Latin America in the 20th Century

Latin America in the 19th Century

Gained independence

Legacy of colonization left many problems:– Powerful militaries– One-crop economies – Sharp class divisions

European and U.S. economic domination– Dependency Theory

Rulers more interested in personal power than in democracy

Political Instability

Influence of caudillos

Creole elites supported the status quo

Little experience with European democracy

Foreign Intervention

– Monroe Doctrine – Spanish American War – Panama Canal

Mexico

Revolution and Stability?

Mexican Revolution

Preliminary Phase

– Porfirio Diaz dominated Mexican politics and tried to industrialize using foreign capital

Initial Phase

– Moderate reforms of Francisco Madero

Radical Phase

– Civil war between Pancho Villa & Emiliano Zapata; both demanded radical reforms

Recovery Phase.

Recovery Phase

Constitution of 1917

– Mexican government owned the subsoil and its products

– State had the right to redistribute land to peasants after confiscating it and compensating the landowners

Lazaro Cardenas (1934-1940)

– Redistributed 45 million acres to peasants

– Seized control of Mexican oil wells from foreign investors

Economy Since the Revolution

Substantial land reforms continued

Many Mexicans face poverty and unemployment

Substantial foreign debt • Economic decline

– New oil reserves found as world oil prices fell

NAFTA

The PRI

Institutional Revolutionary Party, 1946

Provided stability

Not a true democracy

PRI controlled the Congress and won every election; fraud and corruption

Economy Since the Revolution

Substantial land reforms continued

Many Mexicans face poverty and unemployment

Substantial foreign debt • Economic decline

– New oil reserves found as world oil prices fell • NAFTA

Cuba

Cuban Revolution

• Preliminary – Fulgencio Batista – Economic growth – U.S. Influence

• In1958,FidelCastro overthrew Batista

– 26th of July Movement

– Aided by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Fidel Castro’s Cuba

Provided reforms: economy, literacy, health care, improvement for women.

Harsh dictator - suspended elections, jailed or executed opponents, restricted the press.

Nationalized Cuban economy Castro turned to Soviets for economic and military aid.

– Cuban Missile Crisis

Guatemala

•• Juan Jose Arevalo used a series of reforms that conflicted with foreign companies working in Guatemala,

•Jacobo Arbenz was elected President in 1951.

•1954 US CIA invaded Guatemala to overthrow Arbenz and

• installed a US-supported government.

•Reforms were minimal.

Brazil

Government in the Early 20th Century

Originally government supports coffee and cacao planters and rubber exporters

– Large gap between rich and poor

• Getulio Vargas rules as a dictator in 1930s

- Suppressed political opposition.

– Promoted economic growth and helped make Brazil a modern industrial nation.

Post-WWII Brazil

Government dominated by dictators

Continued economic modernization

– Encouraged foreign investment to promote development projects.

– Debt soared and inflation increased, causing hardship for most Brazilians.

Movements towards democracy since 1980

– Hampered by government corruption

Argentina

Argentina after WWII

• Juan Peron (1946-1954) promoted “nationalistic populism”

– Called for industrialization

– Supported the working classes

– Limited foreign economic intervention

• Military dictators dominate 60s, 70s, & 80s

– “Death Squads” fought a “dirty war” against subversives from 1976-1983

• • Democratic reforms demanded in the 1980s

Eva Peron

• Immigrant and soap-opera star married Juan Peron in 1944

• Ministered to the needs of the descamisados “shirtless ones”

• Formed Eva Peron Foundation to help poor

• Died in 1952 at age of 33

– Husband lost popularity after her death

Chile

Chile

• Salvator Allende world’s 1st democratically elected Marxist president in 1970

•Gen Augusto Pinochet ousts Allende in CIA sponsored coup

-3,000 people

were killed or

“disappeared”

in his 17-year

rule

Private investment by American companies were the chief means of influence in Latin America.

The United States intervened periodically in Latin America to protect investments.

Direct interventions were usually followed by the creation or support of conservative governments that would be friendly to the United States.

Other U.S. Intervention

Banana Republics

– U.S. backed dictators in a capitalist economic system

U.S. backed dictatorships

– Augusto Pinochet in Chile

– Manuel Noriega in Panama

Military intervention– Sandinistas (USSR) vs. Contras (US) in Nicaragua

Many militaries in Latin American seized power after World War II and imposed new types of bureaucratic and authoritarian regimes.

Government economic policies fell heaviest on the working class.

All military governments were nationalistic.

More US in Latin America

The US launched a program called the Alliance for Progress in 1961, which aimed to develop regions and eliminate ideas of radical political solutions.

After 2000, US concerns with Latin America continued to focus on issues of commerce, immigration, the drug trade, and political stability.

Over 30% of the population of Latin America falls under the poverty line, which contributes to legal and illegal immigration to the US.

Changes in Latin America 1980-

South American governments returned to civilian governments in the mid 1980’s.

Large foreign loans taken in the 1970’s threatened economic stability in Brazil, Peru and Mexico.

International commerce in drug trafficking stimulates criminal activity in many Latin American countries.

Latin American continues to have economic and political problems.

Women slowly gained suffrage in Latin America, but were even more slowly integrated into national political programs.

Migration among Latin American countries is common because of job opportunities and politics.

Movement in Latin American from rural to urban areas is extremely high.

Latin American popular culture combines crafts, music, dance.

The struggle for social justice, economic security and political formulas still exists.

Economics of Latin America have expanded but problems of distribution of wealth are prevalent.