Contras

I found the Contras to be especially interesting in this chapter, from how they are falsely considered the "freedom fighters" to the U.S. support to help them rise. Since the Nicaraguans weren't under U.S. control, the U.S. had to find ways to turn the majority of the people of Nicaragua on those who had control of Nicaragua, the Sandinista's. The U.S. managed to do this in multiple ways. First, the U.S. would force the world bank and inter-american development bank to terminate all projects and assistance in Nicaragua. Then, the U.S. turned as many people as possible against the Sandinista's, causing boycott's and also the making of the Contra's. The boycott's forced Nicaragua's developing economy to a halt, and the rebellious attacks from the Contra's forced Nicaragua's government to fight back. Both of these were taking a major toll on the economy, not allowing the Sandinista's to rebuild what was wrecked during the Contra attacks. It also forced the Sandinista's to deal with terrorism while trying to form social projects in their country. The constant Contra attacks were taking a toll on the Sandinista's, and the U.S. made it clear that if the Sandinista's won the election, these attacks would keep on occuring. Although the election was supposed to be fair, it was quite obvious that it wasn't, and even under these circumstances, the Sandinista's still acquired a hefty 40% of the votes!

The formation of the Contras came from the U.S. government, which was under Ronald Reagan's control. Their main purpose was to cause a disturbance in Nicaragua, forcing the Sandinista's to send aid, military support, and reconstruction to the areas of attack. The U.S. formed the Contra's and supported them financially for only one reason, to gain control of Nicaragua. The formation of the rebellious Contra's was a strategical plan and caused Nicaragua to be eaten from the inside out and it's safe to say, the Contra's helped destroy themselves.

Sources:

Born in Blood and Fire

http://libcom.org/history/1970-1987-the-contra-war-in-nicaragua