The poverty and inequality that has plagued El Salvador since the beginning of the 20th century stems from its rule by the oligarchy, which dates back to the colonial era. The oligarchy's lack of consistency in implementing and monitoring reforms has prevented progress from occurring in the country. Additionally, the numerous wars and political revolts in El Salvador have hampered its economic and social growth. The main goal of the oligarchy was to make profits. And because they essentially ran the economy, they believed their actions were best for their profits and the country's economy as a whole. Their single-minded, selfish focus led to growing economic inequality, which was then offset by ethnic and class oppression, primarily directed against indigenous Indians. Eventually, in the mid-19th century, the fourteen families declared their lands communal, thereby expelling the native Indians, often violently (Mopp and Morris 74). By the end of the century, most of El Salvador's generals and presidents were large coffee producers or members of the Fourteen Families, which is why the oligarchy maintained such a hold on the country. Given the aforementioned circumstances, one can clearly see that the fourteen families have a long history of control over almost every aspect of El Salvador's political and economic life. El Salvador's problems with inequality began in the mid-16th century, when an oligarchy was created in the form of three ecomiendas. Ecomiendas were put in power by the crown in order to grow and export cocoa, mainly due to the lack of natural resources to exploit, such as gold or silver (Montgomery 70). Cocoa has become...... middle of paper ...... horror and must simultaneously worry about violence, it is no wonder that inequality and poverty have been and continue to be being such a big problem in El Salvador with seemingly no end. Works Cited Barry, Tom and Deb Preusch. The Central America Fact Book. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1986. Cohen, Isaac, and Gert Rosenthal. “The dimensions of political economic space in Central America.” The future of Central America. Ed. Richard R. Fagen and Olga Pellicer. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1983. 15-34. Fagen, Richard R. Forging Peace. New York: Basil Blackwell, Inc., 1987. Krauss, Clifford. In Central America. New York: Summit Books, 1991. Montgomery, Tommie Sue. “El Salvador: the roots of the revolution”. Central America: crisis and adaptation. Ed. James A. Morris and Steve C. Ropp. Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1984. 67-118. Print.