The Sandinista Revolution: A Nicaraguan History Nicaragua is a country within the Central American isthmus that is rich in resources, biodiversity, culture and history. But it is also rich in a history full of bloodshed and greed. From its inception, Nicaragua has been desired by the world’s superpowers. American possession and intervention of Nicaragua and the subsequent puppet government of the Somoza family forced Nicaraguans to adopt anti-capitalist and anti-American ideologies that would become personified in the Sandinista Revolution, and the violent struggle to free the exploited and the poor working class from the oppression of imperialist rule would permanently scar the identity of the Nicaraguan people. The seed of the Nicaraguan …show more content…
The strongest and most influential of the anti-Somoza groups was the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN). Founded by the Marxist-Leninist thinkers Carlos Fonseca Amador, Silvio Mayorga, and Tomas Borge, the FSLN adopted and preached the ideals of Augusto Cesar Sandino. Sandinismo has at its foundation a deep anti-American and anti-imperialist sentiment and argued that the land and resources of Nicaragua should not be used for capitalist and foreign profit, but owned and enjoyed by the Nicaraguan peasant (Zimmerman). Furthermore, Sandinismo argues that liberation from oppression can only be the result of educational, political indoctrination, and by force. As a result of its ideology, the Sandinista movement became very popular among the Nicaraguan left-wing parties, the lower classes, and the youth. By the 1970’s, the FSLN had gained widespread acceptance in Nicaragua and financial support of leftist governments such as Cuba, Russia, and Venezuela. With the momentum of social acceptance and financial support, the FSLN began to publicly rebel against the Somoza regime, often through the use of violence. During that time, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Anastasio Somoza Garcia’s second legitimate son, was the leader of the Somoza dictatorship. Somoza Debayle responded to the Sandinista rebellion by executing, torturing, and censoring any individual affiliated with the FSLN or Sandinismo. The international community condemned Somoza Debayle’s punitive actions as inhumane and in the direct violation of human rights. Due to international pressure, the US government during the Carter administration cut all the financial and political support to Somoza. In 1979, the loss of American aid and the increasing power of the Sandinistas forced Somoza Debayle to step down from office, effectively ending the Somoza family’s control over