Nicaragua 1961 1990 Volume 2

In 1979, the Sandinista government established itself in power in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua. It found the country ruined by the long war against the Somosa dictatorship and natural disasters alike, and nearly half of the population either homeless or living in exile. Attempting to restructure and recover the underdeveloped economy, Sandinisas introduced a wide range of reforms and a cultural revolution. Considering the Sandinistas to be 'Cuban-supported Marxists' and therefore a major threat to the US domination of Latin America, in 1980-1981 the USA began supporting the creation of the Contrarevolutionary forces (better known as 'Contras'), and thus helped provoke a new war that was to rage through Nicaragua until 1988. Leaning upon extensive studies of the armed groups involved, and their combat operations of the 1981-1988 period, 'Nicaragua, 1961-1990, Volume 2' provides an in-depth coverage of military history during the second phase of one of bloodiest, and most-publicised armed conflicts of Latin America in modern times. Guiding the reader meticulously through the details of the involved forces, their ideologies, organisation and equipment, this book offers a uniquely accurate, blow-by-blow account of the Nicaraguan War and is profusely illustrated with more than 120 photos, maps, and colour artworks.

In 1979, the Sandinista government established itself in power in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua. It found the country ruined by the long war against the Somosa dictatorship and natural disasters alike, and nearly half of the population either homeless or living in exile. Attempting to restructure and recover the underdeveloped economy, Sandinisas introduced a wide range of reforms and a cultural revolution. Considering the Sandinistas to be ‘Cuban-supported Marxists’ and therefore a major threat to the US domination of Latin America, in 1980-1981 the USA began supporting the creation of the Contrarevolutionary forces (better known as ‘Contras’), and thus helped provoke a new war that was to rage through Nicaragua until 1988.

A history of the Sandinista takeover of this Central American nation and the uneasy decades leading up to it, with maps, photos, and illustrations. In the wake of the US invasion of Nicaragua in 1912, the country came under the rule of the Somoza family, which imposed a brutal, corrupt military dictatorship. A low-scale insurgency of students, supported by peasants and other anti-Somoza elements of the society, had developed already in the 1960s. By the 1970s, the country was embroiled in revolt. Supported by Cuba, a coalition of students, farmers, businessmen, clergy, and a small group of Marxists launched a major war in 1978, which resulted in the downfall of the Somozas a year later. The Sandinista government established in Managua in 1979 found the country ruined by the long war and natural disasters, and nearly half the population homeless or living in exile. Attempting to restructure and recover the underdeveloped economy, Sandinistas introduced a wide range of reforms and a cultural revolution. Drawing on extensive studies of involved armed groups, and their insurgencies in the 1960s and 1970s, Nicaragua, 1961-1990, Volume 1 provides in-depth coverage of military history during the first phase of one of major armed conflicts of Latin America in modern times. Moving meticulously through the details of involved forces, their ideologies, organization, and equipment, this book is an accurate, blow-by-blow account of the Nicaraguan War, illustrated with more than 120 photos, maps, and color artworks. Also available is Volume 2 of this series, which focuses on the new war that raged through Nicaragua for most of the 1980s after the US, considering the Sandinistas “Cuban-supported Marxists” and thus a major threat to US domination of Latin America, began supporting the creation of the Contrarevolutionary forces (better known as Contras). “A lavishly photo-illustrated and detailed chronological account of the Somoza military dictatorship in Nicaragua and its overthrow in 1979.” —Perspectives on Terrorism

Tells how Somoza's government in Nicaragua fell.

Students played a critical role in the Sandinista struggle in Nicaragua, helping to topple the US-backed Somoza dictatorship in 1979—one of only two successful social revolutions in Cold War Latin America. Debunking misconceptions, Students of Revolution provides new evidence that groups of college and secondary-level students were instrumental in fostering a culture of insurrection—one in which societal groups from elite housewives to rural laborers came to see armed revolution as not only legitimate but necessary. Drawing on student archives, state and university records, and oral histories, Claudia Rueda reveals the tactics by which young activists deployed their age, class, and gender to craft a heroic identity that justified their political participation and to help build cross-class movements that eventually paralyzed the country. Despite living under a dictatorship that sharply curtailed expression, these students gained status as future national leaders, helping to sanctify their right to protest and generating widespread outrage while they endured the regime’s repression. Students of Revolution thus highlights the aggressive young dissenters who became the vanguard of the opposition.

Provides a rich examination of how Turkish immigrants and their children created spaces of belonging in West German society.

The dominant tradition in writing about U.S.–Latin American relations during the Cold War views the United States as all-powerful. That perspective, represented in the metaphor “talons of the eagle,” continues to influence much scholarly work down to the present day. The goal of this collection of essays is not to write the United States out of the picture but to explore the ways Latin American governments, groups, companies, organizations, and individuals promoted their own interests and perspectives. The book also challenges the tendency among scholars to see the Cold War as a simple clash of “left” and “right.” In various ways, several essays disassemble those categories and explore the complexities of the Cold War as it was experienced beneath the level of great-power relations.