Carlos Fonseca Amador (born June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. Events 1300-1899 1314 - The Battle of Bannockburn south of Stirling, Edward II of England & Robert I of Scotland met in battle. Scotland won and Edward fled the... June 23, 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 15 -- The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. January 20 - Death of George V of the United Kingdom. His... 1936 - died November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. Events 1665 - The London Gazette, the oldest surviving journal, is first published. 1783 - A man convicted of forgery is the last to be publicly hanged at Londons Tyburn... November 7, 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 12 - UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 - Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is sentenced to life in prison January 16... 1976), a This article is in need of attention. Please improve it in any way you see fit. A revolutionary is somebody who opposes current form of government and wishes to change it. There are two main alternatives of revolution: One may take the form of peaceful protest (like Gandhi) or a... revolutionary, teacher and a founder of the The Sandinista flag The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front) usually referred to as simply the Sandinistas or FSLN is a leftist political movement in Nicaragua. For many decades it was the main rebel group against successive governments of the Somoza family. After emerging victorious... Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional ( Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. The Sandinista flag The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front) usually referred to as simply the Sandinistas or FSLN is a leftist political movement in Nicaragua. For many decades it was the main... FSLN, Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. The Sandinista flag The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front) usually referred to as simply the Sandinistas or FSLN is a leftist political movement in Nicaragua. For many decades it was the main... Sandinista National Liberation Front), was assassinated by the Somoza was the name of an influential family dictatorship in Nicaragua. Three of the Somozas served as President of Nicaragua. They were: Anastasio Somoza Garcia (1937-1947, 1950-1956), the father Luis Somoza Debayle (1956-1963), his eldest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967-1972, 1974-1979), his second eldest son... Guardia Nacional three years before the FSLN took power in Nicaragua. He is considered to be one of the major Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. Or sometimes, it is for a noble cause - like patriotically dying for a nations glory in a war. During the early Roman Empire, the independent cities of Asia Minor made efforts to reward benefactors for... martyrs of the Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. The Sandinista flag The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front) usually referred to as simply the Sandinistas or FSLN is a leftist political movement in Nicaragua. For many decades it was the main... Nicaraguan Revolution.

Early Years

Born in Matagalpa, a town in northwestern Nicaragua is a republic in Central America. It is the largest Central American nation but the least densely populated. It is bordered on the north by Honduras and on south by Costa Rica. Its western coastline is on the Pacific Ocean, while the east side of the country is on... Nicaragua, Fonseca was the son of Augustina Fonseca Ubeda, "an unmarried twenty-six year old washerwoman from the countryside." His father, Fausto Amador Aleman, a member of the prominent coffee-growing Amador family, did not acknowledge Fonseca until his elementary school years. As a child, Fonseca's eyesight began to deteriorate. forcing him to wear heavy eyeglasses for the rest of his life.

In 1950, Fonseca entered secondary school and slowly became involved with political groups. In the early 1950s Fonseca attended meetings for a Conservative Party youth group and joined the Union Nacional de Acción Popular (UNAP, National Union of Popular Action). Fonseca became increasingly intersted in Marxism and joined the Partido Socialista Nicargüense (PSN, Nicaraguan Socialist Party). He left the UNAP in 1953 or 1954, complaining they were too "bourgeoisified." In 1954, he and several school friends founded and began to publish a "cultural journal," "Segovia." While the journal did center around social issues (the poor, the student movement, etc.) it "did not take on the Somoza was the name of an influential family dictatorship in Nicaragua. Three of the Somozas served as President of Nicaragua. They were: Anastasio Somoza Garcia (1937-1947, 1950-1956), the father Luis Somoza Debayle (1956-1963), his eldest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967-1972, 1974-1979), his second eldest son... Somoza government directly."

After graduating in 1955, Fonseca took a librarian position at a high school in Managua, with a population of about 1,617,096 in 2004, is the capital of Nicaragua and largest city of Central America. Situated on the southern shore of Lake Managua, the city was made the national capital in 1855; previously the capital had alternated between the cities of León... Managua. He began speaking to students, encouraging them to explore Nicaraguan history. He hoped to "build a national movement of high school students." The following year, Fonseca left his position and moved to The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places... León to attend law school.

Once in León, Fonseca "threw [him]self" into student activism, becoming editor in chief of a student newspaper and organized "the first all student cell of the PSN in Nicaragua." The short lived group organized the study of Marxist works, but recieved little support from the national party organization.

In Spetember 1956, President Anastasio Somoza Garcia was assassinated in León. Although the assassin was executed on the spot, a state of siege was declared and a search began for suspected conspirators. Fonseca, who did not know the assassin nor had any knowledge of the assassination plot, was arrested by the Somoza was the name of an influential family dictatorship in Nicaragua. Three of the Somozas served as President of Nicaragua. They were: Anastasio Somoza Garcia (1937-1947, 1950-1956), the father Luis Somoza Debayle (1956-1963), his eldest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967-1972, 1974-1979), his second eldest son... Guardia Nacional and held for nearly two months. According to Zimmermann, at this point, Fonseca remained "committed to nonviolent methods and believed the PSN provided the leadership Nicaragua needed."

