Nicaragua 1961-1990 Volumes 1-2 (PDF Edition)

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Nicaragua, 1961–1990: The Complete Story of Revolution and Counter-Revolution (Volumes 1 & 2)

In the wake of the US invasion of Nicaragua in 1912, the country fell under the control of the Somoza family, whose regime imposed decades of brutal, corrupt military dictatorship. By the 1960s, a low-scale insurgency had begun to take shape—students, peasants, and other anti-Somoza groups slowly building resistance against the regime. In the late 1970s, with support from Cuba, a diverse coalition of students, farmers, businessmen, clergy, and Marxists launched a full-scale revolution. Their struggle culminated in the fall of the Somoza dynasty in 1979.

Volume 1 of Nicaragua, 1961–1990 explores this first phase of conflict in depth, analysing the origins and development of the insurgency, the armed groups involved, and the military, political, and social dynamics that led to the Sandinista victory. Profusely illustrated with over 120 photographs, maps, and colour artworks, it provides a richly detailed account of one of Latin America’s most consequential revolutions.

Volume 2 continues the story into the turbulent 1980s. The newly established Sandinista government in Managua faced a country devastated by war and natural disasters, with nearly half its population homeless or in exile. As the Sandinistas pursued sweeping economic and cultural reforms, the United States—viewing them as Cuban-supported Marxists and a threat to its influence in Latin America—backed the formation of the Contrarevolutionary forces, or Contras. The result was a new, bitter conflict that raged until 1988.

Drawing upon extensive research into the forces, ideologies, organisation, and equipment of both sides, Nicaragua, 1961–1990, Volumes 1 & 2 present a comprehensive, blow-by-blow military history of the revolution and counter-revolution that defined modern Nicaragua. Together, they form the most complete visual and analytical record of one of the bloodiest and most significant armed struggles in Latin American history.