In 1979, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle, ended the Somoza dynasty and established a revolutionary government in Nicaragua. After their seizure of power, the Sandinistas governed the country first as part of a National Reconstruction Junta. Today, forty-two years ago, the forces of the Sandinista National Liberation Front captured Managua and put an end to the Somoza dictatorship. It was a triumph that changed the course of Latin American history.
The Nicaraguan revolution was led by the Sandinistas. Among its leaders were Carlos Fonseca and future Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega. They would lead the Sandinistas in the guerrilla war against the Somoza regime in the 1970s. Although the Nicaraguan Civil War would end in 1927, Sandino would continue to wage a war against Nicaraguans and Americans.
On Monday mornings, many field marshals like to speculate about what things went wrong with the Nicaraguan revolution, which means everything from not living up to the revolutionary aspirations of their original leaders or not transforming Nicaraguan society in a deep and significant way, to falling into local authoritarianism or even empowering oligarchs. The Nicaraguan revolution took place in the 1970s, following the misuse of aid funds by Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza.
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