In 1957, Fonseca traveled to the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) .( Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик... Soviet Union as a PSN delegate to a student/youth conference. Fonseca later wrote a book chronicling his visit to the USSR. The book praised the accomplishments of the Soviet government.

Cuba Libre

Cuban President Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has ruled Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he helped overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and turn Cuba into the first socialist state in the Western Hemisphere. He held the title of premier... Fidel Castro and the The 26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio) was the revolutionary organisation led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista regime in Cuba. Its name originated from the attack on the Santiago army barracks on July 26, Mexico in 1955 by a group of exiled revolutionaries... 26th of July Movement took power in The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north are found the United States and the Bahamas, to the west Mexico, to the south the Cayman Islands and... Cuba on January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other than January 1... January 1, 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 1 - Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance January... 1959. The The Cuban Revolution was the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista by the 26th of July Movement and the establishment of a new regime led by Fidel Castro in the 1950s. It began with the assault on the Moncada base on the 26 July 1953, and ended on 1 January... Cuban Revolution was a major event all over Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. Most frequently the term Latin America is restricted to countries whose inhabitants speak... Latin America and sparked celebrations around Nicaragua. The Cuban Revolution was a central event in Fonseca's political evolution as it "convinced [him] that revolution was possible and that a new organization was needed to lead it." Just as the Cuban revolution "had been organized outside the framework of the Cuban Communist Party," a Nicaraguan revolutionary movement could be created outside of the PSN and other pre-existing groups.

The rebel victory in Cuba was mirrored by an increase in armed anti-Somoza actions in Nicaragua. Fonseca took part in one such uprising in 1959. In February 1959, Fonseca, as well as many other more prominent Nicaraguan radicals, traveled to Cuba.

In mid-1959, Fonseca joined a Nicaraguan guerrilla brigade that was, in part, organized by Che Guevara Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna ( June 14, 1928¹ – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. Guevara was a member of Fidel Castros 26th of July Movement, which seized power in Cuba in... Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The brigade had a training camp in southern Honduras is a country in northern Central America, bordered to the west by Guatemala and El Salvador, to the south by Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea. Belize (formerly British Honduras) is 75 km away across the Bay... Honduras. On June 24, 1959, the brigade was ambushed by Honduran and Nicaraguan troops in Honduras, ending in the death of several rebels and the wounding and capturing of many others, including Fonseca.

This incident marks the end of Fonseca's relationship with the PSN. Whereas Fonseca's revolutionary zeal increased in the aftermath of the ambush, the PSN became convinced that a revolution in Nicaragua was "impossible." Labelling Fonseca and other Nicaraguans who fought in the brigade as too "guerrilla-ist," the PSN expelled Fonseca and the others.

It is a bit unclear how, but Fonseca managed to leave the military hospital in Honduras where he was taken after the June 24th ambush and went to Cuba. It is at this point that Fonseca "began a serious study of Sandino (centre) en route to Mexico. Augusto César Sandino (May 18, 1895 - February 20, 1934) was a leader of the Nicaraguan resistance to U.S. military presence in Nicaragua. Sandino, born Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino in the Nicaraguan village of Niquinohomo (department of Masaya), was the son... Sandino." Fonseca also began to host political meetings in a small apartment in the Miramar section of Havana. The meetings were frequented by people who would later become part of the Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. The Sandinista flag The Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (Sandinista National Liberation Front) usually referred to as simply the Sandinistas or FSLN is a leftist political movement in Nicaragua. For many decades it was the main... FSLN.

Sandinista!

Between 1959 and 1963, Fonseca and those who would become the earliest members of the FSLN, "experimented with a variety of different organizational forms" in the hopes of forming a true revolutionary organization. Having formed several short-lived groups, the FSLN came to be in 1963. Originally, Fonseca hoped to "duplicate the Cuban revolution" in Nicaragua, drawing up battle plans based on the Cuban experience.

In mid-1963, a guerrilla cadre entered the Rios Coco y Bocay area of Nicaragua. Poorly prepared and having done little advanced work in the area, several guerrillas were killed by the Somoza was the name of an influential family dictatorship in Nicaragua. Three of the Somozas served as President of Nicaragua. They were: Anastasio Somoza Garcia (1937-1947, 1950-1956), the father Luis Somoza Debayle (1956-1963), his eldest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967-1972, 1974-1979), his second eldest son... Guardia Nacional, while others were able to escape across the Honduran border. This incident would highlight the error of having an "excessive emphasis on military actions without corresponding political work."

Between 1964 and 1966, the FSLN "concetrated on educational work and community organizing," creating literacy classes and campaigning to bring resources to working class neighborhoods in Managua. While Fonseca continued hold the top leadership position in the FSLN, he was out of the country for much of the mid-1960s period, having fled to Mexico and then Costa Rica.

By mid-1966, plans for a second FSLN guerrilla operation in the Pancasan region (near Matagalpa) were underway.

References

• Zimmermann, Matilde. Sandinista: Carlos Fonseca and the Nicaraguan Revolution. Duke University Press (2000).