Nicaraguan Revolution

A revolutionary conflict that toppled the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, brought the Sandinistas to power, and continued through the Contra war and 1990 election.

Sandinista National Liberation Front: A Nicaraguan revolutionary organization founded in 1961 that led the insurgency against the Somoza dictatorship. Its guerrilla campaign and political alliances brought the dictatorship to an end.
United States occupation of Nicaragua: A period of U.S. military intervention and occupation in Nicaragua, most continuously from 1912 to 1933. The occupation shaped the political order and resistance that preceded the revolution.
Daniel Ortega: A Nicaraguan Sandinista leader who served on the revolutionary government junta and later became president. He led the Sandinista government through the Contra War and the 1990 election.
Nicaraguan literacy campaign: A 1980 Sandinista campaign that sent volunteer teachers across Nicaragua to teach adults to read and write. It exemplified the government’s effort to transform social conditions after taking power.
Nicaraguan Constitution of 1987: The constitution adopted under Nicaragua’s Sandinista government in 1987, establishing a framework for political institutions and rights. It institutionalized a new political order during the continuing war.
Somoza dynasty: A family dictatorship that ruled Nicaragua from 1936 to 1979, backed by the National Guard and the United States. The revolution was directed against this regime and its entrenched power.
Augusto César Sandino: A Nicaraguan revolutionary leader who fought U.S. intervention and the National Guard in the 1920s and 1930s. His anti-imperialist legacy inspired the Sandinista movement’s name and political symbolism.
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro: A Nicaraguan journalist and politician who became president after winning the 1990 election. Her victory ended Sandinista rule through an electoral transfer of power.
Nicaraguan agrarian reform: Land redistribution and changes to agricultural ownership undertaken by Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. It challenged the landholding patterns inherited from the Somoza era.
Esquipulas Peace Agreement: A 1987 Central American peace accord aimed at ending regional conflicts through democratization and negotiations. It helped create conditions for demobilization and Nicaragua’s 1990 election.

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