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| 1986, June |
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| At Pres. Reagan's urging, the U.S. Congress voted $100 million in aid for the Contra rebels. Though military victory for the Contras was viewed as impossible, an ongoing guerrilla war seemed likely to harm the Sandinistas. The economy had been declining since 1983, with the GNP falling by over 30 percent in 1985 alone and inflation growing at an alarming rate. By the mid-1980s, the Contras were attacking Sandinista economic and social projects as fast as they could be built. | 1 |
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| 1987 |
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| The government promulgated the first constitution since the Sandinistas took power. The document promised a pluralistic democracy, a mixed economy, basic human and social rights, and autonomy for ethnic minorities. This last feature reflected the struggles of the Miskito Indians against the abusive treatment they had received from the FSLN in the early 1980s. | 2 |
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| Aug |
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| Pres. Ortega signed the ARIAS PEACE PLAN, pledging to end outside military interference, to release some 1,000 political prisoners, and to hold fair elections. | 3 |
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