The History of Nicaragua

by Clifford L. Staten, Frank W. Thackeray, John E. Findling

Overview

This concise history of Nicaragua provides the reader with a history of the ways in which key political and economic factors have contributed to the creation of the modern nation.

Notwithstanding Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's disdain for the United States, our nation has played a significant role in shaping Nicaraguan nationalism, as well as the country's political, economic, and social systems. The History of Nicaragua was written, in part, to help students and other interested readers understand that relationship, providing them with an up-to-date, concise, and analytical history of the Central American nation.

The book begins by describing the people, geography, culture, and current political, economic, and social systems of Nicaragua. The remainder of the volume is devoted to a chronological history, emphasizing recurring themes or factors that have shaped the modern state. These include the importance of elite families such as the Somoza dynasty that ruled for more than 40 years. Other topics include the agro-export model of economic development, modern Nicaraguan nationalism, the Sandinista revolution and its legacy, and the democratic transition that began in 1990.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313360374
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/20/2010
Series:	The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations
Pages:	175
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Clifford L. Staten, PhD, is professor of political science and international studies and dean of the School of Social Sciences at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, IN.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Timeline of Historical Events xvii

Acronyms Used in this Book xxiii

1 Nicaragua and Its People 1

2 Pre-colonial, Colonial, and Early Independence (4000 BC-1856) 13

3 The Coffee Boom, Zelaya, and United States Intervention (1856-1925) 27

4 Sandino and the Rise of the Somoza Dynasty (1925-1959) 43

5 The Sandinistas and the Fall of the Somoza Dynasty (1959-1979) 63

6 The Revolutionary Years (1979-1990) 91

7 Defying the Odds: The Road to Democracy (1990-Present) 125

Notable People in the History of Nicaragua 159

Nicaraguan History: A Bibliography Essay 163

Index 167

Editorial Reviews

This reference and resource on Nicaragua is for general readers and students in high school and up. An introduction to the country and its people covers geography, culture and society, the political system, the economy, and the country's future. The rest of the book offers a chronological history emphasizing recurring themes and factors that have shaped the modern state, such as the agro-export model of economic development, nationalism, and the Sandinista revolution. After an overview of ancient times, coverage encompasses the colonial period and early independence, the coffee boom, the rise and fall of the Somoza dynasty, the revolutionary years (1979-1990), and the road to democracy (1990-present). Other features included a timeline of historical events, a list of acronyms, notes on 20 important people, and a bibliographic essay.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Staten opens this indispensable guide with a chronology of Nicaraguan history and follows with six chapters expanding on these historical details, from precolonization through the revolution and into its democratic present. Other chapter essays beautifully illuminate the country and its people, while still another segment profiles notable Nicaraguan figures. In lieu of a standard bibliography, a bibliographical essay—spatially condensed and consequently somewhat less accessible—details further reading titles. This represents a meticulous, more historically focused update to and broadening of Hazel Plunkett's 2001 Nicaragua in Focus (2d ed.) and will prove a vital resource to Mesoamerican scholarship.” —Library Jourbanal

From the Publisher