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 1980South 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.