If it weren’t for the fact that reality is stranger than fiction, it would be the perfect plot for an incredible spy and counter-spy movie, where a country is forced to oscillate from an Americanized period, with what that entails, to a period closer to to the USSR and Cuba, with its consequences. Events that have done nothing more than reaffirm the character of a people that has fought for its freedom and independence. We wanted to title this article Nicaragua: The Origin of Sandinismoto deal with a specific period in Nicaragua, a period of revolutions and guerrillaswhere we will discover Who was Sandino? What was the origin of Sandinism, Which were the consequences.
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | Who was Sandino?
Your name Augusto Nicolas Calderon SandinoHe was the illegitimate son of Gregory Sandinoa wealthy coffee grower, and an indigenous worker on his plantation named Margaret Calderon. Augusto was born on May 18, 1895, in Niquinohomo, Masaya.
He lived a very hard childhood, not recognized by his father, he was also abandoned by his mother at the age of 9, after spending a short time with his maternal grandmother, Augusto was sent to work on his father’s plantationas his mother had done before, in order to earn his food.
It was there that for the first time, At the age of 17, he was aware of what the population suffered from the interventions of the US troops. At that time the president of Nicaragua was Adolf Diaz, president thank you to the support of the United States, who acted with resounding forcefulness in the face of any type of liberal-conservative uprising.
After the death in combat of Liberal General Benjamin Zeledon when he was evicted along with his forces from the fortress of El Coyotepe, after a terrible fight in the Barraca. The impression of seeing the corpse of the general carried in a cart pulled by oxen, by the Marines, on the day of his burial, marked Sandino, seeing a patriot pass in front of him as General Benjamín Zeledón had been.
After a terrible incident in which Augusto was involved, wounding Dagoberto Rivas with a bulletFor failing to honor his mother, he was forced to flee, first from the law and second from a possible revenge of the Rivas family, an influential and conservative family.
After going through Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, it was precisely in Mexico where it started attend meetings from different groups like Freemasons, anti-imperialisas, anarchist or communist. All these new ideas made Sandino a fervent defender of nationalism and against imperialism, especially from the American who was doing so much damage with the occupation of Nicaragua.
In 1926, Sandino returns to Nicaragua, his sentence had already expired, he was now a free man and US troops had already withdrawn from Nicaragua 1 year earlier. When he returned to his town with the idea of setting up a business, things had changed, Dagoberto Rivas was now the Mayorcausing the new abandonment of his hometown.
While the conservative Emiliano Chamorro, staged a coup against his opponent and winner of the conservative elections, Carlos José Solórzano. Solórzano, hands over power to his vice president Juan Bautista Sacasa belonging to the Liberal Party.
Chamorro demands Sacasa’s resignation, assuming power, a power that the United States does not recognize and which he “invites” to resign, while replacing him with Adolfo Diaz.
That the United States put and remove presidents at will was not well seen by liberals who undertake a terrible and fratricidal civil waralso known as Constitutionalist War, by which the return of Sacasa was requested.
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | Sandino and the Montañeses
Faced with this situation in Nicaragua, Sandino tries to enlist in the Liberal Constitutionalist Army, where it is rejected. But luck smiled at them and Sandino, along with his men, got a batch of weapons and ammunition, organized themselves and headed to attack the conservative headquarters of the town of Jícaroin 1926. After the victory, Sandino is finally incorporated into the ranks of the Liberal Army, which had previously rejected him.
With the title of General in Chief of the Liberal Army of Las Segoviasturns this region into its base of operations, even managing to control Jinotega.
Little by little Sandino was adding victories over the conservative army, this made him go from an army to a column that came to have a cavalry estimated at about 800 men, Sandino’s triumphs, was a guarantee for his army, coming to call them the Segovian Column.
Buoyed by victories, Liberals begin their advance to the Pacific. Taking Maniadero, Chinandega where a fierce battle took place with a balance of hundreds of dead and wounded on both the conservative and liberal sides.
Now the target was the capital managua, but Chinandega returned to be recovered by the Constabularies. After heavy fighting that practically wiped out the city. The situation was becoming unsustainable. american marinesLittle by little they were occupying Nicaragua.
With a possible direct American intervention, the liberals decide to agree. Moncada for the Liberals and Henry L. Stimson for the US are in charge of reaching an agreement. This agreement meant the surrender of Moncada, despite having practically the entire country under his control.
