Sandinista Soldiers of Nicaragua

Because Nicaragua has a long recital of male supremacy, machismo defined the power structure between women and men, and exacerbated the conditions of poverty. Women in several different households had children fathered by the same man. When economic mechanical press was exerted because of the abuses of the Somoza government, many men simply aband oned these families. As one Nicaraguan activist explained, "In many instances [women] are the primary to be affected by unemployment, inflation and shortages. And it is women who face the projection of holding the family together when the men lose their jobs and can no longer contri only whene" (Randall, 1995, pp. 10-13). Women were forced into whatever employment they could find, from merchandising fruit to working as domestics. Because employment conditions favored men, women were relegated to the last paying jobs. Revolutions are fed by the dissatisfaction of the masses, and women in Nicaragua were forefront among the economic victims who opposed the Somozas.

When women joined the fight to overthrow Somoza they were persuade that a victory for the revolution would also mean an death to their status as second-class citizens. Ab come forth one-third of Sandinista soldiers were women, including array commanders like Dora Maria Tellez and Monica Baltodano. The concourse who opposed Somoza came from many groups, but together made up an organization called the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSL

N), consisting of middle-class citizens; several radical Communist groups; and a military group called the Insurrectionists. The United States became alarmed by what it considered a red scare: "some congressmen were urging President Carter and relation to take prompt military action to help Somoza fit off a 'Communist takeover' in Nicaragua" (Edmisten, 1990, p. 70). The FSLN took inspiration from Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba, and assigned bands of guerrilla fighters to live in the mountains and carry out surprise attacks on Somoza's National Guard. Women were active in this hold of warfare, even those who were not Sandinista soldiers.

One mother and organizer of area women in Managua described the process utilise to catch the materials to make bombs, "Our worst problem was finding the chlorate, so we used to send a lady to the drugstore to buy it. She would aim it back under the vegetables she carried on her head, and the Guard never halt her" (Meiselas, 1981, p. 82). Women risked their lives in the revolution in various ways.

When the Sandinistas succeeded in their struggle, it selected people from within its ranks, together with other anti-Somoza organizations, to form a impression political faction. In their first few years in power, the Sandinistas' main goals were to raise the standard of living and to make everyone more(prenominal) equal by redistributing the country's wealth. The task was formidable: "In 1979, when the revolutionaries came pig from the mountains and assumed power, they were faced with the overwhelming task of rebuilding a bankrupt and spent country" (Heyck, 1990, p. 16). Immediately after pickings office, the Sandinistas began giving land to peasants so that they could grow enough fare for their families. The next step was the nationalization of private industries. The economy took a slight upward turn when the Sandinistas began controlling agricultural exports, banking and finance, insurance, and mining. Businesses and
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