Module 3: American Involvement in Nicargua and the Contras

American Involvement and the Contras

The American government was extremely hostile to the new Sandinista government.  American leaders worried that the Sandinistas' program was socialistic and might lead them to be closer to the Soviet Union.  They also feared that if the Sandinistas were too successful, other Latin American nations might attempt to undertake similar projects. 

And so, the United States helped to establish The Contras.  the Contras were a collection of anti-Sandinista forces in Nicaragua.  The group was composed of far-right figures, including members of the former Somoza regime.  

The Contras were funded, armed, and trained by the Reagan Administration.  The goal of these groups was to overthrow the Sandinista government and establish a more conservative government beholden to the United States.  

Contras vs Sandinistas

However, the Contras had several major problems.  The Sandinista government was very popular with the peasants and the workers of Nicargua.  The Contras were regarded largely as corrupt Somoza-loyalists or American-backed mercenaries.  As such, the population mostly rallied to the Sandinistas.  

In battle, Sandinista forces were more dedicated and capable than the Contra forces.  This was remarkable, because the Contras were trained, armed, and funded by the United States who provided large amounts of weapons to the Contras.  Despite this, Contra fighters tended to flee or surrender to Sandinista forces in battle.  

To try and tip things in their favor, the Contras turned to terrorism against the local population.  The Contras often carried out massacres against peasants and workers loyal to the Sandinistas.  As the war dragged on, the Contras avoided battle entirely, choosing only to murder and torture civilians.  The Contras became known as little more than "death squads."

The Boland Amendment

The incomptence and cruelty of the Contras led to a backlash in the United States.  Congress, frustrated with Reagan's policy in Nicaragua, passed the Boland Amendment, which expressly forbid the United States to support the Contras with money and weapons.  The Reagan Administration was furious with this decision.