In the heart of Central America lies the Spanish speaking nation of Nicaragua. Officially titled “the Republic of Nicaragua”, there have been multiple stories of how the country got its name, the most prominent story says that during the time the Spanish invaded, Nicaragua took its name from an indigenous chief named Nicarao who was ruler of the region. Fast forwarding the history: Three hundred years of Spanish colonialism, a hundred years of totalitarian ruling by multiple “presidents”, and thirty years of Somoza family dictatorship, Nicaragua underwent the Sandinista revolution in 1979 to create a socialist society. Despite socialism having a track record of failure, there was great advancements in literacy and overall education, as well as improvement the nations GDP. However, the 1980’s were engrossed in destructive guerilla wars and political blunder sending the nation into a downward spiral.
Political History
Though titled as a democratic nation, the early years of Nicaragua’s political ruling was taken by tyrannical rule, namely the Somoza family who publicly used violence to silence opposition or potential opponents. The end of their rule resulted in the creation of a constitution that ensured political rights to the people while suppressing the power of those in power as well as setting a limit on how long one could stay in office. Since 1987, the supreme law of the country is the “The Political Constitution of Nicaragua”, control of the constitution is exercised
On the narrow isthmus known as Central America, between the world’s two greatest oceans, Nicaragua has been marked by endless years of political turmoil, social tension and economic dismay. The turmoil’s that have shaken the country make it plausible to believe that by some metaphysical law, Nicaraguan politics have accommodated to nature’s tantrums. Like its diverse, rugged and seismically active geology, the country’s politics have been irregular, impulsive and often explosive (Pastor, 15). The Nicaraguan election of February 25, 1990 represents the country’s attempt to break from its turbulent political past and pursue economic and political stability through the establishment of a democracy. The
Nicaragua was a primary example for the efforts and motives of the United States during the Cold War. “Nicaragua was one of those places where freedom was at risk, together with Afghanistan and Angola and even Poland” which made the United States see them as a place that needed assistance from the largest and most successful democracy of the time. Following the election of President Reagan, there was a resurgence in American efforts of preventing the spread of communism. Although Nicaragua had been in the sights of the United States for so long, they revitalized their efforts in a new scheme with Reagan’s administrations involvement. In Nicaragua, there was a revolt brewing with anti-communist ties. The revolt was being led by the rebel group, the contras, who aligned themselves with American hoping for assistance within their rebellion. The CIA and the administration was assisting a group in overthrowing its established government to help promote its ideological perspective within Central America. This would not seem uncommon for the United States government during the Cold War Era, due to the fact that they had done this on so many different occasions since the Cold War with the Soviet Union began in 1945.
The Nicaraguan government is fair and balanced. Like the United States, Nicaragua has a republic form of government with three branches. The capital of Nicaragua is Managua. Nicaraguans pick their political parties, depending on their personalities. Daniel Ortega is the president of Nicaragua. As a result, this government promotes peace in Nicaragua.
Q7: The similarities between United States, Cuba, and Nicaragua is that they were all involved had leadership during the times when they were in war. United States had President Truman to lead the country and so that the country won't fall apart. Cuba had Fulgencio Batista as their dictator. Anastasio Somoza was the dictator for Nicaragua. Cuba and Nicaragua had dictator to lead their countries. They thought that they had everything planned out, but they didn't. The United States originally thought they would be neutral through World War II. That didn't help because when Japan attacked United States in Pearl Harbor. United States needed to do something about it. Cuba wanted to improve the economy, but they couldn't because Fulgencio kept putting
Nicaragua is surrounded by its beautiful nature including its incredible history. The name ‘Nicaragua’ came from a chief named Nicarao. He was chief to a digenous tribe that settled in Lake Nicaragua around late 1400’s and early 1500’s. In 1524 Hernandez de Cordoda was the first Spanish settler to live in the region of Granada on Lake Nicaragua and Leon Managua. Nicaragua gained its independents from Spain in 1821, making the country part of the Mexican Empire and becoming a member of independent Central American. Nicaragua became an independent republic.
