Chapter 24Latin America

1945–Present

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

World History: Connection to Today, Modern Era

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Chapter 24: Latin America, 1945–Present

Section 1: Forces Shaping Modern Latin America

Section 2: Latin America, the United States,and the World

Section 3: Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Section 4: Focus on Argentina and Brazil

World History: Connection to Today, Modern Era

Forces Shaping Modern Latin America

• Why is Latin America a culturally diverse region?

• What conditions contributed to unrest in Latin American countries?

• What forces shaped political, economic, and social patterns in Latin America?

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Why Is Latin America a Diverse Region?

Conquest• After 1492, Europeans imposed their civilization on

Native Americans.

Immigration• Since the late 1800s, immigrants from Europe and Asia

have contributed to the diversity.

Intermarriage• As Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans mingled,

they created new cultures.

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Ethnic Diversity in Latin America1

Sources of Unrest

• A growing gulf between the rich and the poor fueled discontent in the postwar era.

• A population explosion contributed to poverty.

• Pressure on the land contributed to a great migration that sent millions of peasants to the cities.

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Political Forces in Latin America

Most Latin American states had constitutions modeled on those of France and the United States. Yet, real democracy seemed difficult to achieve in nations plagued by poverty and inequality.• Conflict between conservatives and reformers contributed to political

instability in many nations.

• Military leaders held power in many Latin American nations.

• During the 1960s and 1970s, guerrillas and urban terrorists battled repressive governments in many Latin American countries.

• By the mid-1980s, inflation, debt, and growing protests led repressive leaders to step aside.

• A number of countries held elections to replace military governments with civilian governments.

• Heavy debt burden and economic slowdowns have threatened the success of elected rulers, putting the stability of democratic governments in the region in doubt.

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Economic Development

By the 1960s, Latin America faced growing competition from African and Asian nations.

To reduce dependence on imported goods, many governments encouraged the development of local industries. This policy, called import substitution, had mixed success.

Over the past 60 years, large areas of land were opened up to farming. Much of the best farmland belonged to agribusiness. Commercial agriculture increased the need to import food.

In the 1980s, the region was rocked by economic crisis.

In the 1990s, free trade organizations, such as NAFTA, opened Latin American economies to larger markets. The mutual support and expanded markets of these organizations did bring some economic growth in the years around 2000.

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Changing Social Patterns

The Catholic Church has remained a powerful force. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Church crusaded for social justice and an end to poverty. This movement became known as liberation theology.

Upper-class women had access to education and careers.

Rural women often faced hardship and poverty.

Women struggled to win change.

City life weakened the extended family.

The struggle to make a living caused some families to fall apart.

In large cities, thousands of abandoned or runaway children roamed the streets.

RELIGIONWOMENURBANIZATION

In Latin America, as elsewhere, urbanization brought social upheaval.

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Latin America, the United States, and the World

• How did communist rule affect Cuba?

• What policies did the United States follow in Latin America?

• What global issues have linked Latin America to other regions in the world?

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Communism in Cuba

In the late 1950s, Fidel Castro turned Cuba into a communist state. Castro:• nationalized foreign-owned sugar plantations and other businesses• put most land under government control• distributed land to peasants

Effects of communist rule:Castro imposed harsh authoritarian rule.Conditions for the poor improved, basic health care was provided for all, the literacy rate increased, and equality for women was promoted.Critics were jailed or silenced and hundreds of thousands fled to the United States. When the Cold War ended, Soviet aid disappeared, and Cuba’s economy collapsed.

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The United States and Latin America

• The United States was the leading investor and trading partner for most nations in Latin America.

• During the Cold War, the United States intervened repeatedly in Latin America to protect its interests and to prevent the spread of communism.

• The United States saw itself as the defender of democracy and capitalism and the source of humanitarian aid. Many Latin Americans, however, resented living under the shadow of the “colossus of the north.”

• Latin American nations and the United States worked together in the Organization of American States (OAS). The organization was formed in 1948 to promote democracy, economic cooperation, and human rights.

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Regional and Global Issues

Poverty, civil war, and repressive governments caused Latin American immigration to the United States to increase rapidly after the 1970s.

Pressure increased in the United States to halt illegal immigration.

Developing nations insisted that they needed to exploit their land and other resources if they wanted economic growth. This came at the expense of the environment.

