Preview

Economic Turmoil of the Nicaraguan Revolution

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Economic Turmoil of the Nicaraguan Revolution
An Investigation into the Economic Turmoil of the Nicaraguan Revolution:
To what extent did the U.S. led trade embargos of the 1980’s and the U.S. funded contra rebel groups affect the failed Nicaraguan economy of the mid to late 1980’s?

Word Count: 1, 618
Table of Contents

Section A Page 3 Plan of the Investigation
Section B Page 4-5 Summary of Evidence
Section C Page 6-7 Evaluation of Sources
Section D Page 8 Analysis
Section E Page 9 Conclusion
Section F Page 10 Bibliography

Section A Plan of the Investigation

To what extent did the U.S. led trade embargos of the 1980’s and the U.S. funded contra rebel groups have on the failed Nicaraguan economy of the late 1980’s? This investigation aims to objectively determine the influence that the U.S. had on the complete devastation of the Nicaraguan economy. To achieve this end, a detailed analysis will be made of the financially U.S. supported rebel groups, the contras, that opposed Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) following the 1979 overthrow of the Anastasio Debavle dictatorship. Their nature of opposition will be exposed and analyzed as a cause for the economic destruction in Nicaragua. Further, this analysis will be paired with the 1980’s U.S. led trade embargos on Nicaragua, which will give a detailed analysis as to why the Nicaraguan economy failed in the mid to late 1980’s.

Section B Summary of Evidence
When considering the U.S.’s actions in Nicaragua it is essential to note that this revolution took place in the midst of Cold War fear between the U.S. and Soviet Russia. In 1979 the Sandinista National Liberation Front overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza, ending the 43 year Somoza dictatorship, and establishing a revolutionary government in Nicaragua. Ronald Reagan, with a strongly anti-Communist administration, took office in 1981 and was ultimately convinced that the Sandinistas were supporting



Bibliography: * Selbim, Eric. Modern Latin American Revolutions. Second ed. Oxford: Westview, 1999. Print. * Gobat, Michel. Confronting the American Dream. London: Duke UP, 2005. Print. American Encounters. * Hodges, Donald C. Intellectual Foundation of the Nicaraguan Revolution. Austin: University of Texas, 1988. Print. * Prevost, Gary. "The "Contra" War in Nicaragua." Conflict Quarterly, 21 Mar. 1994. Web. <http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCS/CQ/vol007_3summer1987/prevost.pdf>.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I feel that the Nicaraguan government is just as corrupt at the United States government. Not only are we assisting in their overthrow of different leaders, we are helping them rig elections while they terrorize their own citizens and neighboring countries. It is, of course, no surprise to me that we did such things. We were working our way through Central America, trying to take control of those countries. We needed Nicaragua to…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The year is 1954. Government agencies resurrect secret plans previously discarded until a more forceful administration comes to power. Behind the scenes, the CIA and State Department are fervently working in over time trying to engineer a government overthrow against a populist nationalist in their own backyard who has the dare audacity to threaten both US economic and geopolitical interest. Accusations of communism and Soviet penetration permeate the discourse and heat up the rhetoric; swift action must be taken to stabilize the hemisphere. Intervention by any means necessary. Exiled opposition leaders are paid off, trained, equipped, and installed. Propaganda transmits through jammed radio towers and warns the peasant population of invasion and liberation. Psychological warfare in conjunction with paramilitary covert operation is launched. The target—Guatemala, a third world poverty stricken country in which the fruits of revolution and conflict are as ripe as the bananas that dot the landscape. Such a riveting story could easily fill the pages of Tom Clancy’s next best-selling and fictional political thriller but instead, it is the true story unearthed through extensive investigation by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer, who with Bitter Fruit, meticulously detail a thought provoking and well-documented historical account of the Guatemalan coup d’état. The sowing of the seeds, subsequent cultivation, and ultimately the dangerous harvest of these bitter fruits is the basis for this compelling chronicle of one of the most controversial and…

    • 3196 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sandinistas: a social democratic political party in Nicaragua; the U.S opposed them because they were afraid that they were going to become a Cuban-style communist government allied and Reagan wanted to prevent the spread of…

