Question

The United States sponsored the contras in Nicaragua because they hoped they would

Answer 1

The United States sponsored the Contras in Nicaragua because they hoped they would prevent Communism from spreading across Central America.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the entry of the Sandinistas in Managua and the flight of Somoza, a new government was established, formed by a broad ideological spectrum with a social democratic, socialist, and Marxist-Leninist presence and a very great influence of liberation theology.

The counterrevolutionary groups were fed by the discontented with the revolutionary reforms. All this counterrevolutionary conglomerate was called Contras.

Since the Reagan administration came to power, support for the Contras was generalized and increased as part of Reagan's policy against Communism, while blocking and putting pressure on the Nicaraguan government, preventing the help of other countries and various international organizations and institutions. It is estimated that between 1982 and 1990, the United States spent more than $ 300 million in support for the Contra.

Answer 2

What you basically need to know is that the contras were right-wing and that they opposed the left-wing government.

The left-wing governments were generally not seen as desired during the cold war because they could strengthen the communists, which were competing with the US.

So the US hoped that the contras would weaken or even replace the left-wing government.