Anastasio Somoza’s Dictatorship in Nicaragua
Bárbara Fernández-Salvador, Ana Catalina García and María José García
Latin America Research Project
November, 2011
9ºA
Since 1903, United States wanted to create a cannal for their ships to get to other places in an easier and faster way. They sent marines to Nicaragua, which lived in there until 1930. During this year coronel Sandino started to oppose to the idea of having american marines in Nicaragua and started to be against them. United States decided to convince president Sacasa to name Anastasio Somoza García as the head of the National Guard and to kill Sandino. Later, on 1937, Somoza takes Sacasa´a place and becomes Nicaragua´s president.
What enabled Anastasio Samoza’s dictatorship in Nicaragua was that there was a huge conflict between conservatives and liberals. Conservatives, in one hand, wanted to protect the private property and private capitals and to reduce the intervation of the government in the economy, production, commerce, etc. while, in the other hand, liberals wanted the government to have more control over all these aspects. This difference in principles and goal caused a conflict. In 1927 a trade called “Pactp Del Espino Negro was made where they accepted Adolfo Diaz as president of Nicaragua. But, some people where against it. A worker called Augusto Cesar Sandino never accepted this treatment and wanted to end the internal conflict between conservatives and liberals, so he started an army for fighting for ending the conflict. Anastasio Samoza wanted to kill Aldolfo Diaz, so then he would get to power. Without all these background and events, Anastasio Samoza would never get to power so, in 1937 he was officially a ruler in Nicaragua.
Somoza did very big changes and took big steps too. An example, the military weapons:
"Como presidente de la republica (…) a la fuerza y regulares a deponer las armas. No ante nada ni ante nadie. Viva ante (…) de la patria.”
In this fragment of one of Somoza’s speech, he says that the military weapons will no longer be used. This fragment shows one of the changes he did when he was a president and this change is a big one, for militaries depend on their weapons. So we can see here how he ended up taking control over everything, including the military weapons, which is a huge deal.
During and after 1938, Latin America started to have many dictatorships and started to be against U.S.A because they wanted to be free and autonomous. For example, Mexico started to nationalize the petroleum, and Brazil attacked imperialism and nationalized the economy. But also during this time, the world was living the Second World War. United States was losing power in Latin America and it was also with the Allies (France, Russia, England and US) fighting in Europe against Germany. (Economically, the impact that WWII produce on Latin America and Europe was bad, but it produced a positive progress in U.S.A.).
Somoza was stealing the people’s money to make deals. While he and his family were getting rich and were wasting the Money in useless things, people in Nicaragua were starving. Somoza was making shady business with Costa Rica and other countries, in which he was trading things and the money he received was just for him and he wouldn´t give a percentage to his employees. He reformed the country’s constitution to have the complete power of Nicaragua.
In the end, Somoza´s dictatorship lasted 20 years until he was killed by Rigoberto Lopez, during 1956. But his regime didn´t end; his two sons continued with his it. First the oldest one, Luis Somoza Debayle who ruled from 1956 to 1967 and then Anastasio Somoza Debayle who ruled from 1967 to 1979, the Sadinist armed group (Guerrilla Sadinista) was created to get rid of the Somoza’s dictatorships.
Becker Marc, Latin America History: Twentieth Century, Feb. 1999, searched on Nov. 2011, web,http://www2.truman.edu/~marc/resources/chron.html
Files; Corte Suprema de Justicia de Nicaragua, Bibliloteca Jurídica, 2005, searched on Nov. 2011, web,http://www.poderjudicial.gob.ni/bijun2/ficha_detalle.asp?id=13432&flag=1&id_biblioteca=0
Nicaragua “The Somoza Era 1936-74”, Dec. 1994, searched on Nov. 2011, web, http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9212.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcAz4t7xPk0
APRA-The first stone
The XX Century was a time of change in the world. During this period, the world suffered two disastrous wars and many changes. This change was seen in Latin America, a place which did not suffer the wars, but it was affected by the sphere of influence of Russia and the United States. There were many dictatorial goverments, and the communist and socialist ideas were taking place in it. Latin America was starting to take an important role on the world. And one of the main precursors of this was the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). It was the fundament for many movements around the zone.
