Liberation Theology Movement in Nicaragua and the Collapse of the Somoza Regime: A Social Movement Perspective

• Main Authors: Yu-Yu, Chen, 陳佑宥
• Other Authors: 王秀琦
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/mmm76g

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 美洲研究所碩士班 === 106 === Prior to the 60s of 20th century, Nicaraguan Church had been weak in leadership, lack of human resources and ability to carry out evangelic plans, while politically allied with the unpopular Somoza dictatorship. However, in a decade, thousands of Liberation Theology advocators emerged in Nicaragua, who participated in the revolution against the Somoza regime. Their participation made Nicaragua one of the few cases that many Catholics successfully overthrow the dictatorship. The dramatic change raises my desire into the study. This study employs a social movement perspective on the Nicaraguan Liberation Theology and the collapse of the Somoza dictatorship. Through historical documents analysis, I try to answer the following questions: the forming factors, beliefs, and practices of Liberation Theology in Latin America and Nicaragua, and also explore the Nicaraguan state-church relations and the causes of two approaches between “revolution” and “reform”. With reviewing the changes in politics, economics, society, emotions, ideology and faith, I analyze the possibilities for social movement or revolution to develop among different periods and conditions, in order to conclude the contribution and limitation of Liberation Theology within the revolution.