The first bilingual book about the History of Nicaragua in English and Spanish is now available in Nicaragua and the world.My great discovery
Introduction
The
history of Nicaragua is about political instability, oppression, civil war,
poverty, foreign interventions, corruption, and natural disasters. Since
colonial times, governments have been unable to bring stability and sustainable
economic growth mainly because of lack of democracy and good education.
Personal
and foreign special interests have generally prevailed over the national
interests. Foreign intervention in Nicaraguan political and economic affairs,
particularly by Great Britain and later the United States, has led to various
forms of populist and nationalist governments, including dictatorships. This
legacy of intervention is seen today in people´s attitude toward foreign
influence. Although some Nicaraguans tend to be supportive of United States
policies, other Nicaraguans are highly suspicious of the cultural and political
intentions of the United States.
Since
pre-Hispanic times, Nicaragua's Pacific coast has attracted settlers, so most
of the population chose to live in the western region of the country. On the
other hand, the Caribbean or Atlantic Coast close to the West Indies was
subject to foreign intervention and non-Hispanic immigration—black and
indigenous groups from the Caribbean and British settlers and pirates. The
diverse ethnic groups today living along the Atlantic Coast have resisted
Hispanic Nicaraguan governments, demanding self-determination for centuries.
The
history of Nicaragua was also influenced to some extent by historical events in
Europe, for example, the French revolution eventually led Nicaragua to gain
independence from Spain. In middle of the 19th century, textile
manufacturing in England required pigment produced by plants, and Nicaragua
exported indigo. The French educated President, José Santos Zelaya, brought and
implemented a lot of changes for progress in Nicaragua.
After
World War II, Nicaraguan economy improved by a sharp rise in commodity prices
of coffee, cotton, meat, etc. However, Nicaragua has had different dictators,
for instance, from the mid-1930s until 1979, the Somoza family controlled the
government, the military and Nicaraguan economy. The Somoza dictator had to
fight against the Sandinista guerrillas, causing a bloody war. On July 19,
1979, Somoza was overthrown by a military and political movement led by the
Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). However, the predominance of the
FSLN led to a different kind of authoritarian government in the 80s.
In
this decade, Nicaragua was the hotspot of a Cold War confrontation in the
Western Hemisphere, with the former Soviet Union and Cuba providing assistance
to the Sandinista government, and the United States supporting anti-government
forces. A regional peace initiative put an end to civil war in the late 1980s.
The Sandinistas lost in the 1990 elections, and a new government was led by
President Doña Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in April 1990.
After
new-liberal governments in the 90s, the Sandinista leader, Ortega Saavedra,
began to rule the country again in 2007. In 2014, Ortega changed the
Constitution mainly to be able to run for office over and over again.
In
hindsight, Nicaragua has not developed because of a host of local and international
conflicts and corruption among politicians—including poor education, since its
independence from Spanish rule.
Hopefully, this
book will help foreigners who have little knowledge of Nicaragua. Also,
Nicaraguans should reflect on how important it is to know our history and
the role of the main decision makers play in order to prevent future wars.
