The History Hour - Abolishing the army
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. The Central American country is now one of just over 20 countries without a standing army - we find out more. Plus, Maya Angelou's ground-breaking memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and the remarkable story of the raising of the Swedish warship, the Vasa.
Photo: Costa Rican soldiers in San Jose after the end of the civil war, April 1948 (Credit: Getty Images)
Published on Saturday, 6th April 2019.
Available Podcasts from The History Hour
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The History Hour webpage.