n the 1800’s a lot of people from Europe started to come into Nicaragua. Also families from Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Germany moved to Nicaragua to set up their own businesses to do with money. They established coffee businesses, newspapers, hotels and banks. The U.S. government negotiated with President Jose Santos Zelaya to get land so their would be a canal through Nicaragua in the late 1800’s. The minister of Nicaragua, Luis Felipe Corea, went to Washington and wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay addressing the needed support of a canal by the Zelaya government. The Zanchez-Merry Treaty was signed with Nicaragua regarding the canal through Columbia but fell through because it was rejected by John Hay. The Spooner Act,
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Though one must question why was the Nicaraguan President Jose Zelaya overthrown? Was it personal interests again as it was in Hawaii or was it protecting the Nicaraguan citizens? As saw before in Hawaii, it
Nicaragua is the largest Central American country and was settled in as a Spanish colony back in the 1520's. In 1522 Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila named the colony "Nicaragua" after an Amerindian chief named Nicarao who once ruled the area, making Nicaragua have Spanish and Indian cultures. Back in 1523-24 Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba officially completed his exploration of Nicaragua. In 1838 Nicaragua fully gained its independence from Spain. William Walker assumed presidency over the country in 1856, and had seeked U.S. annexation as well as sanctioning slavery. General Jose Santos Zelaya was Nicaragua's first dictator that took power in 1893. National hero Cesar Augusto Sandino starts a rebellion against US occupiers and other
The Civil War in Nicaragua was one of the defining events from the 1980s, and it also happened to be a defining event in my personal life and that of my family. The argument in question was over the nature of the revolution in Nicaragua, and the political motivations of the Sandinistas. I said that the situation in my home country is not as black-and-white as it has been presented in the media. I believe the situation that gave rise to this argument is rooted in a lack of accurate media coverage. Because I am from a Nicaraguan background, but also have one American parent, I can present a unique perspective that illuminates both sides of the argument to show that neither the Sandinistas nor the Americans had the best interests of Nicaragua at heart.
When Stephen Kinzer comes to Nicaragua for the first time, he knows very little about the people or culture; everything from the burning sun to the earthquakes to the impending revolution surprises him. However, he is not the only one who seems to be unaware of the increasing tension that is mounting between the Somoza regime and the Sandinistas; even important figures, such as Colonel Laszlo Pataky, try to minimize the danger. Only Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, an anti-Somoza newspaper owner, admits that war is on the horizon. And before Kinzer leaves, he makes an exasperated statement about the relationship between the United States and Nicaragua: “The United States is the great, overwhelming factor in our national life and you don’t even know we exist!”
Fernando Cardenal, serving as the National Literacy Crusade Coordinator, and Valerie Miller, a CNA advisor, outlined that the literacy campaign would not just eradicate illiteracy, but create an identity of a “new man [and a] new woman” for Nicaraguans. Through the CNA, the Sandinistas hoped to introduce young Nicaraguans to the difficulties and hardship endured by Nicaragua’s poor rural population. For many of the brigadistas who volunteered, the 1980 literacy campaign served as their first experience with the other side of Nicaragua’s population, a side that remained unseen and not thought of by many under the Somoza regime. The life that brigadistas lived in during the CNA significantly altered their perspectives on society, both politically and culturally. The Sandinistas did in fact succeed at redefining the concept of the Nicaraguan experience for its youth.
The United States has been involved with funding and aiding Nicaragua in many different situations though the years after the Somoza assassination. From the devastating earthquake, to rebel Contra groups, the American government has tried relentlessly to spread capitalism in Nicaragua. The FSLN overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979, ending the Somoza dynasty, and established a revolutionary government in its place. Following their seizure of power, the Sandinistas have been successfully in control of the Nicaraguan government since 1979.
In the summer of 2014, as a part of the Global Medical Brigades, I visited and stayed at a small village in Nicaragua for 11 days. While visiting Nicaragua, I was really astonished by the lack of health care as well as, the lack of any health system in particular. Families did not have access to any type of medicine, unless they lived in the village and had money to spend. However, this was not the case for many of the families in the village so several of them suffered and fell ill to diseases and infections. Also, the water was not very clean and access to clean water, once again, could only be found in cities. About 50% of the population lives in poverty in which 85% of this population struggle to live on more than one-dollar daily (Balint 1999). Several communities are limited in their access to basic health services because of poor road infrastructure, which makes transportation and trade tremendously difficult. Historically, each step forward that Nicaragua has taken in the realm of development has been counteracted with a step back in the form of a revolution, natural disasters, repealing of funding for governmental projects or foreign aid. The focus of my research is observing and recording the factors that contribute to the high mortality rate of the Nicaragua populations and how these challenges can be combatted and resolved. My paper will discuss the inaccessibility of health care and why it is difficult to reach among populations that live in poverty and rural
The USSR had recently funded a communications site on Nicaraguan soil to help them communicate with other socialist nations. With a rising fear of the USSR and other socialist nations, the US immediately accused it of being a spy base. Not shortly afterwards the US began to take action against Nicaragua by issuing an economic blockade. Because the Nicaraguan economy relied so heavily on imports, this had a profound effect and contributed to the collapse of the Nicaraguan economy. “It was impossible to spend even a day in Nicaragua without becoming aware of the huge and unrelenting pressure being exerted on the country by the giant standing on the northern front” (p.24).