Central America

NICARAGUA

1856—William Walker--the movie
1930-34—U.S. “penetration”
1934-1979 (roughly)—Anastasio Somoza Garcia (father), Luis Somoza Debayle (son), and Anastasio Somoza Debayle (son)
Carter Confronts Somoza--"Legacy of U.S. involvement"
July, 1979—Somoza overthrown by FSLN-led Revolution
1979-85—FSLN-led junta
1985-90—Daniel Ortega (FSLN)
1990-97—Violeta Barrios de Chamorro—1st female head of government in Latin America—ousts FSLN as leader of United Nicaraguan Opposition (UNO)
1997-2002—Enrique Aleman—elected under anti-Sandinista banner—but developed strategic alliance with Ortega & FSLN—in 2002 sentenced to 20-yr. prison term for corruption
2002-06—Enrique Bolanos—former businessman and key opponent of FSLN after the Revolution
2006—Daniel Ortega elected for his second term on Nov. 5, 2006 with plurality of 38%-had run unsuccessfully in 1996 and 2001. Re-elected 2011.
Elements of a successful revolution, as applied to the Nicaraguan Revolution
- Cause (Somozas and U.S. penetration)
- Leadership (Sandino and FSLN)
- Organization and Mass Participation—the “people of Nicaragua” did not rise up—but it was a broad-based coalition
- External Support
- Catalysts
  - Murder of ABC Reporter, June 20, 1979 (:37 seconds)
    - UTube Video
    - Under Fire, movie
U.S. aid to the contras—mining of harbor—reasons for:
- FSLN economic policy
- FSLN “regime type”
- National security threat

EL SALVADOR

The Salvadoran political system has been marked by more than 50 years of military rule in association with large landowners who dominated the economy.

Six repetitions of the same cycle: consolidation of power by conservatives, growing dissent and repression, coup by progressive military, re-emergence of conservatives, conservatives resumption of power.
Political Spectrum—FMLN PSD “center” PDC ARENA
“Civil War”—1980-92
Archbishop Romero killed, March 1980
Four U.S. nuns killed, Dec., 1980
Revolutionary Junta (led by Jose Napoleon Duarte-PDC)—1979-82
Duarte (PDC)—1984-89—defeats Roberto D’Aubisson (ARENA & death squads)
Alfredo Cristiani (ARENA—more moderate)—1989-94
Peace Accords, 1992—FMLN becomes political party
Armando Calderon Sol, 1994-99 (ARENA)
Francisco Flores, 1999-2004 (ARENA)
Antonio Saca, 2004-present (ARENA)—defeats FMLN candidate (Handal) by 58%-36% margin.
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena elected President in 2009 presidential election as the candidate of the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front political party.
Differences with Nicaragua in terms of factors for a successful revolution
- Cause (no similarities to Somozas or U.S. penetration)
- Leadership (FMLN)
- Organization and Mass Participation—FMLN more polarized
- External Support (little)
- Catalysts (none?)
  - Murder of Archbishop Romero, March 24, 1980
    - U.S. involvement?
    - Pope Francis advocates the beatification of Archbishop Romero
  - Murders of four U.S. Nuns, December, 2, 1980
  - Salvador, the movie