The final guerilla offensives expose the weakness of the Somoza dictatorship, peace talks break down as it becomes clear that Somoza will never agree to elections. A mass general strike proves the strength of the movement in the cities, as the guerilla began their final offensive on the capital. The dictatorship crumbles.

The Sandinistas, under the leadership of Daniel Ortega, begin the revolutionary changes that would draw the anger of the U.S. The country becoming an ally of Cuba and the Soviet Union, a huge land reform redistributed large areas to campesino cooperatives. Large sections of industry are nationalized and social programs enacted. Among the most successful programs were the literacy campaigns, praised by UNESCO, they reduced illiteracy in rural areas by over 50%, then the health campaigns provided medical attention to those who had never received it. The victory bucked the regional trend where most revolutionary movements have been devastated by years of military dictatorship.

Despite the devastating war, despite U.S. propaganda about Nicaragua’s ‘dictatorship’, the Sandinistas cruised to victory in the elections, Ortega won with 67% of the vote. The war intensifies.

The progressive changes of the Sandinistas are not without their opponents. The US began funding and organizing right wing former military officers and others of the far-right, known as the ‘Contras’. This counter revolutionary army was a brutal force, using rape and torture as a weapon of war, murduering tens of thousands. The U.S. knew this would be an embarrassment, they kept their support for them secret. Much of the U.S. funding came from profits of drug trafficking that the U.S. diverted towards the Contra, then another source of funding was the profits of secret arms sales to Iran. One of those behind this operation was Elliot Abrahams, who today is leading the coup in Venezuela.

The war on Nicaragua was not just a military one, the U.S. launched a crippling economic blockade, coming at a time when the USSR couldn't send as much aid. The sanctions began to erode some of the Sandinista achievements in reducing poverty. The scale of the atrocities of the Contras traumatized the population.

By the end of the 1980s the Soviet Union was itself in crisis and isn't sending any meaningful support to the Sandinistas, increasingly isolated and suffering years of U.S. economic blockade, the Sandinistas lost the 1990 general elections. The elections were by no means free or fair, the U.S. openly threatened to double down on the blockade, to lay siege on the country if the Sandinistas won, in the face of that, those who were tried of war voted for Violeta Chamorro, from one of the most powerful elite families in the country. Under these conditions, many say its remarkable that the Sandinistas still won over 40% of the vote. Nevertheless, the FSLN would return.

The period of the right in power was marked by the rolling back of social gains of the Sandinista period. Healthcare provision was drastically cut and the government began charging fees for school enrollment on orders from the IMF, huge numbers were forced out of school as they couldn't afford the fees. The country’s problems degenerated into a crisis by 2005 as mass protests broke out against the rising cost of living, just as the government was signing a neoliberal free trade deal with U.S.

The FSLN win the 2006 elections, beginning the revolutions second term in power. Immediately, some of the worst policies of the previous governments were reversed, school fees were scrapped and free healthcare was reinstituted. The literacy campaigns were brought back, this time using Cuba’s successful ‘Yo Si Puedo’ model.

A number of other innovative policies were brought forward, a land reform that gave land titles and farm machinery to Campesina women boosted agriculture and rural development. The countrys homicide rate was cut in half and is now the lowest in Central America, in stark contrast to neighbouring Honduras, which suffers a murder rate thats around double that of South Africa. The economy grew consistently at around 4% per year throughout. The gains of this period meant crushing electoral victories for the FSLN in 2011 and 2016, with well over 60% in legislative and presidential elections.

Nicaragua’s revolutionary legacy has survived some of the most extreme external attacks, from the Contra, to the U.S. blockade, through to threats and now an opposition, once again with funding from the U.S. only recently accepting the need for peaceful dialogue rather than armed attack. Nevertheless, Nicaragua’s achievements in human development remain an inspiration for a region scarred by violence and inequality. The revolution has survived 40 years and counting.