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Grenada
1668-1670: Buccaneers captured and destroyed the city of Grenada which was the center of the provinces agricultural wealth. The English (beating the Spanish) declaraed Nicaragua, the eastern part, as a protectorate of the English crown. This information came from country data which discusses the important events of each country. This specific page is of Administrative Divisions of Nicaragua. Source: http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9202.html -
Independence
Nicaragua's independence was formally declared. The small countries from the isthmus formed the Federation of Central American States which did not last because of differing political opinions. After this broke up, this is when Nicaragua officially declared independence. This information came from a webpage specifically on Nicaraguan independence about why and how they gained independence and what happened after independence. Source: https://vianica.com/go/specials/5-independence_Nicaragua.html -
Revolt
Conservatives revolted with help from our US Marines to get rid of Zelaya. Not only were the conservatives opposing him but so was his own party, US government leaders, and the Guatemalan government. The US government kept several Navy ships off the coast just in case they needed more support in the revolution. This is from the US Department of State. It's about US intervention in Nicaragua during this time through 1912. Source: https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/ip/108629.htm -
National Guard
Nicaraguan National Guard was formed and our United States Marines withdrew in August. The US helped to train the National Guard and supported their endeavors throughout Nicaraguan history. The US decided to train the National Guard as a result of Sandino's destabilizing presence. Same source of brown.edu as used elsewhere in this timeline! Source: https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/n-background.php -
National Guard cont'd
Formed and trained under the model we were using to prepare the armies in Haiti, Philippines, and the Dominican. It is said to have been an "interventionist" army defending the US' interest rather than national interest. This information is from a page on Global Security. This page is about the National Guard in Nicaragua and includes facts about the army from when it was created to when it was disbanded in 1979. Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/centam/ni-army-guard.htm -
Managua
After liberal-conservative fighting, United States sent marines back to Managua. The fighting didn't stop until massive United States power and strength of National Guard forced combatants to sign a truce. Augusto Cesar Sandino and Anastasio Somozo Garcia emerged. -
Managua cont'd
Stimson tries to negotiate with Moncada (a liberal who did not like US intervention). Sandino rejects the pact with Stimson and launches guerilla war against US forces in Nicaragua. Same stanford used previously. Source: http://web.stanford.edu/group/arts/nicaragua/discovery_eng/timeline/ -
Hoover
Herbert Hoover withdrew all of our marines from Nicaragua because of the deepening Great Depression, outrage in the states over the growing number of marine casualties, and a desire to improve Latin American relations in the face of a threat from Japan and Germany. Somoza Garcia stepped up as National Guard director. -
Sandino
Sandino was assassinated by National Guard associates, who acted without approval of president, after leaving the president's house where he had been conducting peace negotiations. Somoza had been defying the National Guard for about six years. He was the most well known for defying because he was a good orator. This information came from Michael Schroeder from an article about Sandino. This is written from the English perspective. Source: http://www.nicaraguasc.org.uk/about-nicaragua/sandino/ -
Somoza Garcia
Somoza Garcia forced his uncle to resign as president and instructed the Nicaraguan Congress to name him as his Uncle's replacement. This created a Somoza dynasty that would last for more than four decades. -
Somoza Garcia cont'd
Somoza Garcia was able to utilize the United States because of his understanding of the English language, understanding of the American culture, and his understanding of his own political system. He was a very wealthy man with large investments in land, manufacturing, and transport. I got this information from the library of Congress, so it is a reliable source. It is from the portion about the Somoza Era in a larger document about Nicaragua. Source: http://countrystudies.us/nicaragua/11.htm -
Somoza Debayle
A disgruntled citizen assassinated Somoza Garcia. Luis Somoza Debayle assumed the post of president. He was Somoza Garcia's son and was the previous director of the National Guard. Somoza Garcia's younger son, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, took over as director of the National Guard. Luis appeared to favor a slight liberalization of his father's repressive style of governing. Anastasio Somoza Debayle was the opposite of his brother and commanded the National Guard through brute force. -
Luis Somoza Debayle
Luis Somoza Debayle was first elected as a PLN delegate in 1950 and then presided over the Nicaraguan Congress by 1956. PLN Is the liberal party in the Congress. His father had written that in the constitution he would assume the position of interim president. This is from the same source as Somoza Garcia (Library of Congress). -
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle graduated from West Point (United States Military Academy). He was nicknamed "Tachito." Anastasio impressed censorship and took away many of the rights of citizens. They created a political party to make it seem as though they were a legit government. Same source of Library of Congress -
FSLN
Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was formed and was the group to take the lead in opposing Anastasio Somoza Debayle. Grew to a small Marxist revolutionary organization operating in rural areas. -
FSLN cont'd
FSLN was socialist and wanted to unite the workers and peasants. They thought that the US support was bad and just meant that it would not be changed while we had a presence there. They had nationalistic members. This information came from Brown University and is about the ideology and domestic policies of the Sandinistas. It's strictly informative and doesn't have any analytic or personal opinions. Source: https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/n-sandinistas.php -
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Formal transfer of power from Luis Somoza Debayle to Anastasio Somoza Debayle shortly before Luis suffered a fatal heart attack. Anastasio reacted to any criticism by increasing political repression. -
Earthquake
Earthquake destroyed Managua. National Guard members joined in looting the city after the tremor. Most of the international aid after the earthquake enriched the somoza family instead of enriching the vitcims. This caused most political figures to switch the sides and join the opposition. -
Earthquake cont'd
The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2. About 7,000 people were killed. At the time, it was one of Latin America's only major cities, but once the earthquake swept through Managua, it left the city in ruins. Lasting effects of the earthquake included aftershocks, landslides, and surface faulting. Relief agencies in the United States and other nations in the Americas went to help. 325,000 residents were displaced. -
Earthquake cont'd
This information is from the United States Geological Survey. It is a summary from the government as well as an article by an expert. Source: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/events/1972_12_23.php -
FSLN vs National Guard
Late 1970s: FSLN was militarily challenging the National Guard throughout the country -
Sandinista Victory
The FSLN and other members of the revolutionary force entered Managua after Anastasio finally fled Nicaragua. A fire member junta assumed power, pledging political pluralism, a mixed economic system, and a nonaligned foreign policy. Most Nicaraguans supported the new regime because they saw the Sandinista vicotry as an opportinity to end the repression and economic inequalities of the Somoza regime. -
Sandinista Victory cont'd
They tried to unite with other groups after their victory to mask the true nature of their rebellion so as to not upset the US. They tried to consolidate power as quickly as possible so the bourgeoisie would not be able to have a counterrevolution. Same source from FSLN.
