Nicaragua - A Historical Reference
Spain invaded Nicaragua in the 1500's and rapidly established it as a colony. The inhabitants of the nation rapidly became devastated as a result of disease, deportation, and slavery by the Spaniards. Granada was established as the colonial head of the nation, and was one of the beginning settlements constructed in the Americas by the Europeans.
Nicaragua continued as a colony of Spain until 1821, at what time it proclaimed its freedom. Britain still controlled the Caribbean seaboard, however bit by bit relinquished control throughout the next couple of decades. In 1838, Nicaragua asserted itself as an independent republic. Soon afterward, a U.S. industrialist named William Walker set his sights on acquiring the nation and having the US Government seize it as a slave nation to supply the South. Meanwhile, Nicaragua was in the middle of a civil war during this. Walker did manage to gain control over Nicaragua, however he rapidly lost it when he tried to occupy Costa Rica. Walker eventually departed the nation, but was executed in Honduras shortly thereafter.
Most of the 20th Century was framed by the control of the Somozas; beginning with the father and afterward his sons. By the end of the 1970's, unrest within the residents exploded into a rebellion, and eventually the Somoza reign stopped as a result of the Sandinista army. Again, the U.S. played a role in Nicaragua's history, by means of training and arming revolutionaries to fight the Sandinistas and their rule of the nation. Finally, a peace deal was made, and in 1990 the nation held its first democratic elections. They have moved forward ever since.
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