The Rise and Fall of Greytown
Abstract
This chapter will discuss the dramatic developments that enabled the Nicaragua route to become a serious contender to the Panama route in the early 1850s and its equally theatrical decline due to the bombing of its main port Greytown in the context of Anglo-American rivalries. While the bombardment exemplified U.S. gunboat diplomacy, the context of U.S. expansionism added a veneer of legitimacy to the act of destruction. In the aftermath of the bombardment, Nicaragua, which had entered the mid-century with dreams of a canal supported by American enterprise and money, plunged into a period of deep disillusionment and civil war.
Fields of Study & Subjects
History and International Relations
Historical Studies in Central America
Historical Studies in Latin America
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Pages
- 120–149
- Publication date
- 27 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter