You may think this article is about the independence of Nicaragua from Spain, but it’s not. This is about a revolution where the Nicaraguans fought to remove the ruling family from power in 1979. We’ll touch on the independence movement later.
So, what happened? In 1939, a ruling dynasty was born in Nicaragua when Anastasio Somoza took power. His sons then followed suit and together they ruled the country for over 40 years. This government had friendly relations with the United States who at the time, and in competition with the former Soviet Union, provided support and security. .
But, the people of Nicaragua were not happy with the rulers and the FSLN was created. This was a group of people inspired by the Cuban revolution and they wanted to get the Somozas and the Americans out of the country. This group, known as the Sandisnistas, grew in the shadows until they were able to fight the “national guard”.
Finally, in July 19, 1979, they officially removed the last Somoza (who fled the country and was later assassinated), and took power. People were happy and expected big changes, but all the good things the Sandinistas had promised were nowhere to be seen. They were a socialist group, largely influenced by Cuba, which was not welcome. So, they got themselves a group of rebels as well, known as “los contra”.
The economy suffered and conflict between these groups continued until 1990 when the elections gave victory to the opposition: Violeta Barrios, the first and only woman president in Nicaragua.
This all seems good, but history has a way of repeating itself. Daniel Ortega, one of the leaders of the Sandinistas, rose to power again in 2006. He won the elections and remains president of Nicaragua today and has ruled the country for longer than any of the Somozas did.
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