Reconstructing a Revolution

44th Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution

By Comrade G

Today, July 19th, marks the 44th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) successfully overthrew the US-backed Somoza Dictatorship after 18 years of armed struggle. The FSLN revolutionized the theories of national liberation, Indigenous sovereignty, and women’s liberation.

The FSLN traces its legacy to the guerrilla revolutionary leader, Augusto César Sandino. From 1927 to 1933, Sandino recruited around 300 peasants in Nicaragua to form an army to resist occupying US Marines and the Nicaraguan National Guard. Inspired by his experiences in exile in revolutionary Mexico, Sandino was influenced by Anti-Imperialism, Marxism, Anarchism, and Indigenismo. He viewed the United States as the “Colossus of the North” and an enemy to all of Latin America. His army, armed with dynamite confiscated from US-owned mines, machetes, and rudimentary rifles, waged guerrilla warfare on the US Marines which ignited an unofficial war between the US and Nicaragua. After six years of skirmishes, the US ultimately retreated and was unable to capture Sandino. In 1934, after peace talks with Nicaraguan President Sacasa, Sandino was captured by the National Guard of Nicaragua and was ordered by General Anastasio Somoza García to be executed. Once Sandino was executed, Anastasio Somoza García waged a coup d’etat against President Sacasa and instituted a United States backed military dictatorship. This would mark the beginning of the Somoza dictatorship, a dynasty of US-backed dictators that lasted from 1936 to 1979 (1).

Image of Augusto César Sandino

Inspired by the resistance of Augusto César Sandino and the national liberation movement in Algeria, the FSLN was founded in 1961 by Carlos Fonseca, Silvio Mayorga, Tomás Borge, and Casimiro Stelo. The FSLN formulated the theory of Sandinismo. Sandinismo is scientific socialism applied to the conditions of Nicaragua. It views the peasantry as the truly revolutionary, progressive class within Nicaraguan society and People’s War, or urban and rural guerrilla warfare, as the tool for revolution. Sandinismo views anti-imperialism and women’s liberation as an imperative for a successful revolution (2). The FSLN, under the Somoza Dictatorship, became the vanguard of the Nicaraguan revolution by uniting mass organizations, Catholic priests inspired by liberation theology, progressive political organizations, and other marxist groups.

One of the many success of the Sandinista Revolution can be seen in the creation of two Autonomous Zones, the North and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions, for Indigenous communities of the Meskito, Garifuna, Sumo, and Rama for self-governance and self-reliance. The creation of the Autonomous Zones was through a partnership between the American Indian Movement (AIM), the Caribbean Coast Indigenous groups, and the Sandinista Government (3). AIM, as a mediator, emphasized the importance of ensuring Indigenous sovereignty by enshrining these Autonomous Zones into the Nicaraguan Constitution. At the time of their formation, Nicaragua became the first country within post-colonial Latin America to provide Indigenous communities sovereignty through self-governance over their land and education that prioritizes Indigenous languages (4).

The role of women’s liberation and participation within the Sandinista Revolution cannot be understated. Under the Somoza Dictatorship, women within Nicaraguan society were often relegated to a life of joblessness, a lack of educational opportunities, and an emphasis on caring for the household while their husbands worked (5). As the FSLN created base areas within rural and urban areas of Nicaragua, this provided opportunities for women to join the Sandinistas and participate in various roles within the revolution such as commanding male and female platoons, participating in literacy brigades in the rural mountains of Nicaragua, facilitating radio communications throughout the country, and becoming a soldier within the FSLN military. As documented in Sandino’s Daughters by Margaret Randell, Dora Maria Téllez* was a prolific FSLN commander. She was a commander during Operation Chanchera, a successful occupation of the Nicaraguan National Palace which expropriated a million dollars and facilitated the release of prominent FSLN political prisoners. Operation Chanchera’s success propelled the FSLN to be seen as a legitimate military and political organization within Latin America and resulted in thousands of Nicaraguan women and youth to join the FSLN (6). The success of the Sandinista Revolution can be attributed to the fact that the FSLN created a social and political reality where women were able to be revolutionary leaders. After 1979, the FSLN continued to make advancements in the areas of women’s rights by providing women free education, employment, full voting rights, free medical care, free childcare, and access to contraceptives and family planning (7).

