IndexIdentifying and Evaluating SourcesInvestigationReflectionBibliography:Identifying and Evaluating SourcesThis investigation will examine and explore: “How significant was the Monroe Doctrine in causing the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua?” . To be thoroughly evaluated, the sources must clarify and describe the entire political, social and economic situation that led to the revolution. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first source evaluated is “The Legacy of the Monroe Doctrine: A Reference Guide to U.S. Involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean” written by David W. Dent, professor of political science at Towson University. This book tells the story of US involvement in each country in Central and South America by devoting a chapter to each country. Therefore, this source is relevant to this investigation as it provides an overview of the situation in Nicaragua at the time, creating a chronology of the events leading to the overthrow of Somoza and the importance that the United States and its foreign policy had. This book is valuable as its author (the origin) also wrote other books regarding Latin America and the political aspects of the continent such as “US-Latin American Policymaking: A Reference Handbook”. The primary purpose of the source is to provide an accurate and thoughtful view of the relationship between the United States and Nicaragua regarding the Monroe Doctrine, which is the critical aspect of this investigation. On the other hand, the source is limited in that it attempts to tell the specific story of US involvement in each South American country to which the section is dedicated. Nicaragua looks at the main and most important factors, but lacks depth in some areas. This is demonstrated by the lack of information on how the Monroe Doctrine shaped the Somoza regime in the short and long term socially, economically, and politically, all of which shape the revolution and make its content limiting. Furthermore, its lack of information on the US political situation and how various presidents have handled the situation in Nicaragua makes it limited in some aspects of its content. On the other hand, the purpose of the source which is to tell the overall story is achieved by making it valuable. The second source is “The History of Nicaragua” written by Clifford L. Staten, professor of political science and international studies as well as being the dean of the School of Social Sciences at Indiana University Southeast. It is relevant to this investigation as it is a detailed account of Nicaragua's history that provides information on the social, political and economic situations before the Somoza regime, during the Somoza regime, including the impacts that the Monroe Doctrine had on these factors and their importance in the revolution. Its content is valuable as it focuses only on the history of Nicaragua making it more in-depth and complete. Another advantage of the contents is the dedication of specific chapters for each historical period: for example "Coffee boom and American intervention". This allows for a more complete and comprehensive account of the 4 major events that occurred in Nicaragua under the influence of the United States until the revolution. One limitation of the source is that it does not include many primary sources that can convey the emotions and thoughts of different people at that time. President James Monroe's annual message to Congress in 1823 established what would be known as the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe imagined that the New World(Americas) and the Old World (Europe) were no longer destined to be together and that separation was the key to the development of the Americas. His statement included three points: “that the United States would no longer intervene in European affairs, whether internally or among themselves, the United States would recognize and leave alone all colonies in the Western Hemisphere,” and any attempt at colonization by part of any power or any attempt by a European power to gain hegemony in the Americas would be “seen as a hostile act against the United States.” As the United States rose to prominence in the world, the Monroe Doctrine was strengthened in 1904 by President Theodore Roosevelt with the Roosevelt Corollary, which stated that “in the event of flagrant and chronic wrongdoing on the part of a Latin American country, the United States could intervene in its internal affairs." This section of the Monroe Doctrine is fundamental to investigation 6 since it is the main reason for the United States' intervention and is the cause of the split in the radical party that led to the Sandinista revolution. The United States allowed the Corollary into Nicaragua in 1912 after intervening due to a political conflict that threatened to destroy U.S. investments in the country, including the construction of a canal. This sparked a clash between Nica nationalists rebelling against the incumbent government led by Augusto César Sandino and the US Marines. The United States would leave in January 1933, partly due to the Great Depression and Sandino's fierce struggle. These two groups continued to clash in the future under different names: the Nica became the Sandinistas (taken from their late leader "Sandino") and the US Marines would be Somoza's National Guard which was equipped with American-made equipment, testament to the close relationship