The first decades of the XX Century were crucial for the development of the world. Durging this time the World War I took place, but also the Russian Revolution and the Roaring Twenties. The great economic situation of the United States was also seen in Latin America. The countries of the zone were receiving help and a great influence from that country. Colombia, for example had seen how USA took his territory in Panama, but then they were “rewarded” with an enormus quantity of dollars. The higher classes, the ones who hold power, were benefited with the presence of the Americans in the zone.
Peru was not in a great situation. They had lost the Pacific war in the end of the XIX Century and the goverment was cuestioned and unsupported. The people was awared of the influence of the United States and a general sense of incorformism was developed among the peruvians.
Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre was a peruvian leader, he was totally against the USA´s imperialism in Latin America, and was a declared socialist who worked for the workers and lower classes. He was the ideoligical founder of the APRA and leader of the party for several decades. He founded the APRA on 1926 in Mexico City. Haya de la Torre wrote an article for The Labour Monthly, which was a Magazine of International Labour. In that document, he exposed the main ideologies of the party and the reasons why he found it. He mentioned the American Imperialism as the main reason, and a social justice and union between countries as its main objective in Latin America.
After the foundation, APRA started to gain a position in the political situation of Peru. They present Haya de la Torre as their candidate for the elections on 1931, but lost to Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro, who later aprissionated him. APRA became an ilegal movement for several years during the dictatorial goverments. Haya de la Torre was again candidate in 1950 and 1962, but was never able to win.
In 1979, the party was finally legal and could participate in the elections. The first win for APRA came with Alan García on 1986. This goverment was really cuestioned due to the great inflation and to the economic and social discontent. During the following years, APRA win an important representation on the senate and minnor mayorships. The second win for the party came again with Alan Garcia on 2006. This new period was much better with a better economy and great relationships with the rest of the continent.
Although the APRA was not an international movement, it is the oldest party in Peru and it influenced many other Latin American political movements, including Bolivia's Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario, MNR) and Costa Rica's National Liberation Party (Partido Liberación Nacional, PLN). This is now a days seen, as several latinoamerican goverments have similar ideas, as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.
The context in which APRA was founded is related to the one in Europe and North America. Not only at the beggining but it reflected also the situation that Latin America will afront the rest of the Century. When the movement was created by Haya de la Torre (1926), the situation in America was incredible. The US passed throught a prosperous period (Roaring Twenties), in which were starting to be more and more present in the Latin America. In the US, capitalism was at its best time, while in Latinamerica it started to be as important as in the US.
While in Europe, Communism was rising. The Russian revolution had happened 10 years ago, and Lenin had died just 3 years earlier. So Stalin, along with communism, was rising to power. As communism win importance in Europe, it also became important in South America, specially the anti-imperialist feeling against the United States on some population. That position against the US remained for several years and is now a days visible in some influenced countries as Venezuela or Bolivia.
The situation in Europe and North America continued to be similar to the one in South America for the next decades. Communism continued rising until the fall of the Soviet Union on 1991. Capitalism was spread around the continent and the influence of US was also grrowing. The cold war was also seen in Latin America. So all the things that happened in USA or Europe continued to be shown in the panoram of Latin America and it continued to influence the movements, actions and reactions of the countries. As APRA, many other countries and movements used it as a reason to act or to build an ideology.
In conclusion, APRA was the first stone for an enormous change that happened in Latin America. It was the first movement that worried for the irruption of USA in the zone and that had a huge influence from the communist countries. But it never was related with a militar movement, instead, it mantained as a ideological party during the dictatorial goverments. The APRA was that first example of changing ideas that arrived to South America, it was the first stone.
By: Santiago Vasquez, Juan David Forero, Luis E. Mojica
Bibliography:
Haya De La Torre, Victor Raul. "What Is the APRA?" The Labour Monthly Dec. 1926: 756-59. Web. .
"Historia Del APRA (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana ) - Perú - Avizora - Atajo." Avizora. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
CUBAN REVOLUTION
In the fiftieth decade, Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba. During this time Cuba had a new constitution that allowed having a semi-parliament inside the government of the country. How Batista had U.S support, he helped the allies and declared war to the Japanese Empire, Nazi Germany and Italy during the Second World War. In 1959 there was a popular revolution, led by Fidel Castro that took out Batista from the power. Fidel Castro had denunciated Batista in an Emergency Tribunal because he was against constitution. The tribunal had declined his petition, so he thought that the only solution was a revolution to end the dictatorship. After 8 years, Batista had imprisoned Fidel Castro and his followers. In 1957 the communist guerrillas had attacked Batista`s government. The last night of 1958 Batista left Cuba because Castro, with the help of the people and army, took him out. When Fidel Castro was in the power, he suspended elections, jailed or executed his opponents and controlled the press. People in Cuba started to ask for social reforms and to improve economy. For this, Castro took over U.S sugar mills and refineries. U.S in response of this act ordered an embargo on all trade with Cuba.
