The Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979 inspired countless people around the world. Approximately 15,000 traveled to the Central American country throughout the 1980s to witness and support the emergence of what seemed to be a better society. Nearly 200 of them came from Austria. In their home countries, thousands were also active in solidarity groups to support revolutionary Nicaragua. The mostly young activists believed they could experience and shape the fulfillment of their revolutionary dreams in Nicaragua. The author analyzes the development of the solidarity movement from its euphoric beginnings to the disappointing collapse following the electoral defeat of the FSLN in 1990, based on interviews with former activists and largely unexamined source material. He examines various aspects of this evolution.