Nicaragua, 1975-2012

Scope and content:

Contains extensive documentation of US foreign policy, armed conflict, and human rights issues in Nicaragua from the late 1970s, when the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew the regime of Anastasio Somoza, to the 2010s. Primary emphasis is on the period of FSLN rule (1979-1990) in sustained conflict with counterrevolutionary forces generally known as Contras, and the years immediately following the FSLN's 1990 electoral defeat by Violeta Chamorro. The bulk of files across all three subseries—Human Rights Issues, US Foreign Policy, and General Files—either deal directly with the conflict between counterrevolutionary and FSLN government forces, often referred to as the Contra War, or concern its enduring impact on Nicaraguan politics and civil society as well as on US foreign policy and domestic politics, notably in the context of the Iran-Contra Affair.

Additional materials related to US foreign policy in Nicaragua, including declassified Department of State documents, may be found in the Central America Regional Files series.

Contents

Using These Materials