Latin American politics for fun

The relationship between the former Sandinista Government in Nicaragua and the United States was not one of milk and cookies. The Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN, ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990; they led a revolution that was aimed at freeing the indigenous people from the imperialism and abusive capitalist state run under the Somoza government; they formed communal farms and nationalized land. They also, in 1980, started a Literacy Campaign and reduced the percentage of illiterate people from 50% to 12.9%.  The Sandinistas saw education as a right that all Nicaraguans had, not simply the wealthy. In 1981 newly elected president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, condemned the Sandinistas for working with Cuba to support revolutions in Latin America. Under Reagan, the CIA began supporting, financing, training and arming rebels, the Contras, to fight against the FSLN. The Contras were an armed group that formed to oppose the Sandinistas after the Somoza dynasty was overthrown. The Contras and the Somoza government killed about 81,000 people-mostly civilians from 1975-1981. The Contras attacked coffee plantations and other civilian targets; most Nicaraguans opposed them, as did human rights groups. The Contras were supported by the United States through the CIA to fight against the Sandinistas; at the same time the Congress of the United States was condemning their actions-rape, torture, kidnapping- as terrorist activities. The Contras employed such tactics as planting mines in busy roads, attacking day care centers, hospitals, bridges, power buildings and schools, causing major casualties. The plan behind sabotaging public civilian places was that it would disrupt the economy and government ideally resulting in displeasure in the Sandinistas. In 1983, Congress prohibited the funding of the Contras by the US. The Reagan administration ended up selling weapons to Iran and having the money sent back to the Contras in Nicaragua-The Iran-Contra Affair. In 1984, Nicaragua had their first democratic elections and the FSLN won with 67% of the vote. The US held major propaganda campaigns to try to discourage the Nicaraguans to vote for the Sandinistas. Due in part to the Contras terror rampage, inflation rose exponentially and there was dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in stopping the terrorist attacks and in reinvigorating the economy. The Sandinistas lost popularity in the late 1980s, and in 1990 the US backed candidate Violeta Barrios de Chamorro won the election for president.