Students of Revolution. Youth, Protests, and Coalition Building in Somoza-Era Nicaragua by Claudia Rueda (review)

Claudia Rueda, while a graduate student, wrote this comprehensive book on how Nicaraguan students during the Somoza dictatorships (Anastasio Somoza, 1937–47 and 1950–56; Luis Somoza de Bayle 1956–63; and Anastasio “Tachito” Somoza 1967–72 and 1974–79) fought for political legitimacy and then used that authority to shape the society around them. Of extraordinary value are the unusual sources to which professor Rueda had access: oral histories through interviews with young students, advisers, parents, and university administrators; records in university archives; and flyers, publications, and student newspapers and correspondence. She also had access to the archives of the dictatorship, including spies’ reports on students and the archives of the Ministry of Education and the Oficina de Seguridad Nacional. She also studied the US diplomatic files in the US National Archives.

Books on the Sandinista FSLN revolution tend to concentrate on the role of the guerrillas, the communists, farmers, labor unions, and the public university, and not on the students at the Catholic University who raised broader political consciousness. Youth played a pivotal role in the success of the Sandinista revolution. They were not only active in the revolution itself, but also tried to organize their society. This book also emphasizes the role of young women. Students had the unusual ability to spark wide mobilizations in Nicaragua, including nationwide strikes and urban insurrections.

The book is divided into chapters that focus on the origin of students’ anti-Somoza consciousness between 1937 and 1944, the protests and repressions during the period of “democratic effervescence” (1944–48), the period of defending students’ dignity (1950–56), “la pequeña gran república” (1956–59), the challenges of trying to reform the country in the midst of the revolution (1960–68), the radicalization of youth (1966–72), and, finally, the many difficulties between 1970 and 1979. When the last of the Somozas fled the country in 1979, he left behind a divided country. Nearly 50,000 had been killed, and 20 percent of the population had been displaced. The Somozas took with them a substantial part of the national treasure, so the Sandinistas had to organize a society from scratch.

Students in the secondary schools and universities had been central players in the struggle of the 1970s, and the government cracked down on them. Students of the 1940s like Pedro Joaquín Chamorro helped students in the 1970s through his newspaper La Prensa; thus, there were generational connections. Some students adopted Christian democracy, others Marxism.