Nicaragua
was discovered by the Spanish in 1522 and was under colonial control
until it achieved its independence by revolution in 1838.
In
the 19th century most people worked on the land. The principal crops
were coffee, sugar cane, beans, rice, cocoa, tobacco, corn, bananas
and cotton. Nicaragua also exported gold, silver and lumber.
In
1909 the United States Marines invaded
Nicaragua. After elections in 1924 the marines were withdrawn. Two
years later, a new general election was held. Fearing a left-wing
victory, the United States sent troops, who
landed on the Caribbean coast in May 1926, ostensibly to protect United
States citizens and property. A civil war now broke out and General
José María Moncada emerged as the leader of those fighting
for an independent Nicaragua.
In
April 1927, the United States sent Henry
L. Stimson to mediate the civil war. The following month Moncada
agreed to a plan in which both sides - the government and Moncada's
forces - would disarm. In addition, a new military force, the Nicaraguan
National Guard, would be established under United States supervision.
This accord was known as the Pact of Espino Negro.
Another
rebel leader, Augusto Sandino, refused
to sign the peace treaty. Sandino now resumed his battle against United
States troops. He gained most of his support from the rural areas
and although he only had about 300 men his guerrilla war caused significant
damage in the Caribbean coast and mining regions. Sandino argued that
he would continue the war until American troops left Nicaragua.
The
United States troops left Nicaragua in January 1933. Sandino now ended
his guerrilla war and began peace talks with President Juan Bautista
Sacasa. During
their meetings, Sacasa offered Sandino a general amnesty as well as
land and safeguards for him and his guerrilla forces. However, Sandino,
insisted that the Nicaraguan National Guard be dissolved.
Without
consulting the president, Anastasio Somoza
gave orders for Sandino's assassination. On 21st February, 1934, while
leaving the presidential palace after a dinner with President Sacasa,
Augusto Sandino and two of his generals
were arrested by National Guard officers acting under Somoza's instructions.
They were then taken to the airfield, executed, and buried in unmarked
graves. After Sandino's execution, the National Guard launched a new
campaign against Sandino's supporters. In less than a month, Sandino's
army was totally destroyed.
Somoza
and his National Guard forced President Juan Bautista Sacasa to resign
in 1937. Sandino established a military dictatorship and forced his
opponents into exile. His power from three main sources: the ownership
or control of large portions of the Nicaraguan economy, the military
support of the National Guard, and his acceptance and support from
the United States.
His
tyrannical and corrupt rule made him extremely unpopular and there
were several attempts to oust him. For protection, he constructed
a secure compound within his residence and kept personal bodyguards
with him wherever he went. However on 21st September, 1956, while
attending a party in León he was assassinated by Rigoberto
López Pérez, a twenty-seven-year- old Nicaraguan poet.
Sandino
was replaced by his son Luis Somoza Debayle. On his death in 1967,
his brother, Anastasio
Somoza Debayle, became the next dictator of Nicaragua.
On 23rd December, 1972,
a powerful earthquake shook Nicaragua, destroying most of the capital
city. The earthquake left approximately 10,000 dead and some 50,000
families homeless. Immediately after the earthquake, the National
Guard joined the widespread looting. Afterwards, Somoza was also responsible
for the illegal appropriation and mismanagement of international relief
aid. By 1974 it was estimated that his personal wealth reached $400
million.
The
Sandinista
National Liberation Front
(FSLN) grew rapidly and on
27th December, 1974, a group of FSLN guerrillas seized the home of
a government official and kidnapped a group of important figures close
to Anastasio Somoza Debayle. These men were later exchanged for fourteen
Sandinista prisoners who were flown to Cuba.
The
FSLN's prestige increased after this successful operation. In 1975
Anastasio Somoza Debayle ordered a violent and repressive campaign
against the FSLN. It killed a large number of guerrillas including
one of its founders, José
Carlos Fonseca Amador.
Anastasio
Somoza Debayle's
regime received a set-back with the election of President Jimmy
Carter in the
United States. Carter announced he was only
willing to provide aid to the government of Nicaragua if it improved
its human rights record.
On 10th January, 1978,
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, the publisher of the La
Prensa newspaper and a strong opponent of the government,
was assassinated. Evidence was uncovered that the publisher had been
killed by Somoza's son and members of the National Guard. On 23rd
January a nationwide strike began and the workers demanded an end
to the military dictatorship.
In November 1978 the Organization
of American States on Human Rights published a report charging the
National Guard with numerous violations of human rights. The report
was followed by a United Nations resolution
condemning the Nicaraguan government.
Anastasio
Somoza Debayle refused
to leave office and various organizations, including the Sandinista
National Liberation Front,
Los Doce, the PLI, and the Popular Social Christian Party formed the
National Patriotic Front. In June a provisional government in exile
was established in Costa Rica. The FSLN continued its guerrilla activities
and it gradually gained control of most of Nicaragua.
On 17th July, 1979, Anastasio
Somoza Debayle
resigned and fled to the
United States. A Junta for National Reconstruction was established
and in 1984 FSLN won the elections. The following year Daniel
Ortega became president of Nicaragua.
Funded by the United
States, the Contra rebels refused to accept the election of Ortega.
His government's power also suffered from economic sanctions imposed
by President Ronald
Reagan. It was
later discovered that the United States had attempted to damage the
economy by the mining of Nicaragua's harbours.
In the 1990 elections the
FSLN lost the elections to the UNO (Union of National Opposition).
Ortega was replaced as president by Violeta Chamorro. Ortega left
office with the words: "We leave victorious because we Sandinistas
have spilled blood and sweat not to cling to government posts, but
to bring Latin America a little dignity, a little social justice."
Daniel
Ortega and his FSLN also lost the elections in 1996 and 2001.
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