The Sandinista Revolution in the Netherlands: The Dutch Solidarity Committees and Nicaragua, 1977-1990

This article analyses the formation, popularity, and the struggles of the Dutch solidarity movement for Nicaragua in the late 1970s and 1980s. It brings together domestic and transnational approaches to the history of Third World solidarity activism. In doing so, this article argues that a longer history of Dutch leftist activism and fascination with Latin American culture, in combination with the diplomatic efforts of the FSLN to create an international support base, were the main driving forces behind the Nicaragua solidarity movement in the Netherlands. In particular, this article identifies the 1979 Sandinista Revolution and the 1981 election of Ronald Reagan as crucial turning points for the Dutch solidarity movement, as the solidarity committees needed to adapt to the changing military and political situation in the Western hemisphere