Image of Dora Maria Téllez

The relationship between religion and scientific socialism is often seen as antagonistic as many so-called “marxists’’ view religion as idealistic. The Sandinistas, who were inspired by Marx and Marxism, saw religion as a fact of life within Nicaraguan society and as a socially progressive movement (8). At the time the FSLN began agitating and organizing in the 60s and 70s, Liberation Theology began to take root within Central America as Catholic priests became radicalized by the stark inequality between everyday people and the ruling elites. Priests saw a need for social justice to end the oppression of the poor which connected with the anti-capitalist, scientific socialist, and ideological platform of the FSLN (9). The FSLN gained support amongst religious communities through the formation of political education bases within Catholic churches (10). Within Latin America, the church is commonly seen as the center of the community and often situated within the center of many towns and cities within Nicaragua. These political educational bases within Nicaraguan churches tied the concepts of scientific socialism, liberation theology, and revolution together for the everyday person to understand their role within the anti-Somoza movement. After the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, many Catholic priests and clergy became leaders in the effort to end illiteracy among the Nicaraguan masses. To this day, Nicaragua continues to embrace liberation theology and Sandinismo as the country rebuilds from the destruction of the Contra War and the 1990 neoliberal period.

Despite these successes, the Sandinista Revolution faced insurmountable setbacks after disposing of Somoza. Once the successful overthrow of Somoza was achieved, the United States began to develop a counter offensive army of former National Guards soldiers, disposed of business leaders, landlords, and Somoza sympathizers. This military force called the Contras or Counter Revolutionaries, in neighboring Honduras, received military training support and weapons from the United States military and the CIA. As Sandinista government began to reconstruct its industrial and agricultural infrastructure, the US was waging an economic blockade as well as inciting Contra militants to disrupt, destroy, and weaken Nicaragua. The Contra War would conclude in 1990 with the election of the US-backed neoliberal candidate Violeta Chamorro.

Ultimately, tens of thousands of lives would be lost to US-sponsored Contra death squads and Contra human rights abuses, leaving Nicaragua in ruins and reversing many of the successes of the FSLN and the Sandinista government. The United States is responsible for its genocidal destruction of a nation seeking to free itself from exploitation and oppression. From 1990 to 2007, Nicaraguans would suffer from the weight of International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans which resulted in neoliberal policies that gutted social welfare systems. This left families to starve and continue to live impoverished lives. Since 2007, Daniel Ortega, the leader of the FSLN during the Sandinista Revolution, is currently elected as president of Nicaragua. Throughout the neoliberal era, the FSLN’s ideology was forced to reorient itself to become a more progressive, anti-imperialist, and social democratic party within Nicaraguan politics. Though the FSLN does not continue to adhere to scientific socialism, it serves a socially progressive movement within Nicaraguan society as it resists continued economic and military interference from US sanctions and US backed color revolutions. Even with these setbacks, Nicaragua continues to rebuild and move forward with implementing the aims of the Sandinista Revolution.

*Author’s Note:

The efforts of Dora Maria Téllez cannot be understated. However, it should be noted that her own political party called the Sandinista Renovation Movement (Movimiento Renovador Sandinista, or MRS) has ties to the US and Nicaraguan far-right. It has been uncovered that she was in communication with US intelligence officials who were responsible for the failed 2018 color revolution which resulted in the deaths of innocent FSLN supporters. If you are interested in investigating this further, please read more here.

Footnotes:

1. Sandinistas Speak: Speeches, Writings, and Interviews with Leaders of Nicaragua’s Revolution by Carlos Fonseca, Daniel Ortega, Tomás Borge, et al.
2. ibid.
3. A History of the American Indian Movement with Nick Estes by Revolutionary Left Radio
4. Nicaragua Against Empire by Ramiro Sebastián Fúnez
5. Sandino’s Daughters: Testimonies of Nicaraguan Women in Struggle by Margaret Randall
6. ibid.
7. ibid.
8. Nicaragua Against Empire by Ramiro Sebastián Fúnez
9. The Nicaraguan Revolution by Pedro Camejo and Fred Murphy
10. ibid.