Somoza family
The Somoza family (Spanish: Familia Somoza) is a political family which ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years – from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship, founded by Anastasio Somoza García, was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza Debayle and Anastasio Somoza Debayle.[1] Anastasio Somoza García served as the President of Nicaragua from 1937 until 1956. He was succeeded by his elder son, Luis Somoza Debayle, who held the presidency from 1957 to 1963. The younger Somoza son, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, had two presidential terms: 1967–1972 and 1974–1979. Although the Somozas did not hold the presidency for the full forty-three years, they continued to rule through puppet presidents and via their control of the National Guard.[2][3]
Somoza family
Familia Somoza
1 January 1936
President of Nicaragua
Head of the National Guard
- Anastasio Somoza García
- Luis Somoza Debayle
- Anastasio Somoza Debayle
- Wife of Anastasio Somoza García: Salvadora Debayle Sacasa
- Daughter of Anastasio Somoza García: Lillian Somoza de Sevilla Sacasa
- Wife of Luis Somoza Debayle: Isabel Urcuyo
- Wife of Anastasio Somoza Debayle: Hope Portocarrero
- Son of Anastasio Somoza Debayle: Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero
17 July 1979
Interbellum, World War II, Cold War
1 January 1936
1960s
17 July 1979
While the Somoza family moved towards modernizing Nicaragua, their rule featured repression and inequality.[3][4] Over four decades, the Somoza family accumulated wealth through corporate bribes, land-grabbing and foreign-aid siphoning.[5] The family received support from the government of the United States, and the leadership styles of each Somoza president was different from one another.[2][6]
Ultimately, the Somoza family was overthrown by the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) during the Nicaraguan Revolution[7] of 1961–1990. Widespread discontent with the Somoza regime, fostered in part by Soviet disinformation campaigns, emerged following the Managua earthquake of 1972.[2][4] Anastasio Somoza Debayle declared himself the Head of the National Emergency Committee and used his power to participate in looting and in the mismanagement of international-aid funding.[4] Discomfort increased in the light of the rise of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and in response to the Somoza government's human-rights violations.[3][4] Various opposition groups emerged, and two key approaches to overthrow the dictatorship became clear. While the Broad Opposition Front (Spanish: Frente Amplio Opositor, FAO) attempted to reach a solution via negotiation, the FSLN pushed insurrection.[4] When negotiations failed, the insurrection movement – with military support from the Soviet Union through Cuba – launched a successful offensive into the cities, with human-rights violations committed by the National Guard resulting in the Somoza government's international, political and military isolation.[3] On 17 July 1979, Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigned as President of Nicaragua, marking the end of the Somoza-family dictatorship.[4]
The family accumulated wealth through corporate bribes, industrial monopolies, land grabbing, and foreign aid siphoning.[5] By the 1970s, the family owned around 23 percent of the land in Nicaragua.[2][8] The Somoza's wealth is speculated to have reached approximately $533 million, which amounted to half of Nicaragua's debt and 33 percent of the country's 1979 GDP.[2][9]
Three of the Somoza family members served as President of Nicaragua. They were:
Other members of the Somoza family include:
