Latin America

Post WWII

Populism, Military Regimes…fun stuff!!

Latin America• Membership in communist parties

increased by 500% as the Cold War grew

• 1948-the formation of the Organization of American States (OAS)– Headquarters in Washington D.C.– 21 members had joined

• All 35 independent nations are members– 1962-Cuban government was excluded

as a member• Goals are to strengthened democracy,

defend human rights, and promote sustainable government

OAS

• An attack on one member state is defined as an attack on all

• The US does act independently quite often– The Contras in Nicaragua and

the invasion of Panama• The US was condemned by other

OAS members

• Most member nations maintain ties to Cuba…obviously the US does not

After the war

• Many nations needed loans to remain stable (called ISI loans)– Most were eager to show their loyalty

because of Cold War politics– Communist parties were excluded from

political process

• ISI loans were being used by politicians…why?

• Buying off disorder and keeping a lid on social unrest ended in the 50’s– Inflation and unemployment were high– Governments could not figure out how to

control both while sacrificing social welfare

Example

• Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was elected President of Guatemala – Goal was land redistribution– 2% owned and controlled 74% of land

• 1952-law…what did it do?• The United Fruit Company

– US company with 550,000 acres– Became a major issue

• 1953-Eisenhower supported an overthrow of Arbenz– Operation Success-initiated by CIA, carried

out by right-wing insurgents– UFC regained their land….”Che” Guevara

probably began radicalization as a result

Development of Government

• Fidel Castro (1959) challenged the notion that foreign influence was necessary

• The military determined whether a country was a democracy, an oligarchy of elites or a dictatorship (Marxist)

• The military offices chose the government that suited them the best

• Nationalism and order were always important

The Alliance for Progress

• JFK agreed to appropriate 20 billion – Wanted to counteract poverty and social

inequities (breeding ground for communism)– But…he was assassinated – LBJ became preoccupied with Vietnam

• 1973-the OAS disbanded• How about the role of the Catholic

Church?• Christian Democratic Parties were

created…what did they do?• The Church became the champion of

human rights– But their role in politics got them into

trouble..example:– In 1980 they got out of politics

1970’s• US and European countries began loaning

money– 1982-LA debt was over 315 billion

• Brazil owed 87.5 and Argentina owed 43.6• The ISI program created issues with local

prices– Local goods were 300% more– Economies were based on low-value

commodities such as……• Recession of the late 70’s and 80’s led to

less money for LA• 1980-1984 growth in LA dropped 9%• LA debt became a major issue

– Many nations restructured their debt– The burden of debt increased 9% a year

So….what happened?

• Military regimes were just not working

• One junta after another resigned from office

• Populist movements came and went

• By 2003 all countries of LA had some form of elected government– With the exception of…..

• SO what will the future bring?A billboard in a Cuban street..wow

Focus Task

• Please write down thoughts on the following issues:– Do you feel like it is our responsibility to fund struggling

countries? Why or why not?– Based on what you know of communism, do you feel like it

was/is important to try and seek allies in LA– JFK’s Alliance for Progress was intended to do just that, how do

you feel about such large expenditures?

• Turn to your neighbor and answer the following question, please write down your response:– What should the overlying foreign policy be for the current/next

President?• Please be specific for the time period we are in and justify your

response