Post-Revolutionary Nicaragua: State, Class, and the Dilemmas of Agrarian Policy offers a penetrating analysis of the challenges faced by the Sandinista regime following the overthrow of the Somoza dynasty in 1979. Written in the context of a developing nation grappling with revolutionary transformation, this book examines how the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) sought to address profound social and economic inequalities while contending with structural constraints, counterrevolutionary pressures, and international interference, particularly from the United States. The study focuses on the agrarian sector, which is pivotal for both foreign exchange and the livelihoods of the majority of Nicaraguans, analyzing the government’s policies toward various agricultural strata, from large cotton and coffee producers to small farmers and wage laborers.

Through a detailed sector analysis and extensive fieldwork conducted between 1981 and 1984, the author unravels the complexities of policy implementation and its socio-political ramifications. The book highlights the inherent tensions in post-revolutionary governance, including the need to balance ideological commitments with economic pragmatism. It also explores the interplay between state initiatives and rural responses, shedding light on how market interventions shaped class dynamics and political alignments. With its rigorous empirical approach and theoretical insights, this work provides a nuanced perspective on the possibilities and limitations of revolutionary change in small, developing nations, offering valuable lessons for scholars of political economy, agrarian studies, and Latin American history.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.