THE MEDIA: The Economist

Tim Brown argues that "The Sandinistas were, and are, merely shirt-tail, and not so shirt-tail, cousins of Nicaragua's white oligarchy. A comment by a Marxist and pro-Sandinista sociologist, Carlos Vilas, best described the real results of the 1990 election of Chamorro. After the Sandinistas lost and Chamorro won, "the most amusing sight in Nicaragua was watching first cousins exchange ministerial portfolios across the Calle Atravesada in Granada", Granada being the quintessential city of the Spanish oligarchy with the Calle Atravesada it's 5th Avenue."

My comment: Tim goes on to argue that the real contra fighters in the countryside were a variety of non-white groups. It is often the case in Latin America that both conservative and leftist leaders have been opposing factions of whites. This was true in countries like Colombia and Chile, while in Chiapas subcomandante Marcos comes from a privileged white family. Yet in those countries it would be incorrect to say that the non-whites supported conservative causes, although some did. Nicaragua may be a special case. In Nicaragua students at the University of León provided Sandinista leaders, usually white, and Latin American universities generally have been centers of revolutionary agitation. Is there a study of the feelings of the Indians, etc., toward them? Probably mixed.

Ronald Hilton - 1/10/01