Research Paper on:
Matilde Zimmermann's Sandinista

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Sandinista: Carlos Fonseca and the Nicaraguan Revolution, by Matilde Zimmermann, is a biography of Carlos Fonseca and his  involvement with the FSLN and the Sandinista movement, which differs from other accounts of the Nicaraguan revolution in that it relies heavily on interviews and primary source documents, and is  therefore able to provide a comparatively balanced account of a political movement and a regime which is generally the subject of controversy and propaganda.  Zimmerman traces the life and career of Carlos Fonseca in a way which can be seen to present a fascinating  and detailed portrait of a leader whose essential characteristic is that of idealism. She emphasises the difficulties faced by such idealists when set against an apparently invincible political system, and  casts Fonseca in a similar mould to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King in his opposition to the regime in Nicaragua.  She begins by describing Fonsecas early life in Matagalpa, making it clear how important were these first  influences on Fonsecas life as a whole and his later ideological development. She then goes on to chart his years as a rebellious student in the 1950s, demonstrating the effect  which his political and academic aspirations had on the development of his idealistic principles.  His involvement with the Cuban revolution, and the inspiration which he derived from such figures as Che Guevera and Castro is also described in detail,