    • 1862 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Iran Contra Affair was an action not actually approved by the U.S. Congress. Ronald Reagan put in his best efforts to keep communism to a minimum. So, he’s done everything in his power to keep helping Nicaragua, even though it’s going against American laws. He decides to support the Contras who are rebelling against the Cuban backed Sandinistas, which resulted in one of the most talked about scandals in the late 1900’s. In a report from the Public Broadcast Service, they mention that Reagan says the Contras were, “the moral equivalent to our Founding Fathers”. Unfortunately for a very engaged Reagan, a Boland Amendment was made to make funding for Nicaragua difficult. Then, a few years later a second Boland Amendment was made even stronger…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Secondly, I believe there are some connections between the rises in drug distribution in African-American communities in the U.S. in the late 80’s and that of Latin American countries. After, reading chapter two and learning about of the CIA “[turned] to the drug trade for an illicit source of fund… beginning the trend toward privatizing war”. For the need to change the world and dominate have lead us to limiting and label others as our enemies because they have or seem to have the potential challenge our western norms. Therefore, it might seem ideal to use money and blood to quell our fears and as a result we are willing to partake in “the pursuit of war by proxy [which] led to alliance between the CIA and drug dealers. Even though Nicaragua…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ose Santos Zelaya was a prominent figure in Central American politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as the President of Nicaragua from 1893 to 1909. Zelaya was a complex character, known for his ambitious vision of modernizing Nicaragua and expanding its influence in the region. His presidency marked a period of significant political, economic, and social changes and heightened tensions with the United States due to his assertive policies and resistance to American intervention in Nicaraguan affairs. Jose Santos Zelaya's presidency in Nicaragua epitomized the multifaceted impact of imperialism, where political, economic, and social dimensions intertwined. Politically, Zelaya navigated a delicate balance between asserting Nicaraguan sovereignty and managing external…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iran Contra Affair

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    a) Zinn – In order to fund CIA Contra (basically terrorists) operations on Nicaragua (it was illegal for the US to be involved in Nicaragua) Reagan looked for funding from other countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran. Zinn blamed Reagan for lying and makes it out to be a huge scandal.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    took towards undermining the Arbenz government was the cancellations of all American military supplies to Guatemala. However, the U.S. denied that it had anything to do with the United Fruit Company. They claimed communism to be the sole reason that they no longer wished to share military arms. The authors even state, “american officials replied each time that the disagreements between the U.S and Guatemala had nothing to do with the United Fruit Company, but rather concerned the failure of President Arbenz to oust Communists from his government” (pg 105). Communism would continue to be the scapegoat behind the U.S.’s motive as their plans…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When the Sandinistas’ first started to rise to power, those opposing begun to engage in violent actions. The United States is backing this opposing group by supplying them with weapons and other necessities for this fight. Currently in Nicaragua, these same anti-communist groups have begun to flee in efforts to escape the rule of the Sadanista’s. It is rumored that the groups are forming what are known as guerilla units. Guerilla warfare is fought in “fast-moving, small-scale actions.” The rebels and their supporters are trudging into southern Honduras. They have made camps there to accommodate the massive evacuation. Less than 2,000 fighters are still in Nicaragua today.…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Jaguar Smile

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages

    ter a period of political and economic turmoil under dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front (commonly known by the initial FSLN or as the Sandinistas) came to power in Nicaragua in 1979 supported by much of the populace and elements of the Catholic Church. The government was initially backed by the US under Jimmy Carter, but the support evaporated under the presidency of Ronald Reagan in light of evidence that the Sandinistas were providing help to the FMLN rebels in El Salvador. The US imposed economic sanctions and a trade embargo instead which contributed to the collapse of the Nicaraguan economy in the early to mid-1980s. While the Soviet Union and Cuba funded the Nicaraguan army, the US financed the contras in neighboring Honduras with a view towards establishing a friendly government in Nicaragua. Nicaragua won a historic case against the U.S. at the International Court of Justice in 1986 (see Nicaragua v. United States), and the U.S. was ordered to pay Nicaragua some $12 billion in reparations for undermining the nation's sovereignty.…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The assassination of Oscar Romero, an influential Salvadorian Archbishop, ignited political and social turmoil in the country, characterized by brutal government repression. The Reagan administration feared the emergence of a left wing government and their military alone could not defuse civil disobedience; therefore, the United States showed investments their military during the uproar. The United States investment in the Salvadorian military fueled nine years of brutal civil war that crippled their infrastructure and economic activities. An estimated 70,000 people were killed (Barlean, 2014). A long-running civil war in Guatemala (1960-1996) and Nicaragua (1961-1990) resulted in thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from the region to…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Apparently, Reagan was aware and approved of the original arms for hostages deal. However, as his National Security Advisor John Poindexter testified, Reagan was not told about the illegal diversion of funds to the Contra rebels. The public was stunned by the news of the scandal Ronald was suppossively involved in and started to question the president’s “good” intentions. For a long time, the public was angry with the president even though there was more evidence supporting the innocence of him rather than the guilty. Reagan was so disappointed, even his wife Nancy said that “…he went into a state of depression because he felt that his reputation had been ruined.”…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Revolution can either fail or succeed , many revolutions succeeded due to overthrowing their presidents , and kings and over all important people in that current era . For Example , The people of Nicaragua suffered a huge impact of oppression that led to the development of domination against the Sandinistas and a Revolution that impacted not only Nicaraguan people but also Latin American people with political and social effects .…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America), (Jurisdiction and Admissibility), 1984 ICJ REP. 392 June 27, 1986.…

    • 3546 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Mcdonalds in India

    • 2668 Words
    • 11 Pages

    * Explanation on the theoretical background of the report explaining why I have decided to apply the Eclectic Paradigm and Vernon life cycle theories to McDonald’s investment in India. Brief definition of the five stages in a products life according to the Vernon life cycle theory.…

    • 2668 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays

Related Topics