1838-1870 1918-1945







Nicaragua, 1870-1918



FERNANDO GUZMAN was the first of a line of conservative presidents which ruled precisely 4 years; democracy seemed established until JOSE SANTOS ZELAYA in 1894 established a dictatorship that lasted 15 years. President Zelaya cancelled the political autonomy of the MOSQUITO COAST, forcefully integrating the area into Nicaragua. Britain, the former protector of the Mosquito kingdom, did not interfere. However, the ZELAYA PROVINCE (as the area was referred to from 1894 onwards) was a separate economic zone as it's currency continued to be silver-based, as opposed to Nicaragua's economy using paper money.
His plan to reestablish the CENTRAL AMERICAN FEDERATION (1897) had only partial success, as a Central American Court of Justice was established.
In 1885, Nicaragua ratified a treaty with the U.S., permitting the latter to dig a canal across the country connecting the two oceans; the treaty was not ratified by the U.S., thus remaining a dead letter. In 1912 a CURRENCY REFORM was undertaken, introducing a gold-based currency, economically unifying the republic.
President Zelaya also passed legislation aiming at the separation of church and state; Bishop Francisco Ullua y Barrios, protesting, was banned to Panama.
Nicaragua joined the UPU in 1882. In 1914, Nicaragua leased the CORN ISLANDS (located in the Caribbean Sea) to the United States (until 1971). During World War I, Nicaragua joined the Entente, without dispatching combat troops.
In 1911, Nicaragua's population was about 600.000.
US troops landed in Nicaragua in 1894, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1910 and 1912 to protect American lives and interests during times of political unrest. In 1912 they stayed until 1925.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Nicaragua, San Juan del Norte, Mosquito Coast, Jose Santos Zelaya , Central American Federation
Article from Catholic Encyclopedia : Nicaragua
The Nicaragua Canal, from TED Mandala Projects
Minor Military Deployments and Actions, from Simonides Warzone, on US troop deployments 1833-1992, several entries on Nicaragua
DOCUMENTS The Commercial Aspects of the Canal Across the American Isthmus, in : Manufacturer and builder / Volume 12, Issue 5, p.107, May 1880, from Cornell Digital Library; Pt.2 : Vol.12 Issue 10, pp.218-219, Oct. 1880
The Monroe Doctrine and the Isthmian Canal, in : The North American review. / Volume 130, Issue 282, pp.499-512, May 1880, from Cornell Digital Library
The Nicaragua Route to the Pacific, by Daniel Ammen, in : The North American review. / Volume 131, Issue 288, pp.440-447, Nov. 1880, from Cornell Digital Library
The Nicaragua Canal, by General U. S. Grant, in : The North American review. / Volume 132, Issue 291, pp.107-117, Feb. 1881, from Cornell Digital Library
The Isthmus Canal and our Government, by Stuart Weld, in : The Atlantic monthly. / Volume 63, Issue 377 pp.351-364, Mar. 1889, from Cornell Digital Library
The Isthmus Canal and American Control, by Stuart F. Weld, in : The Atlantic monthly. / Volume 64, Issue 383 , pp.289-303., Sept. 1889, from Cornell Digital Library
The Diplomacy and Law of the Isthmian Canals, by Sidney Webster, in : Harper's new monthly magazine. / Volume 87, Issue 520, pp.602-609, Sept. 1893, from Cornell Digital Library
Our Benefits from the Nicaragua Canal, by Arthur Silva White, in : The North American review. / Volume 161, Issue 469, pp.720-726, Dec. 1895, from Cornell Digital Library
A Spanish View of the Nicaragua Canal, by Captain Jose Guitierrez Sobral, in : The North American review. / Volume 164, Issue 485, pp.462-472, April 1897, from Cornell Digital Library
The Latest Aspects of the Nicaragua Canal Project, by Corry M. Stadden, in : The North American review. / Volume 167, Issue 505, pp.698-710, Dec. 1898, from Cornell Digital Library
Advantages of the Nicaragua Canal, by Capt. A. S. Crowninshield, U.S.N., in : The Century; a popular quarterly. / Volume 57, Issue 3, pp.458-467, Jan. 1899, from Cornell Digital Library
The Nicaragua Canal, by Hon. T. B. Reed, in : The North American review. / Volume 168, Issue 510, pp.552-563, May 1899, from Cornell Digital Library
Panama vs. Nicaragua Canal, from The Great Round World and What is Going on in it, Vol.1 No.15, 1897
Nicaragua Intervened in Revolution in Honduras, in "The Great Round World and What is Going on in it" Vol.1 No.29, May 1897 , posted in Gutenberg Library Online
Nicaraguan-Costa Rican Dispute, in "The Great Round World and What is Going on in it" Vol.1 No.50, October 1897, posted in Gutenberg Library Online
REFERENCE Article : Nicaragua, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1913 pp.1090-1092 [G]
Article : Nicaragua, in : Statesman's Year Book 1878 pp.555-557, 1895 pp.797-799, 1898 pp.797-799, 1901 pp.894-898, 1905 pp.967-971 [G]
Article : Central America, in : International Year Book 1898 pp.169-171 [G]
Article : Nicaragua, in : International Year Book 1898 pp.563-564 [G]
Article : Nicaragua, in : Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events 1886 pp.653-654, 1894 pp.546-549 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on October 17th 2007

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