brought about by the Monroe Doctrine more specifically by the Roosevelt Corollary. The latest U.S. military mark on Nicaragua was to put Anastasio Somoza García in charge of the nonpartisan National Guard. Somoza killed Sandino in 1934 and used the National Guard as a method to gain power through a coup in 1936, where he and his two sons remained in power until 1979. In these years the United States significantly helped Nicaragua revive the its economy in all sectors. . The relationship that grew between the two brought short-term economic prosperity. However, in the long run the United States' choice to establish Somoza only accentuated the country's economic, social and political rift, creating the storm that resulted in the revolution. During the early years of the Somoza regime he developed continuityism which strove to keep the balance of power in his hands and keep the current system in place. His death in 1955 brought his son Luis Somoza into government. He had the same mentality as his father and consolidated his position and ties to the United States. Stability in Nicaragua has collapsed due to growing discontent in the country. The education system was failing as only 5% of students from agricultural families finished primary education. The state's ignorance of education was not accidental. The idea was that if citizens could not access education, their thinking could be contained by continuing the “status quo” or continuity. Children from the upper echelons of Nicaraguan society were mainly sent to the United States where they received an education that promoted the Somocist vision while continuing to create disparities between social classes.16 Luis Somoza further tightened his country's ties with the United States, leading to the war of1962. 17 alliance for progress: “a mini-Marshall plan for South America”. Nicaragua's dependence on the United States increases dramatically and this is unprecedented since World War II. This would have helped the economy grow by about 10% annually during the 1960s, with increased manufacturing growth and decreased dependence on cotton and coffee. The Alliance for Progress can be seen as developing the Roosevelt Corollary with the tightening of the United States' grip on Nicaragua and more vehement protection from communism in Central America during the Cold War years. The Alliance for Progress demonstrated how the Nicaraguan government was happy to follow the needs of the country. The United States and its businesses sideline their citizens by reducing them to mere objects that would be linked to multinationals. It would deepen the rift in the social layer, creating an increase in pro-Sandinista sentiment and the will for revolution. Due to maintaining its anti-communist agenda, the Nicaraguan government received substantial economic aid from the United States to the National Guard, which was critical to keeping the Somoza regime in place while several organized attempts to overthrow the regime occurred. This aid continued over the years and without it Nicaragua and the Somoza regime would have faltered and failed much sooner. As the years passed, the Somocist government continued with the coming to power of Antonio Somoza Debayle. He would be the last of the Somozas to lead the country with the Sandinistas coming to power after the military coup of 1979. The intervention of the United States from 1912 to 1933 which triggered the "underground" civil war which took place and which ended with the Somozas in power. The killing of Sandino in 1934 was fundamental in starting the road towards the revolution; he was seen by many as the hero of the time who pushed more people to join the Sandinista cause which would ultimately lead to their rise to power. Furthermore, the problems that pushed the majority of the population against the Somoza regime also derive from the Monroe Doctrine and its corollary. Continued US investment in the country led to increased production but did not help the local population as the Somozas needed to keep American businesses happy to continue receiving funds. Therefore, they repressed and paid little attention to the local population. This was demonstrated in the constant repression of women in society and education, where the illiteracy rate in rural areas was over 80%. Thus, the Monroe Doctrine was significant in causing the Sandinista revolution since all social, economic and political issues originated from it. The initial conflict between Nica and the United States gave rise to the Somoza regime which became tyrannical towards its citizens to satisfy the will of large corporations. Furthermore, the importance of the Somozas making the United States happy was vital to them as they valued their supremacy over Nicaragua knowing that the United States could act using the Monroe Doctrine to oust them by essentially making them puppets of the United States. Leading them to completely ignore: education, civil rights, equality and economic development in favor of US complacency. All these factors would push for broad support of the Sandinistas who supported the resolution of these problems which ultimately ended with the Sandinista revolution, ergo, the Monroe Doctrine was a significant cause in the beginning of the Sandinista revolution. ReflectionStarting this investigation into the role of the Monroe Doctrine was interesting as it gave me the ability to perceive what challenges historians face when researching and.