Liberation and Lenin: Marxism-Leninism and the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional

This project attempts to correctly classify Sandinismo, the ideology of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional. Specifically, this argument considers ‘Marxism-Leninism’ in classifying Sandinismo between 1961 and 1984 by analyzing the concepts of: (a) American officials antagonistic towards Sandinismo, (b) self-described adherents of Sandinismo, (c) self-described adherents of Marxism-Leninism, and (d) Vladmir Lenin. Upon defining ‘Marxism-Leninism’ as the conceptual framework of Vladmir Lenin himself, it is evident that differences of nationalism and revolutionary strategy significantly differentiate Sandinismo from Marxism-Leninism. This analysis therefore clarifies (1) the historical influence of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional and (2) the validity of the Reagan administration’s perception of and response to the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional.