On the back of your packet,
create the following chartabout
Latin American politics and
complete it to the best of your
ability:
Left Wing
Right Wing
On the bottom of the scrap,
write which side you think
the U.S. has supported in the
past.
Political & Economic
Development
Sources of Instability
Socioeconomic Divisions
Wealthy owned most of
the land & wanted to keep
it that way
Modernization increased
gap between rich & poor
Many poor, few rich
Political Divisions
Political divisions reflected
socioeconomic divisions
Left wing wanted socialism
& radical change to improve
conditions
Right wing wanted to keep
the social classes
Describe the
socioeconomic status of
the people who were
politically…
Left - poor
Right - wealthy
Dictators v.
Democracy
Left Wing Democracy
Supported rights
for the poor
Sought elections
by the people to
gain power; if fair
elections occurred,
left got elected
Oscar Romero,
El Salvador
Guerilla/guerilla warfare
Form of irregular warfare
in which a small group of
combatants use military
tactics, such as
ambushes, sabotage,
raids, petty warfare, etc.
Left Wing Guerillas
Supported rights
for the poor
Because unable
to get democratic
elections, they
tried to gain
power violently
Fidel Castro, Cuba
Right Wing Military
In response to left
gaining power,
right (supported by
military) overthrew
left wing in power
(even if elected) or
prevented them
from taking power
Augusto Pinochet,
Chile
Nationalism
Pride in one’s own
country
During WWII, the demand for raw
materials such as copper, wheat,
beef and other products increased
revenue into the developing
nations of Latin America. These
countries used this revenue to
build factories and develop
industry. This increase in foreign
investment led to an increased
feeling of economic nationalism...
Goals of Economic
Nationalism
Replace foreign imports with
locally made products
Strengthen local industries
Goals of Economic
Nationalism
High tariffs
Nationalized some industries &
companies (i.e. oil &
telecommunications)
Tariff
Tax on imported goods
Nationalize
when the government
takes control of a
resource or industry
Challenges to
Economic
Development
Population Explosion
Difficult to feed rapidly
increasing population,
resulting in the need to
import food
Not enough money for
schools, housing,
healthcare, etc.
Debt Crisis
Borrowed money to develop
Worldwide recession
caused a decline in revenue
Spent most money trying to
repay debts, but not enough
& none left over for
development
Recession
slow down in the
economy
Recovery
Lowered tariffs
Encouraged foreign
investment
Reduced gov’t spending
Sold some state-owned
industries