Drug cartels in Latin America began exporting ever-larger quantities of cocaine and other drugs. In the 1980s, the United States declared a “war on drugs,” pressing Latin American governments to cooperate with these efforts.

Regional trading blocs gained importance in the 1990s. Such groups created larger markets by lowering trade barriers among neighboring countries. Examples: NAFTA, Mercosur

REGIONAL TIES THE DRUG WARS

MIGRATIONDEVELOPMENT VERSUS ENVIRONMENT

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Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

• What conditions have changed and what conditions have remained the same in Mexico?

• Why did Central American countries suffer civil wars?

• What were the causes of Haiti’s political and economic struggles?

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Continuity and Change in Mexico

After the Mexican Revolution, government officials became committed to improving conditions for the poor. At the end of the 1900s, however, Mexico remained a disturbing mix of poverty and prosperity.

Since the Mexican Revolution, a single party — the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) — dominated Mexican politics. In the 1990s, the PRI began to lose its monopoly on power.

In the 1930s, the Mexican government distributed millions of acres of land to peasants. Over the years, as economic conditions worsened, many peasants migrated to towns and cities. The population of Mexico City mushroomed from 1.5 million in 1940 to about 20 million in 1995.

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War and Peace in Central America

During a vicious civil war, right-wing death squads slaughtered anyone thought to sympathize with the leftists.

The United States pressed for reform, but at the same time provided weapons and other aid to help the military battle rebel guerrillas.

Fearing communist influence, the United States helped oust Guatemala’s reformist government in 1954.

While the military regained power, decades of civil war ensued, during which the government routinely tortured and murdered critics.

In 1979, revolutionaries called Sandinistas ousted the ruling Somoza family.

Fearing that Nicaragua would become socialist, the United States secretly backed the “contras” in a long civil war against the Sandinistas.

EL SALVADORGUATEMALANICARAGUA

In Central America, unrest threatened and discontent grew. Fearing the spread of communism, the United States intervened repeatedly in the region.

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The Impact of Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch dealt a devastating social and economic blow to Central America, whose nations were just recovering from decades of civil war.

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Struggle in Haiti

Haiti is the poorest state in the Western Hemisphere, lacking adequate roads, electricity, and other services.

The weakness of the government discouraged foreign investment.

A skewed distribution of wealth put most of the productive land in the hands of one or two percent of the citizens.

Haiti endured brutal dictatorial rule from 1957 until 1986.

A succession of military leaders then ruled the nation until 1990. In 1990, in its first free elections, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was chosen as president. Aristide was overthrown by a military coup, but restored to power by the United States.

ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

POLITICAL STRUGGLES

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Focus on Argentina and Brazil

• What challenges has democracy faced in Argentina?

• How did Brazil’s government change in recent times?

• Why did Brazil’s “economic miracle” have limited success?

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From Dictatorship to Democracy in Argentina

From 1946 to 1955, the authoritarian government of Juan Perón stifled opposition.

In 1955, Perón was ousted by a military coup.

For two decades, the military was in and out of power.

In 1973, Perón returned to power. When he died the next year, his second wife, Isabel Perón, became president. When she faced economic and political crises, the military took over.

To combat leftist guerrillas, the army waged a “dirty war,” torturing and murdering as many as 20,000 people.

In 1983, an elected government restored democracy. Despite some setbacks, democratic rule survived.

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Economic Activity in Argentina 4

Government in Brazil

Between 1930 and 1945, dictator GetúlioVargas allied himself with the working poor.

In 1945, the military overthrew Vargas.

The military allowed elected presidents to rule for the next 20 years.

In 1964, economic problems and fear of communism led the military to take over again.

In the mid-1980s, the military eased their grip on power. Brazilians voted directly for a president for the first time in 29 years.

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Urbanization in Brazil4

Brazil’s Economic Miracle

Beginning in the 1930s, Brazil diversified its economy and, for a time, chalked up impressive growth. Brazil’s prosperity enriched only a few. To most Brazilians, it brought little or no benefit.

In the 1980s, Brazil faced a host of economic problems — from inflation to a staggering debt. One of the greatest economic problems was the unequal distribution of land.

In the 1990s, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, provided strong leadership for Brazil. His policies promoted rapid economic growth and helped limit inflation. He promised to distribute land to 300,000 families.

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