Thomas W. Walker collection on Nicaraguan Politics, 1970s-1990s

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Thomas W. Walker Collection on Nicaraguan Politics
Creator
Walker, Thomas W.
Collection Number
LATINAMER.2015.01
Extent
6.5 Linear Feet Plus 2 oversize boxes
Date
1970s-1990s
Abstract
The collection consists of materials related to Nicaraguan politics in general and the Nicaraguan revolution in particular collected from the mid-1970s through 1990. It includes correspondence, newspapers clippings, documents related to the literacy and post literacy process, Christians in the revolution, human rights reports, posters from the 1990 election, and more ephemera.
Language
The majority of material in this collection is in Spanish.
Author
Martha Mantilla, with the assistance of Beverly Samayoa, Christian Michael Modrak and the guidance of Ed Galloway.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Beverly Samayoa and Christian Michael Modrak during the spring/summer of 2016.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Thomas W. Walker on October 23, 2015.

Scope and Content Notes

The Thomas W. Walker Collection on Nicaraguan Politics documents the sociopolitical conditions of Nicaragua before, during and after the Nicaraguan Revolution with particular emphasis on the February 25, 1990 general elections to elect the Nicaraguan president and the parliament. The collection consists of correspondence, newspapers clippings, documents related to the literacy and post literacy process, Christians in the revolution, human rights reports, posters from the 1990 election, and more ephemera.

Biography

Thomas W. Walker is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Director Emeritus of Latin American Studies at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Before retiring, he taught courses on "The Government and Politics of Latin American," "Revolution in Latin America," and "Latin American Political Thought."

Dr. Walker is both a Brazilianist and a Central Americanist. He did his dissertation research in Brazil and has published a couple of articles and one book about the politics in that country: (with Agnaldo Sousa Barbosa) Dos Coroneis a Metropole: Fios e Tramas da Sociedade e da Politica em Ribeirao Preto no Seculo 20 (Palavra Magica, 2000).

Regarding Central America, he is the author, co-author or editor of ten books, two of which are now in their sixth editions: Nicaragua: Emerging the Shadow of the Eagle, co-authored with Christine Wade and Understanding Central America: Global Forces, Rebellion and Change, co-authored with John Booth and Christine Wade. In 1984, 1989/90, and 1996, Walker served on international delegations that observed Nicaragua's national elections. With those experiences, he was later invited to be part of the Carter Center's teams which observed the 2004 presidential recall referendum in Venezuela and the 2006 National elections in Nicaragua. Walker has delivered over 185 guest lectures at institutions of higher education around the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

Arrangement

The papers are organized according to the following series:

Series I. Latin American Countries

Series II. Special Topics

Series III. Correspondence

Series IV. Ephemera

Series V. Constitution

Series VI. Miscellaneous Documents

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

History

The Nicaraguan Revolution (Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista) comprises the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the fight by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) to oust the dictatorship in 1978-79, the subsequent efforts of the FSLN to govern Nicaragua and the war between the FSLN and the Contras from 1981-1990, known as the Contra War.

Following the fall of the Somoza regime, the new government, formed by a wide ideological spectrum with social democratic presence, socialist, Marxist-Leninist and largely influenced by the liberation theology, tried to introduce socioeconomic and political reforms. Although the Carter Administration attempted to work with FSLN in 1979 and 1980, the more right-wing Reagan Administration supported a strong anti-communist strategy for dealing with Latin America, and so it attempted to isolate the Sandinista regime.

During the 1980s both the FSLN (compound by leftist political parties) and the Contras (compound of counter-revolutionary rightist groups) received large amounts of aid from the Cold War super-powers (respectively, the Soviet Union and the United States) and plunged the country into civil war. The Contra War ended in 1989 with the demobilization of the FSLN and the Contra armies. The FSLN lost the elections of February 1990 against the National Opposition Union (a coalition of the opposition forces to FSLN) led by Violeta Chamorro and supported by the United States.

Related Material

Please note that additional materials in this collection are located in the general collection. They can be found by doing a keyword search in PITTCat Classic, selecting "MFHD public note" in the "Search by" field, and entering "Thomas W. Walker Collection on Nicaraguan Politics" in the "Search for" field.

Preferred Citation

Thomas W. Walker Collection on Nicaraguan Politics, 1970s-1990s, LATINAMER.2015.01, ULS Area Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional

    Geographic Names

    • Mexico
    • Latin America
    • Honduras
    • Guatemala
    • El Salvador
    • Cuba
    • Chile
    • Central America
    • Peru
    • Nicaragua

    Other Subjects

    • Nicaragua -- History -- 20th century
    • Social change –- Nicaragua
    • Nicaragua -- History -- 1979-1990
    • Nicaragua -- History -- Revolution, 1979
    • Nicaragua -- Politics and government -- 1979-1990

Container List