Anastasio Somoza Debayle

Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a central figure in the history of Nicaragua.

He was a politician, a military officer, and a hydraulic engineer. Most importantly, he served as a dictator of the country. He was the 53rd President of Nicaragua. He held this office from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1979. Even when he was not the official president, he remained the de facto ruler. This means he held the real power behind the scenes. He was the last member of the Somoza family to hold the presidency. His family had ruled Nicaragua in a dynasty since 1937.

Somoza's path to power began with an international education. He was born in 1925 to President Anastasio Somoza García. From age ten, he lived and studied in the United States. He attended schools in Florida and at a military academy on Long Island. He eventually entered the United States Military Academy at West Point. He entered on July 3, 1943, and graduated on June 6, 1946.

Upon returning to Nicaragua, his father appointed him chief of staff of the National Guard. The National Guard was the nation's army. This position made him the second-most powerful person in the country.

His family maintained control through many different leadership roles. After his father's death in 1956, his brother Luis Somoza Debayle became president. Anastasio played a major role in the government during his brother's term. He helped ensure that only politicians loyal to the family held power. When Luis died, Anastasio was elected president on February 5, 1967.

His style of leadership was very strict. He showed a cold intolerance of dissent, which means he did not allow people to disagree with him. He used the National Guard to suppress those who opposed his rule.

Somoza used political changes to stay in power for many years. In 1971, he and a three-man junta created a new constitution. This allowed him to bypass rules that normally prevented immediate re-election. He stepped down as president in May 1972, but he kept control through the National Guard. He was eventually re-elected as president in 1974. During this time, he also owned a company called Plasmaferesis. This company collected blood plasma from Nicaragua's poorest citizens to sell abroad.

A massive natural disaster changed the course of his presidency. On December 23, 1972, a powerful earthquake struck the capital, Managua. The quake killed approximately 5,000 people and destroyed much of the city. In the aftermath, Somoza declared martial law. He took full control of the country as the head of the National Emergency Committee. While there were reports that he misused reconstruction funds, a U.S. House subcommittee later stated they found no evidence of such misuse. However, the disaster increased the tension between his government and the people.

By the late 1970s, many groups were working to end his rule. The Sandinista National Liberation Front, or FSLN, led a guerrilla war against the Somozas. This group received support from the Soviet Union and Cuba. Opposition grew because of human rights concerns and the actions of the National Guard.

Even the Catholic Church began to criticize his government. In July 1979, as the Sandinistas closed in on Managua, Somoza resigned. He fled the country in a plane, leaving behind a massive foreign debt of $1.6 billion. The national treasury was left with less than $2 million.

Somoza spent his final years in exile in Paraguay. He lived in the capital city of Asunción. His life ended during a mission called "Operation Reptile." On September 17, 1980, a seven-person Sandinista commando team ambushed him.

The team used weapons like AK-47 rifles and an RPG-7 rocket launcher. They had planned the attack for over six months. During the ambush, a rocket hit Somoza's car. He was killed instantly at the age of 54. This event ended the long era of Somoza family rule in Nicaragua.