Nicaraguan Civil War of 1925–1933

At issue: Political control of Nicaragua; U.S. involvement in Nicaraguan internal affairs

Date: 1925–1933

Location: Nicaragua

Combatants: U.S. Marines and Conservative faction vs. Liberal faction

Principal commanders:Liberal, José María Moncada (1912–1958), Augusto César Sandino (1895–1934); Nicaraguan National Guard, Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956)

Result: Sandino laid down his arms after the withdrawal of the U.S. Marines in 1933; within months, Somoza had Sandino killed and initiated a dictatorship that lasted until 1980

Background

The origins of the Nicaraguan Civil War date back to 1909, when Liberal president José Santos Zelaya resigned because of American diplomatic pressure and strong political opposition from the Conservative faction. The United States disliked Zelaya because he had agreed to let Germany build a canal across Nicaragua that would compete with the canal being built by the United States across Panama. In 1909, U.S. Marines arrived in Nicaragua with the excuse of protecting American lives and property, which hastened Zelaya’s departure. Under the watchful eye of the United States, the Liberals and Conservatives agreed to alternate occupation of the presidency and created a coalition government. Despite the agreement, in 1912 the United States refused to recognize the right of a Liberal politician to become president, prompting a Liberal rebellion against the Conservative government of Adolfo Díaz. Díaz quickly requested military assistance and 2,700 U.S. Marines landed in Nicaragua. Although the number of soldiers fluctuated, a Marine presence remained to keep Conservatives in power until mounting opposition in the United States led to their removal in 1925.

Action

Soon after the Marines’ departure, new Conservative-Liberal hostilities erupted, which forced U.S. officials once again to send the Marines to restore peace. Although the primary Liberal leader, General José María Moncada, focused attention on fighting Conservative opponents, another Liberal leader, Augusto César Sandino, sought to rid Nicaragua of both U.S.-trained Nicaraguan forces and U.S. Marines. Sandino, a strong nationalist, envisioned a Nicaragua without constant U.S. interference, and acting without Moncada’s aid or support, he led a guerrilla war against the Marines. Mounting U.S. losses prompted American politicians to push for an end to the fighting. In 1927, American negotiators created a deal that settled the differences between the Conservatives and Liberals, but Sandino refused to accept the terms and continued his guerrilla war. Under U.S. supervision, an election was held in 1928, and Moncada became president. Despite the Liberals’ seizure of power, Sandino continued to fight with the support of a Nicaraguan peasant population that was also tired of U.S. interference. A countrywide network of peasant rebels continued to inflict losses on both the Marines and U.S.-owned mines, despite vigorous pursuit by the Marines.

Meanwhile, U.S. military advisers trained an American-funded Nicaraguan National Guard. The advisers intended for the National Guard to be an apolitical peacekeeping force that would take over the Marines’ role of stopping Conservative-Liberal warfare. In 1933, isolationist beliefs in the United States, coupled with the change in foreign policy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, led to the Marines’ withdrawal from Nicaragua. Having fulfilled his primary goal of ridding Nicaragua of the United States, Sandino agreed to lay down his weapons in exchange for a promise that he and his soldiers would be left alone. Although the government granted his soldiers land and freedom from persecution, Sandino refused to surrender because he felt that the National Guard was unconstitutional and distrusted its ambitious leader, Anastasio Somoza. In February, 1934, Nicaragua’s president invited Sandino to Managua, where they agreed that the guard’s power would be diminished and planned to remove Somoza from its command. Afraid of the threat to his power, Somoza arranged for National Guardsmen to kidnap and kill Sandino while he was returning from dinner with the president. Sandino’s death ended the civil war.

Aftermath

Within a month, guardsmen killed the majority of Sandino’s followers. Nicaragua’s president opposed the actions, but Somoza ignored his demands to stop. Once in command of the country’s only military group and without a strong political opponent, Somoza appointed himself president in 1937 and began a dictatorial dynasty that ruled Nicaragua until 1980.

Bibliography

Bermann, Karl. Under the Big Stick: Nicaragua and the United States Since 1848. Boston: South End Press, 1986.

Diederich, Bernard. Somoza and the Legacy of U.S. Involvement in Central America. New York: Dutton, 1981.

Ramírez, Sergio. Sandino, the Testimony of a Nicaraguan Patriot: 1921–1934. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990.