"Nicaragua Libre": A Transnational History of the Nicaraguan Revolution & Counterrevolution, 1972-1990" examines various visions of Nicaraguan liberation. These competing ideologies led to the Nicaraguan Revolution's triumph and defeat. By investigating the development of these multiple interpretations of Nicaragua Libre, I trace the emergence of transnational networks and the subsequent growth of American movement in solidarity with Nicaragua. These transnational networks contributed to the Nicaraguan Revolution's success. With its triumph, I examine how competing visions of Nicaragua Libre and its implementation led to fractures within Nicaragua that divided the revolution. I analyze how the American transnational solidarity movement with Nicaragua utilized people-to-people exchanges, or what I call "grassroots diplomacy," to challenge and offset the effects of the Contra War in Nicaragua and in the United States. I investigate why Nicaraguans ultimately rejected how Nicaragua Libre was implemented by the Sandinistas, which led to the end of the Nicaraguan Revolution in electoral defeat in 1990. This transnational story of divergent ideologies and revolutionary practices centers the voices of Nicaraguans both in and outside of Nicaragua. Exploring the Nicaraguan diaspora reveals how crucial Nicaraguan exiles' participation was to the Nicaraguan Revolution's triumph and longevity as Nicaragua became one of the last staging grounds for the Cold War. Examining what I call the "democratic opposition" also sheds light on these historical actors previously mislabeled as reactionaries and offers insight as to how the Nicaraguan Revolution was defeated.