After the problem with U.S Castro goes again with the Soviets for economy and military aids. In 1960 CIA started to train to invade Cuba. One year later CIA invaded Cuba, landing at the Bay of Pigs. Castro`s forces defeated CIA taken them out from Cuba. When US failed this invasion Nikita, which is a Soviet leader said that US would not resisted that they expand its government in Latin America. In 1962 Nikita began to build 42 missiles sites in Cuba. But in October an American spy discovered the sites, so president John F. Kennedy said that it was a threat to have those sites near U.S and demanded their removal. Nikita removed the missiles but U.S had to promise that they would not invade Cuba.
When U.S and the Soviet Union made this deal, Cuba depended on Soviet support. In exchange, Castro backed communist revolutions in Latin America and Africa. Soviet aid Cuba, but with the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuban economy decreased.
“This town deserves a better fate all, well deserves the happiness that has failed in its 50 years of the republic." With these words that Fidel Castro said in his first speech, you can see that he wanted to change all the way of government. He wanted to end with corruption.
Cuba relates with U.S because when Batista was at the power, Cuba had a democratic government as U.S. It means that its citizens controlled government, either directly or through representatives (World History). In this regime government respected individual rights such as property, vote, freedom of speech, etc. How they respect vote, people could decided who was going to rule. Democracy has power division because they were different institutions handle the power, but each institution had to respond for their acts. Meanwhile, Cuba relates with Europe (Soviet Union) because when Fidel Castro was at the power, Cuba had a communist government. It means that communism is “a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.” (Dictionary) Also, since Cuba got independence of Spain, Cuba was controlled by a relationship that had with United Sates. The clause “Enminda Platt” permitted the North American intervention with the excuse of protecting the goods and the liberty of the people. American companies controlled 47.4% of the sugar production, the 90% of the electricity, the 70 % of the petroleum, and de 100% of the production of nickel in this country. When U.S ordered an embargo on all trade with Cuba, Castro went to ask for help to the Soviet Union because its economy was bad. Finally, Cuba was related with U.S and the Soviet Union in the Cuban Missiles crisis, because it was the center of the “war” between this two power nations. Cuba was the place were Nikita, Soviet leader, built 42 sites of missiles. This action was a threat for the U.S so they said that Nikita had to take them out. If Nikita doesn’t take them out, the world could passed by a nuclear war and Cuba would be the center. U.S and Soviet Union were passing by a bad moment because of the cold war, with this of the missiles and Cuba helping the Soviet Union, U.S started to be against Cuba.
Finally, we can see the relationship between nationalism and the Cuban Revolution with Fidel Castro. Castro always fought for his country. He wanted the best for Cuba. Castro with his communist ideology captures many people to follow him that wanted to change the country and convinced them that what he did and is now, is the best thing that could have happened to Cuba. He had a great sense of Nationalism in his heart.
Sources:
1.“REVOLUCION CUBANA”. WIKIPEDIA. Origen político inmediato de la Revolución Cubana. Noviembre 20 del 2011.http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolución_cubana
2. “FULGENCIA BATISTA”. WIKIPEDIA. VIDA: PRESIDENCIA Y SEGUNDO GOLPE. NOVIEMBRE 20 DEL 2011.http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
3. “FIDEL CASTRO”. WIKIPEDIA. EL ENFRENTAMIENTO CON BATISTA. NOVIEMBRE 20, 2011.http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro#El_enfrentamiento_con_Batista
4. "Biografia De Fulgencio Batista." Biografias Y Vidas .com. BIOGRAFIAS Y VIDAS. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
5. "1959 - Primer Discurso De Fidel Castro." About Hispanics - Latinos, Temas De Actualidad. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
6. "Communism | Define Communism at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communism>.
