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A. 81 words  The purpose of this investigation is to examine to what extent the Sandinistas posed a real threat to the US. The main body will discuss the components involved individually; the Sandinista’s climb to power, their policies in power, the United States’ foreign policy, and the US’ involvement in the Contra War. Two of the sources studied for the investigation will be evaluated, and an analysis of the evidence will be preformed to determine the extent of Sandinista threat to the US. B. 768 words Sandinista Coming to Power:  Throughout the twentieth century, Nicaragua was largely controlled by the United States government. Nicaragua was ruled dictatorially by members of the Somoza family from 1933 onward. Though the government was widely unsupported by Nicaragua’s citizens, the United States continued to give money to the Somoza dictatorship in continuation of US monetary support that had gone on for centuries. The Sandinista National Liberation Front, a revolutionary group that grew from a single hero in the early 1900’s named Augusto Cesar Sandino, eventually was able to take power in the late 1970’s. The Sandinistas in general were openly Marxist or Marxist-Leninist and “ardently nationalist” (Walker 42), which did not appeal to supporters of the Somozas’ conservative governing style, nor did it appeal to the United States who, at that time led by Jimmy Carter, were supremely anti-Communist. The United States led a campaign, in tandem with the elite and upper-middleclass minority of Nicaragua and the related ex-army of the Somozas, to disband the Sandinistas. The campaign especially picked up after the election of Ronald Reagan. Policies of the Sandinistas:  The goals of the Sandinista government were largely focused on human rights and social development for Nicaragua. In prior years, Nicaraguan prosperity “was being achieved at the cost of hunger” (Gilbert 81), and farming talents were put into creating crops for export. This had created a cycle through which the poor peasants worked during harvest seasons in agriculture, but did not make enough money to buy any food for themselves. The Sandinista Agrarian policy originally redistributed land from large agro-export enterprises to peasants, who were encouraged to form cooperatives (Gilbert 86). Throughout the Sandinista reign, however, indecision kept agrarian reform from being successful, and they never worked out the problem of peasant farming versus state farms and heavy investment in large-scale projects (Gilbert 90).  Social programs in Nicaragua, on the other hand, were widely considered very successful and they were relatively cheap. The literacy crusade, which was launched in 1980, reduced illiteracy in the population by almost 40% and was carried out by volunteers working together all throughout the nation (Zimmermann 208). A health crusade was carried out the following year, again with large effectiveness and mass participation (Walker 48). Throughout the Sandinistas time in power, education was improved and schools were built. Hospitals, health care centers, and doctoral policies were also greatly improved (Skidmore Smith 365), and many people felt reassured that Nicaragua’s youth would be able to succeed much more adeptly than the current population had. However, much of this progress would not be continued in the Sandinistas power, as money had to be largely redirected to fight the Contra War (Walker 50). US Foreign Policy  US foreign policy towards the Third World focuses essentially on US political, economic, and strategic interests. Control over the armed forces and police is a more basic concern than who is in stations of governmental power (Morley 3), and the US tends to favor any regime that considers US interests, almost regardless of the regimes internal policies. In Nicaragua specifically, the United States started the National Guard, made up of US marines, for the use of their dictatorial government, which consistently supported the United States (Walker 96). The United States’ administrations sacrificed democratic rights in exchange for capitalist economic opportunities over and over again in situations of revolution or regime change (Morley 34). Although the Somozas were known corrupt leaders, their economy was largely export based, mainly to the United States, and the US had a booming banking system in Nicaragua (Morley 50). As the FSLN rose in influence, the government and the National Guard were found violating more and more human rights, and unleashed terror against peasant communities possibly involved in the movement (Peterson 32). If the Sandinistas were to gain power, the United States wanted the National Guard to remain powerful to prevent more of Latin America falling to Communism (Walker 162). Contra War  The largely American funded counterrevolution waged in Nicaragua during the Sandinista years had a tolling effect on the Sandinista government (Peterson 18). Because of the United States imposed trade embargo, Nicaragua’s economy suffered, and was forced to rely more heavily on Soviet bloc countries for trade and for money. Not only did this give weight to the Communist accusations pointed at the government inside the country, but this led to even more opposition abroad, and more reason for the United States to cut the country off (Skidmore Smith 378). This vicious cycle continued until the Sandinistas demise. Contras targeted the places the Sandinistas were most responsible for; schools, hospitals, and sanitation centers, bombing civilians; and hindered all of these facilities’ abilities to be helpful to the citizens of Nicaragua. The government poured money into defense and military help, quickly depleting any funds available for social programs and improvements (Peterson 34), especially because the government was in debt from the Somozas’ irresponsible spending (Zimmermann 168). C. 398 words // Nicarauga: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle // originated as an historical nonfiction book written by Thomas W. Walker. Walker is professor of political science and director of Latin American studies at Ohio University. Much of the book is a firsthand account of his time spent studying in Nicaragua. The purpose of the book is its focus generally on Nicaragua’s total history, but, as the title implies, it is also focused specifically on America’s influence and constant control in Nicaragua. The value of Walker’s book for the investigation is its clear, concise history, and the chapters focused on revolution and the Sandinista’s rule in Nicaragua, during which the author spent time there. It provides first hand knowledge to the investigation, and shows America’s heavy influence on Nicaragua, providing evidence from another direction for the investigation. The major limitation to the book as evidence for this investigation is the author’s mild bias. Though the book is primarily historical, it is also trying to show a certain side of Nicaraguan history in which the Nicaraguan people have been somewhat suppressed by the United States, and the author has a more favorable view of Sandinista policies for this reason. Mostly consisting of facts, the book slips in and out of analysis which often needs to be ignored. // Washington, Somoza, and the Sandinistas: State and Regime in US policy toward Nicaragua, 1969-1981, // was written by Morris