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Somoza family dictatorship rules in Nicaragua.  The Somozas support the United States' policies and even aid them in a CIA operation ousting President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in Guatemala. However, by the end of their reign the US become wary of the Somoza family due to their extreme oppression and human rights abuses.

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1978 - Sandinista National Liberation Front Rule Begins

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1978 - Sandinista National Liberation Front Rule Begins

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The Sandinista National Liberation Front was the leading Somoza opposition group.  While initially the US supported the Sandinistas taking over, the US soon grew alarmed when the Sandinistas partnered with the Soviets and Cuba.  The US feared that the Sandinistas would spread communism right in their backyard.

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1986 - Reagan holds up a shirt that reads "Stop Communism Central America," illustrating the fear of communism that permeated America and led to US continued intervention in Nicaragua.

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1986 - Reagan holds up a shirt that reads "Stop Communism Central America," illustrating the fear of communism that permeated America and led to US continued intervention in Nicaragua.

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The Contras were a group of rebels who fought against the Sandinista government.  The Contras were backed by the US government who wanted to prevent Sandinista communism. When Congress learned of the level of US involvement and Contra crualty, they outlawed further support. Additionally, US support was in violation of the Neutrality Act which prevents the United States from involving itself in a foreign war/in a nation at peace.  In an effort to find a way around this act, the US illegally supplied arms to Iran who would then send funds to the Contras. Moreover, the Contras used terror as their main weapon and were responsible for inflicting extreme violence throughout Nicaragua.

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First Hand Account by a Former Contra Leader, Edward Chamorro:
"[The Contras] gathered...residents in the town square, selected those civilians they suspected of sympathizing with the Government and shot them in cold blood as a lesson.”

Second Hand Account:
“Contra forces have systematically violated the applicable laws of war throughout the conflict. They have attacked civilians indiscriminately; they have tortured and mutilated prisoners; they have murdered those placed hors de combat [out of action due to injury] by their wounds; they have taken hostages; and they have committed outrages against personal dignity.”

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Contra Violence was Fueled by the Illegal US Supplying of Arms to and Training of the Contras 

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Contra Violence was Fueled by the Illegal US Supplying of Arms to and Training of the Contras 

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Economic Toll of US Intervention on Nicaragua

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Economic Toll of US Intervention on Nicaragua

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The US backed Contras and the US themselves destroyed Nicaragua's economy.  The Contras destroyed neighborhoods, homes, health care centers, and schools that the Sandinista's had spent tax dollars to build.  Moreover, the Contras specifically targeted rural areas in an effort to destroy Nicaragua's agrarian economy.  Furthermore, the US destroyed Nicaragua's economy through the economic embargo Reagan imposed on them.  As the US accounted for 28% of Nicaragua’s trade, the embargo devastated Nicaragua's economy. Also, with the embargo, Nicaraguans couldn't access US technologies that were necessary to move their economy forward.