7. Litell, McDougal. MODERN WORLD HISTORY-PATTERNS OF INTERACTION. United States. 28-11-2011- Page: 550-551
Getulio Vargas’ Dictatorship
Getulio Vargas was born in Sao Borjas Brazil in 1883. In his family there has been a long list of politicians so he was always tempted to continue this kind of tradition. When he was just a teenager he decided to enter the Brazilian army but this ended being a mistake from the point of view of Vargas, which is why he left the army. Once he was no longer a part of the army he decided to enter Porto Alegre’s Law school.
In 1908, after graduating from law school, he entered the politic world. With the help of a family member, who made part of the long list of politicians, Antonio Augusto Borges, he was being recognized all over the country in a very small period of time. He started with small positions but soon he became a member of the congress, more exactly in 1922 and four years later Luis Pereira de Souza proclaimed him finances minister. After working in this for six years, he was elected as governor of Rio Grande do Sul, his homeland.
Getulio used his good place in politics to run for the presidency in the elections of 1930. After a very long campaign he left this elections with no victory but seemed to accept this with dignity. He took these four years to get stronger. Vargas organized a revolt which ended up naming him headquarter of the government. He had this position for fourteen years in which he never listened to what the national assembly said and neither what the senate said. He
created an authoritarian regime, which based its ideas on populist’s ideas.
Vargas had a strategy to hide what he had done for fourteen years. His plan consisted of being democratically elected as president of Brazil. But after all that he had done to the country people where not going to vote for him so he made a Constituent assembly in which there were only people of his party and in this assembly he was elected president in 1934. Three years later a state’s coup ended this assembly and made Getulio use the governing way called Estado novo which was all so had been used in Portugal by Antonio Oliveira Salazar. The Estado Novo consisted on an authoritarian regime which ruled the country until 1945 when another coup tok him away of the power.
After this he left the country and when he came back he still had the popular support so runned for the presidency again in the elections of 1951. In these elections he did get reelected leaving them victorious. His government was based on modernizing the country, industralization in general and social improvement. In 1954 while he was working on a campaing against a rival stress got over him and ended up commiting suicide.
Juan Domingo Peron
Who was him?:
Perón was born in Lobos, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 8, 1895. He was the son of Juana Sosa Toledo and Mario Tomás Perón. Perón's maternal grandparents were Spanish Argentine immigrants andindigenous. His paternal grandparents emigrated to Argentina from France, Scotland, and the Italian island of Sardinia; in later life, Perón would publicly express his pride in his Sardinian roots.
Perón received a strict Catholic upbringing. His father migrated to the Patagonia region, where he purchased a sheep ranch. After the undertaking failed, the Peróns returned to Buenos Aires Province. The youth entered the National Military College in 1911 at age 16 and, after graduation, he progressed through the ranks. His principal athletic interest at the time wasfencing.
Marriage and family
Perón married his first wife, Aurelia Tizón (Potota, as Perón fondly called her), on January 5, 1929. The couple had no children, and Tizón died ofuterine cancer nine years later.
It was the only citizen elected president of Argentina three times, 6 the first in the elections of February 24, 1946, for the period 1946-1952, the second in the November 11, 1951 for the period 1952-1958, which failed to complete due to the military coup that overthrew the September 21, 1955 and the third on September 23, 1973, after 18 years of exile, for the period 1973-1977, who could not complete a cause of death.
Was noted for his work on National Labour Department (later upgraded to ministerial level secretarial), which agreed during President de facto of General Pedro Pablo Ramirez, and in which he took many measures favored sectors workers. Although these measures made it popular among the working class, earned him opposition from many sectors, led by U.S. Ambassador Braden Spruille joined forces in a front-Peronist. During this period, was also appointed Vice President's Office and Minister of War. Perón had to give up their posts on October 9, 1945 when a group of soldiers demanded led by General Eduardo Avalos and detained, first in the island of Martin Garcia and then the Central Military Hospital Dr. Cosme Argerich Staff Surgeon, but was released after a large working-class mobilization of the Plaza de Mayo on October 17, 1945.
When he died on July 1, 1974 he was succeeded as president and vice president's widow, Maria Estela Martinez de Peron.
Although he was born near Buenos Aires, Juan spent much of his youth in the harsh region of Patagonia with his family as his father tried his hand at various activities including ranching. At the age of 16 he entered the military academy and joined the army afterwards, deciding on the path of a career soldier. He served in the infantry branch of the services, as opposed to the cavalry, which was for children of wealthy families. He married his first wife, Aurelia Tizón, in 1929, but she died in 1937 of uterine cancer.
