The Role of the United States in Causing the Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979 is an event that many American citizens may not be aware of. What is probably less understood is the role of the United States in causing this revolution. The United States actually played a very important role in causing the Nicaraguan revolution. The United States did three important things that greatly influenced revolutionaries to rebel against the government. The United States helped create the Nicaraguan National Guard, a group that abused citizens and blatantly ignored human rights. The United States was also complicit in the assassination of Augusto Cesar Sandino, a citizen who fought against the U.S. Marine occupation in the 1930s. Finally, the United States supported the Somoza family, a series of three dictators who ruled Nicaragua from 1939 to 1979, when the revolution broke out. The involvement of the United States is not limited to these three events, but these three examples are important causes of the revolution. To provide a better understanding of the revolution and U.S. involvement in Nicaragua, historical context is needed. The first instance of U.S. involvement in Nicaragua was the Walker Affair, of 1856. William Walker ventured into Nicaragua from the United States in 1855. at the invitation of Nicaraguan liberals, who hoped that his aid could help them win a war against the conservatives of Nicaragua. Walker easily defeated the conservatives with his “help of private American funding, superior firepower, and no small amount of luck.” At the end of this war, however, instead of handing over the regime to the liberals he had helped, he proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua. Once president, Walker legalized slavery and made English the...... center of the paper......nuel Antonio, Newman, Edward. Democracy in Latin America: (re)building political society. The United Nations University Press, 2001. New York, NY Gilbert, Dennis. Sandinistas: the party and the revolution. Basil Blackwell Press, 1988. Oxford, UK. Kampwirth, Karen. Women and Guerrilla Movements in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chipas, and Cuba. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002. University Park, PA.Vilas, Carlos M. The Sandinista Revolution: National Liberation and Social Transformation in Central America. Editorial Legasa SRL, 1986. Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico. Walker, Thomas W. Nicaragua: Living in the Shadow of the Eagle. Westview Press, 2003. Boulder, CO.Walker, Thomas W and Armony, Ariel C. Repression, resistance and democratic transition in Latin America. Scholarly Resources Incorporated, 2000. Wilmington, Delaware.