The Somoza Dynasty Analysis

Anastasio Somoza and the Somoza Dynasty Analyze the rise to power of a Latin-American dictator. How did they affect law and policy in their society? What were the negative or positive socio-economic consequences for its citizens? What led to their downfall? How did the country transition through this process? Many people throughout history have influence the international market, domestic market, political affairs and law and policy, for better or worse and some even have committed genocide. These actions have mostly been committed by Dictators. Which some are loved and admired by people while others are hated and disliked. Dictators exist throughout the World. But in Latin America more than others. Anastasio Somoza is known for ruling for

The Somoza Dictatorship came in two stages. As the George Black the author of Triumph of the People: The Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua states “The Somoza dictatorship came to power in two stages, with Anastasio Somoza Garcia assuming control of the US-created National Guard in 1933 and then taking over the presidency of Nicaragua three years later”p.4. When Somoza rose to power the country was weakened and at a very low. When Anastasio Somoza rose to power there much subsequent class struggle in Nicaragua which dated back to the country’s independence from the Spanish empire. There was no organized opposition to the Spanish rule, there were only quarrels of tiny elites, which in the absence of traditional colonial economy geared to mining or agriculture, no solid economic base was developed. However the economy and class structure in the 1920’s was strongly influenced by a development of a single export crop which was coffee. But such a mono-product economy was of course, vulnerable to world price fluctuations. The price of coffee plummeted in 1938. It went from $458 per ton to $142 per ton. This led to the economic downfall of Nicaragua. Because of the

This same myth, was the downfall of Anastasio Somoza. When Anastasio Somoza arrived in Leon, on September 21, 1956, to accept the liberal party nomination for a further presidential term it was just the beginning to an end as well as the beginning to a the rule of a dynasty. By Anastasio Somoza being assassinated it only led to his two sons to take control over the country. Anastasio Somoza García was succeeded as president by his eldest son, Luis Somoza Debayle. He was a United States-trained engineer, Luis Somoza Debayle was first elected as a PLN delegate in 1950 and by 1956 he presided over the Nicaraguan Congress. After his father's death, he assumed the position of interim president, as prescribed in the constitution. His brother Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza Debayle, who was a West Point graduate, took over the leadership of the National Guard. A major political repression campaign was followed after the assassination of Anastasio Somoza García. Many political opponents were tortured and imprisoned by guards under orders from his eldest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle and the government imposed press censorship as well as suspended many civil liberties. When the Conservative Party refused to participate in the 1957 elections, the Somoza siblings created a puppet opposition party, which they called the National Conservative Party, in order to