Abolishing the army
Costa Rica dissolved its Armed Forces after a brief civil war in 1948
Witness History · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
After a brief civil war in March-April 1948, the new president of Costa Rica, Jose Figueres, took the audacious step of dissolving the Armed Forces. Since then Costa Rica has been the only Latin American nation without a standing army. Mike Lanchin has been hearing from 94-year-old Enrique Obregon, who served in the military before its dissolution.
Photo: Costa Rican soldiers in San Jose after the end of the civil war, April 1948 (Credit:Getty Images)