H. Morley, of Macquarie University. Morley cites personal interviews conducted with US policy makers towards Nicaragua, unpublished US government documents, unpublished manuscripts, and a vast number of published US government documents from the executive and legislative branches. The purpose of his book was to “cast fresh light” on American foreign policy toward Nicaragua, utilizing a plethora of first hand sources and primary documents. The value for the investigation is its in depth, factually accounted discussion of American policies, and the heavy focus upon internal US actions during the period. He offers both stated US policy and the way this policy translated into action throughout Sandinista power. Limitations to the book lie in the last section, which focuses on the time period during which the United States were involved in a counter-revolutionary campaign in Nicaragua. The author seemingly skims over US involvement in counter-revolutionary activities during the period of Sandinista rule, exposing a conservative leaning that may have affected the information throughout the rest of the source. D. 735 words The Sandinistas were a threat to US interests, but not necessarily to US security, and not to the extent to which the US believed and to which the US’ reaction corresponded. The situation in Nicaragua is an example of the United States putting their interests, economically and politically, far ahead of other countries’ most basic internal interests, and of exaggerating a threat to gain support at home and abroad. The economic and political interests of the United States were certainly threatened by the presence and power of the Sandinistas. Every source examined agrees upon that fact. The Sandinistas focused largely on internal improvements to their economy, which led them to lean away from their past export-based economy. The economic focus also led the Sandinistas away from the foreign banking that had gone on in the past. Both of these sharp turns from Somoza economic policy, while beneficial to Nicaragua in the long run, were unappealing to the United States, who made a great deal of money off of both Nicaraguan exports and of US banks based in Nicaragua. The United States had quite a system with the Somoza regime, as the regime disregarded other economic possibilities that threatened US economic supremacy “so long as they did not impinge on his family capital accumulation activities” (Morley 47). In other words, all the United States had to do was cut Somoza a slice of their profits, and they could make boundless amounts of money through Nicaragua’s economy. Obviously, under the Sandinistas, a government who worried more about the improvement of Nicaragua as a whole and less about personal “capital accumulation”, the United States would not have such an effortless economic advantage. Additionally, after the United States’ trade embargo, to cut off the Sandinistas, Nicaragua leaned even deeper economically into countries more willing to help, such as the USSR and Cuba. Politically, the United States would almost certainly be losing an ally in the change of state. Under Somoza, the United States had a guaranteed ally, to constantly support the United States’ decisions and actions. However, one of the Sandinistas broad policy goals was an “independent and nonaligned foreign policy” (Skidmore Smith, 376), which clearly and pointedly meant no further submission to the US. With Sandinista rule, America would lose a substantial political ally as well as their economic grounding in Nicaragua. Morley’s text, // Washington, Somoza, and the Sandinistas: State and Regime in US policy toward Nicaragua, 1969-1981, //// contains a large amount of first hand information from the US government, and we can see from the // foreign policy during this era that the United States firmly believed Nicaragua’s new government was a threat to their security. During the 60s and 70s, the United States was highly concerned with Communism, and were therefore terrified of Nicaragua becoming a second Cuba, another Communist country in the Western hemisphere—but this time not an island, and on the same continent as the United States. The United States thus feared the destabilization of all of Latin America, causing its fall to Castro (Morley 143). However, as the Sandinista reign played out, they grew less Communist, and indeed economically attacked the “ultra Left” (Morley 235). The Sandinista government, however, was not a threat to the United States security, although it is feasible that they may have become one much later on. Sandinistas focused on internal developments in human rights and social improvements, which, sometimes overlapping with Communism, were not focused on adhering to Communist thought (Morley 276). Nor were their interests placed highly in their military. That is, not until they needed their military to help fight off counter revolution. The Sandinistas never imposed a Soviet-style state, nor did they impose a Communist economic system. In light of this fact, most sources express that the Sandinistas Communist affiliation was at large almost exclusively in their trade relations with the USSR and Cuba, and in their social improvement programs which were similar to those of Cuba’s early Communist years (the improvement of literacy and health). Their military build up, which the United States portrayed as a threat, was very clearly defensive and a reaction to United States’ presence in the country (Walker 47). In analyzing the overlaps of the views of Walker (to gain perspective of the Nicaraguan side of the events) and Morley (the American side), we can see that the Sandinista threat was reserved to areas of United States interest, and that the United States was not threatened in their security by Sandinista rule. E. 125 words Sandinista rule in Nicaragua was controversial in the United States, but was considered a serious threat by and to the United States government. This paper investigated to what extent the Sandinistas posed a real threat to the United States. Apparent threat exists due to the importance the United States places on stability. Sandinista policy turned Nicaragua inward, which threatened the United States’ interests by removing an economic advantage and a political ally, but Nicaragua did not pose the Communist, military threat the United States reacted to. Through analyzing various reputable sources, the conclusion can be reached that Sandinista rule posed a treat to the United States in their economic and political interests, but posed little to no threat to the security of the United States. F.   Word Count: 2,107 Works Cited code Gilbert, Dennis. //Sandinistas//. New York: Basil Blackwell Inc., 1988. Print. code code Morley, Morris H. //Washinton, Somoza, and the Sandinistas: State and Regime in US Policy Toward Nicaragua, 1969-1981//. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print. code code Peterson, Christine. //The Iran-Contra Scandal//. N.p.: Scholastic Inc., 2004. Print. code code Skidmore, Thomas E, and Peter H Smith. //Modern Latin America//. Sixth ed. 1984. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. code code Walker, Thomas W. //Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle//. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2003. Print. code code Zimmermann, Matilde. //Sandinista//. N.p.: Duke University Press, 2000. Print. code