Anastasio Somoza Debayle

Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza DeBayle was officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua. As the leader of Nicaragua's military he was really the leader of the country from 1967 to 1979.

Many people did not like Somoza as a leader. A group called the Sandinista National Liberation Front wanted to make Nicaragua a better country. They had support from inside and outside the country. In 1975 Somoza Debayle tried to stop the Sandinistas and anyone in Nicaragua who supported them. The Soviet Union and Cuba were giving the Sandinistas money to keep fighting the Somoza family. In 1979 the United States stopped supporting Somoza.

On 17 July 1979 Somoza quit the presidency. He fled to Miami but U.S. President Jimmy Carter would not allow him to enter the country. Somoza then went to Paraguay.

On 17 September 1980 the Sandinistas assassinated Somoza DeBayle.