Peron’s rise to power, 1941-1946:
Political chaos in the 1940’s afforded the ambitious, charismatic Peron the opportunity to advance. As a Colonel in 1943, he was among the plotters who supported General Edelmiro Farrell’s coup against President Ramón Castillo and was rewarded with the posts of Secretary of War and then Secretary of Labor. As Secretary of Labor, he made liberal reforms that endeared him to the Argentine working class. By 1944-1945 he was Vice President of Argentina under Farrell. In October 1945, conservative foes tried to muscle him out, but mass protests, led by his new wife Evita, forced the military to restore him to his office.
Juan Domingo and Evita:
Juan had met Eva Duarte, a singer and actress, while both were doing relief for a 1944 earthquake. They married in October, 1945, after Evita led protests among Argentina’s working classes to free Perón from prison. During his time in office, Evita became an invaluable asset. Her empathy for and connection with Argentina’s poor and down trodden was unprecedented: on her death in 1952 the Pope received thousands of letters demanding her elevation to saint. She started important social programs for the poorest Argentines, promoted women's suffrage and personally handed out cash in the streets to the needy.
Peron in exile, 1955-1973:
Peron spent the next 18 years in exile, mainly in Venezuela and Spain. Despite the fact that the new government made any support of Perón illegal (including even saying his name in public) Perón maintained great influence over Argentine politics from exile, and candidates he supported frequently won elections. Many politicians came to see him, and he welcomed them all. A skillful politician, he managed to convince both liberals and conservatives that he was their best choice and by 1973 millions were clamoring for him to return.
Bibliography:
Minster, Christopher. "Juan Peron - Biography of Juan Domingo Peron." Latin American History. About.com, 12 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Wikipedia. "Perón." Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, 12 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
"Juan Domingo Perón." Www.terrorfileonline.org. 18 Jan. 2006. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
Pigna, Felipe. "El Historiador :: Biografías :: Juan Domingo Perón." Historia Argentina · El Historiador · Felipe Pigna - Camino Al Bicentenario De La Independencia Argentina. El Historiador, 18 Feb. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2011..
Youtube. "Peron Discurso Del 1974." Youtube. 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
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Gustavo Rojas Pinilla
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was born in Tunja, Boyacá on March 12, 1900 and died in Melgar, Tolima on january 17, 1975. He was a military officer, General of the Army and dictator of Colombia between 1953 and 1957. One of the most important things he did during his lifetime was the creation of the ANAPO (alianza nacional popular). He had some very interesting ideals. He was interested in: Making social reforms, especially ones that would benefit the lower classes, restoring peace and justice among Colombians, improving Colombia’s economy. He tried to maintain a close alliance between the army and the church. Rojas Pinilla thought that nationalism and patriotism were useful to unite the country and he used these forces as a basis for his government.
Some time before Rojas Pinilla ruled over Colombia, a president candidate, called Jorge Elieser Gaitan, was killed on April 9, 1948, causing an event called “The Bogotazo”, in which mainly there was social unrest within Colombians, as they had lost their biggest hope: a new leader that would change everything to better. This murder enhanced a period of violence, called “la violencia”, which was a period of conflict in the Colombian countryside between conservatives and liberals, were they organized self-defense groups and guerrilla units that fought against the other party.
Right before Rojas Pinilla, Laureano Gómez was in the power. When Rojas Pinilla became an important figure in the military army, Laureano Gómez went sick, so Roberto Urdaneta replaced him until he was better. Laureano Gómez asked him to take Rojas Pinilla out of the army, but he denied, and two years later, Rojas Pinilla became president of Colombia.
Rojas Pinilla started with the military coup on June 13, 1953 supported by different politicians, the National Police, armed forces and people from the two political parties. At the beginning, he started very good and i s able to achieve his purposes. But then, support for the Rojas Pinilla regime faded within the first year. Toward the end of 1953, rural violence was renewed, and Rojas Pinilla undertook strict measures to counter it. This made his government become more totalitarian, and he changed some rules for his own benefit.
In the end, the opposition of the church and the defection of the military officers were getting bigger, along with student demonstrations, massive strikes, and riots. He resigned and went exiled to Spain and the power was let on the junta, who promised that they were going to have a democratic government and a president elected by the society that same year.
