent in presidential elections. During the next five years, the Figueres government took control of banking, insurance, and public utilities. Figueres also introduced widespread literacy and social welfare programs. In order to pay for these programs, the government negotiated a new contract with the United Fruit Company that increased the Costa Rican share of profits. Despite these reforms, Figueres and his new party, the Partido de Liberación Nacional (PLN), remained staunchly anti-Communist and closely tied to the U.S. from the 1950s to the 1970s. This election also signaled the beginning of a long period of relative economic and political stability. | 1 |
