Somoza clan
The Somoza clan was a family who dictatorially determined the politics of Nicaragua from 1934 to 1979 . It has appointed the country's president several times and based its political power solely on the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua , founded by Anastasio Somoza García , which was almost always under its direct command and control or was led by informants. Because of their anti-communist stance, the family was supported by the United States for much of their rule .
In the course of their rule, the family acquired a huge fortune , sometimes by ruthlessly exploiting the severe hardship of the population (e.g. diversion of international aid after the 1972 earthquake), so that at the end of the 1970s they also started Nicaragua's economy dominated.
In 1979 the Somozas were overthrown and driven out of the country by Sandinista forces after a civil war lasting several years , in which the National Guard took action against opposition forces in violation of human rights .
family members
The members of the Somoza family were:
- Bernabé Somoza , rebel in the 19th century
-
Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956), President from 1937 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1956, ⚭ Salvadora Debayle Sacasa (1895–1987)
- Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967), President from 1956 to 1963, ⚭ Isabel Urcuyo Rodríguez (1924–2014)
-
Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1925–1980), President from 1967 to 1972 and from 1974 to 1979, ⚭ Hope Portocarrero (1929–1991)
- Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero (* 1951), Nicaraguan general and Commander in Chief of the National Guard until 1979, ⚭ Marisa Celasco Somoza
- José R. Somoza (1914-2004), Nicaraguan general
- Lillian Somoza Debayle (1921–2003), ⚭ Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa (1908–1997), her husband, Nicaraguan Ambassador to the USA from 1943 to 1979