Emma Lightizer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 1937 until 1979, Nicaragua was politically and\nmilitarily controlled by a U.S.-supported dictatorship led by three members of\nthe Somoza family in turn: Anastasio Somoza Garc\u00eda, Luis Somoza Debayle, and\nAnastasio Somoza Debayle. Although they were not formally the only heads of\nstate during that time, the three of them combined held the Presidency for\nthirty years and worked through puppet leaders during the other thirteen years\nof their collective control (Brown). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ndictatorship became more repressive under the leadership of Anastasio Somoza\nDebayle. In 1967, his regime carried out a massacre in front of the National\nAssembly building (Ar\u00e9valo Alem\u00e1n). It is estimated that at least 200 people\nwere killed and one thousand wounded out of the thousands who were there\npeacefully protesting the lack of free elections (Ar\u00e9valo Alem\u00e1n). In response\nto attempts by Sandinista (FSLN) revolutionaries to overthrow the dictatorship,\nSomoza Debayle ruled under martial law from 1974 onward (Encyclopaedia Britannica).\nFinally, U.S. President Carter withdrew support for the regime, and in 1979\nSomoza Debayle was forced by the Sandinistas and the Conservative party to\nresign from his position; he was later assassinated in Paraguay (Encyclopaedia\nBritannica). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Somoza lost power, the Sandinistas gained control of the country and Daniel Ortega assumed the presidency. He nationalized many businesses and tried to maintain control over the country through the use of force, and despite Carter\u2019s attempts to court favor, Nicaragua was soon aligned with Cuba and the USSR (Brown). When Reagan became president in the U.S., he stopped the policy of trying to appease the Sandinista government and instead helped fund and train Nicaraguan \u201cContras,\u201d counter-revolutionaries based in neighboring Honduras that wanted to oust the Sandinista party from power (Brown). As interventionary tactics had lost favor with the general populace in the wake of the Vietnam War, the CIA turned to covert and illegal operations,<\/a> funneling weapons and aid to the Contras through Iran in what became known as the Iran-Contra Scandal (Brown). Although the operation drew massive protest from the U.S. when it came to light, it was successful in aiding the counter-revolutionary cause, such that by 1989 the Sandinistas had all but lost to the Contras. In 1990, Ortega was beaten in an internationally-observed election, and the Sandinistas officially lost power (Encyclopedia.com).<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1990\nto 2007, Nicaragua had an uneasy democracy that contended with the huge national\ndebt, the downsizing and conversion of the Sandinista military into a national\nmilitary, and high unemployment (Encyclopedia.com). On top of this, Nicaragua\nhad to confront the historical legacy of the revolution and counterrevolution,\nwhich cost a combined estimate of 65,000 lives between 1978 and 1990 (Lacina,\n404-6). <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2007,\nDaniel Ortega and the Sandinista party returned to power through an election\n(P\u00e9rez). Since then, Ortega has worked to solidify Sandinista control over all\nbranches of government by appointing members of his own party to several\njudicial and legislative positions \n(P\u00e9rez). He has maintained his position through questionable elections,\nand many criticize him for undermining Nicaragua\u2019s developing democracy. In\n2018, popular protests erupted in response to social security reforms that cost\npeople more while giving them worse benefits (P\u00e9rez). Ortega\u2019s government\nresponded violently, working with parapolice forces to kill over 200 protesters\n(P\u00e9rez). In the wake of Ortega\u2019s violent tactics of political control, some\npeople have begun comparing him to Somoza, with bad implications for the future\nof Nicaraguan democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bibliography:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Anastasio Somoza\nDebayle.” Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica. April 21, 2019. Accessed May 10, 2019.\nhttps:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Anastasio-Somoza-Debayle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ar\u00e9valo Alem\u00e1n, Ra\u00fal. “Hoy Se\nRecuerda La Masacre Del 22 De Enero De 1967 Por La Dictadura De Somoza\nDebayle.” La Jornada. January 22, 2016. Accessed May 10, 2019. https:\/\/lajornadanet.com\/diario\/archivo\/2016\/enero\/22\/4.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lacina, Bethany. PRIO. September\n2009. Accessed May 9, 2019.\nhttps:\/\/www.prio.org\/Global\/upload\/CSCW\/Data\/PRIObd3.0_documentation.pdf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Nicaragua and Iran\nTimeline.” Understanding the Iran-Contra Affairs. Accessed May 9, 2019. https:\/\/www.brown.edu\/Research\/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair\/timeline-n-i.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n P\u00e9rez, Orlando J. “Can\nNicaragua’s Military Prevent a Civil War?” Foreign Policy. July 03, 2018.\nAccessed May 10, 2019.\nhttps:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/07\/03\/can-nicaraguas-military-prevent-a-civil-war\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Violeta Barrios De Chamorro.” Encyclopedia of\nWorld Biography. 2019. Accessed May 10, 2019.\nhttps:\/\/www.encyclopedia.com\/people\/history\/nicaragua-history-biographies\/violeta-barrios-de-chamorro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further\nReading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/news-desk\/nicaragua-on-the-brink-once-again<\/a> https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/07\/03\/can-nicaraguas-military-prevent-a-civil-war\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n