His surrender meant acceptance of the continuity of the Conservative government until 1928date on which cthey would hold an election and where it would be Moncada instead of Sacasa, who would opt as a liberal candidate, this pact received the name of Pact of the Black Thorn.
This pact was not well seen by all, was not even understood and among this opposition were Sequeira in Chinandega and sandino in New Segovia. Sandino retreats to El Chipote hill, where his base was located, where he expressed one of his most famous phrases, while holding in his hand a red (liberal) flag to which he added a black stripe, as a gesture of struggle, freedom or death.
“I don’t sell out, I don’t give up. I want a free homeland or die»
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | War against the Occupation
Sandino declares national war against the US and against the governments of Diaz and Moncada, he declares this war with 29 men and 40 rifles. in need of support first will encourage the peasants from Nueva Segovia, to in the end revolt all Nicaraguans into an armed struggle.
Disillusioned with both the conservatives and the liberals, after having asked for help and having agreed with the American sailors, on September 2, 1927Sandino sends a manifesto not for a war, as up to now, between conservatives and liberals, but now the war was about Nicaraguan against the invaders.
He came to create an army composed of 6,000 men, called Army for the Defense of National Sovereignty or its initials EDSN, intended to fight against the abuses of the US Navy against the population, especially women, of the cities they occupied.
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | Sandinista Guerrilla
sandino attacked Ocotal on July 16, 1927, confining Marines and National Guardsmen to a few buildings, the city had all but been liberated by the time the US Navy planes bombed and strafed the entire cityreason for which Sandino was forced to withdrawwhile the population suffered an unprecedented bombardment.
This was a turning point for Sandino, from now on he will use another combat system, the guerrilla warfare. On February 27, 1928, the battle of “The Bramadero”where Sandino and his troops won the nickname of guerrillas. After defeating a patrol of invaders, ending the combat, the Sandinistas took out their terrible machetes, which was the peasant’s work tool, and with a single cut they beheaded the invaderschanging from bandits to guerrillas, a term by which they would be known from now on.
From here, Sandino and his men began to attack and destroy everything that could come from the American state. He attacked and destroyed the La Luz mine, owned by former US Secretary of State Knox. Little by little Sandino became more and more famous, not only in Nicaragua but in the rest of Latin American countries, his fame had crossed borders and caused a claim for hundreds of young people who wanted to join his guerrilla.
He received different offers to leave the fight in exchange for interesting benefits, offers that Sandino always rejectedclaiming that the sovereignty of the people is not discussed, it is defended.
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | the national guard
Faced with this panorama, the Americans realized that it was very difficult to put an end to Sandino’s guerrilla, so he resorted to the tactic of natives against natives. To do this, they created a new Nicaraguan army, called Nicaraguan National Guard. It was an army financed by the US and commanded by American officers. Despite being larger in number, Sandino had the support of his people.
Attacks on US interests and properties continued to occur, while Sandinista guerrillas began to expand territorially, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Chontales, Boaco, Chinandega, León and even Managua, the capital, were within Sandino’s control zone.
The arrival to the presidency of the United States of Franklin Delano Rooseveltcoincides with a very difficult time for the United States economy, the Great Depression what the US was going through, it was a priority for the president, so he made an important decision, withdraw of all the countries of the Caribbean basin, all military forces.
It was really a withdrawal before a defeat, they participated in fewer and fewer combats, within the army the personnel were less and less prepared and less educated. In 1933, US forces left Nicaragua, with defeat in his eyes for not having been able to capture or defeat his greatest enemy.
After the departure of the Americans, the new president Juan Bautista Sacasareceives a proposal from Sandino, where he proposes peace, which will be signed on February 2, 1933. With this gesture, the Sandinista army was dissolved, except for a group of 100 men, who act as security.
With the US out, The National Guard will be in charge of the security of the country, it did not have a military character, but it did have a police character, which constant abuse and revenge before his old enemies, who were now unarmed, the Sandinista army.
Nicaragua: the Origin of Sandinismo | The Death of Sandino
Sandino constantly points out the breach by the National Guard of the agreements, at that time “Tacho” was the Chief Director of the National Guard and “Tacho” was the name by which he was known. Anastasio Somoza Garcia.
Somoza, Director of the National Guard Y enemy to death of Sandinoplanned the assassination of the latter, for this he had a signed…