Latin American Study Guide

Social Pyramid • Peninsulares ○ Spain and Portugal • Creoles ○ From the New World • Mestizos and Mulattoes ○ A mix of Indian and Indigenous (mestizo), black and white (mulatto) • Africans and natives ○ The lowest of the low Redemption of Ham • A portrait drawn to show the different generations and how the skin gets lighter. • The goal of this time was to ‘whiten’ the race. Encomienda • It was a precursor to Latifundia system • Gave large land estates to Spanish settler • The indigenous living there had to pay tribute (labor) • That became force labor (which is slavery) Latifundia • Large plantations that were owned by the rich Ejidos • A process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community Haciendas • Estates that indigenous worked on Porfirio Díaz/Porfiriata • Prominent military background • Elected into office in 1884 to 1911(when he was forced to resign) • Caudillo ○ The gap between rich and poor widened ○ The poor hated him ○ His period of ruling was the “Porfiriata” • By the end of his ruling, he was forced to resign and was exiled to France Mexican Revolution • Francisco Madero marked the beginning of the revolution • The fighting was the guerillas vs. Díaz • Madero became president as soon as Díaz resigned ○ He promised land to the peasants but he failed to do so  Lied his way into the government • Zapata attracted many people to be on his side • Madero sent General Huerta to squash Zapata and the supporters • Madero was arrested, his own general turned against him

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Coup by General Huerta Carranza and Obregón were anti-Huerta ○ Carranza steps into office after Huerta ○ Obregón overthrew Carranza  Assassinated Zapata and Villa TIMELINE ○ 1910 Madero forces Díaz out ○ 1911 coup by Huerta ○ ~1914 Carranza won support of rebels; forces Huerta out ○ 1917 Obregón overthrows Carranza and assassinates Zapata and Villa (the rebel leaders), and Mexico has a new constitution

Madero • Overthrew Díaz • Promised things to the poor, never achieved them • Coup d’état by his own general Zapata • Rebel leader in the Mexican Revolution • The people that followed him were called “Zapatistas” • Had a relationship with Madero, but fell apart as Madero failed to keep his promises he made Cristero Rebellion • Started as the Catholics were treated with ridiculous laws like not being able to wear clerical attire • This was under Carranza and Obregón • The rebels (Cristeros) couldn’t defend themselves against the government soldiers • Agreements were reached because of Morrow (US Ambassador) and Obregón was shot PRI (The Institutional Revolutionary Party) • Dominated Mexican politics for 70+ years • Founded in 1929 after the Mexican Revolution and in response to the assassination of President elect Obregón ○ Wanted to institutionalize the revolution or its ideas and make it permanent, thereby stabilizing Mexico • Used Mexico tricolor flag as its own and quickly enshrined itself as THE PARTY in Mexico • Accused of being almost totalitarian ○ Rigged elections, corruptions • Was more leftist in the early decades ○ Nationalizing foreign oil holdings, including of the US but later became more moderate and privatized, state run industries • In 1989, the PRD (Part of the Demo. Revolution) formed from the more leftist members of the PRI

The PAN (National Action Party) • Founded in 1939, gained in politics starting in the late 1970s after various economic crises • They are a center-right Christian party, who aligned themselves with business interests • In the election of 2000, the PRI finally lost to PAN and Vincente Fox became president; won again in 2006 Tlatelolco Masscre • Similar to Sharpeville • In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, demonstrations grew in size • They rallied for a revolution • Massacre began when police and military forces began firing live rounds into the crowd • Happened in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City, ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics hosted by Mexico City • Death toll is unknown: some say 1000s died, and some say 200 to 300 died • Mexico continues to deny its people basic facts about what happened Batista • Son of sugar cane workers • Joined army • Overthrew the leader • US liked Batista but Cuba didn’t • Mafia had ties to Batista Cuban Revolution • Castro’s ruling • Improved health care • Women gained more rights • Literacy rate went up • Diversified economy • Employment rate went up • Overall standard of living rose • Wealth redistributed • Corrupt government • Media censorship • Technologically lagging • Alienated internationally Bay of Pigs • CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba with support from US government armed forces, to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro • Failed Cuban Missile Crisis • USSR planted missiles in Cuba ○ US got nervous because Cuba is so near

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High tensions then they eased when Khrushchev withdrew the missiles

US Embargo • Started as a way to have Cuba stop being a communist nation • Isn’t working Fidel Castro • Wealthy family • Wanted to drive out foreigners and overthrow Batista Che • • •

Revolutionary Passion for his fights Goal was the achieve the needs of the country and when he achieved it, he wanted nothing more

Timeline for Fidel and Che • 1956 Castro meets Ernesto “Che” Guevara during exile ○ Returns from exile in Mexico with men ○ Castro beings to win more widespread support from middle class • 1958 Castro and Che (guerilla warfare) • 1959 they successfully drive out Batista ○ They redistribute land, raise wages and starts a literacy campaign ○ Institutes a one party system – communism • 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion • 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Bolívar • Liberator • He was in Europe and it influenced him to free Venezuela • The key to success in S. America was to get the independence of each country • Bolívar teamed up with San Martín to liberate Peru • Because his union broke apart (to pursue their own dreams), he was disgusted so he resigned and left for exile to Europe Populism • political ideas and activities that are intended to represent ordinary people's needs and wishes • populists ○ charismatic, gifted orators ○ humble roots ○ appeal to peasant masses and working/middle class ○ make promises of a better life ○ rail against imperialism (US) ○ leftists Junta

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Military dictatorship

Alliance for Progress • JFK tried to establish an economic cooperation between the Americas • Failed mostly because many presidents after JFK didn’t help out that much Marxism • Political philosophy and economic worldview based upon a materialist interpretation of history, a Marxist analysis of capitalism, a theory of social change • Basically the starting block of communism Guatemalan civil war • Parallel to Congo Civil War; borderline civil war and genocide • Between 1960 and 1996 over 200,000 Guatemalans were killed by paramilitary of military forces • The war pitted a series of military governments against several guerilla movements that later combined to become known as the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) • Killed members of a larger nonviolent social movement hat included farm workers, labor leaders, and student activists • US was aware of this horrid war but kept aiding Guatemala to prevent “communist threat” Arbenz • Came after Arévalo • Redistributed some of the unused land and made it available for the 90 percent to farm ○ UFCo was big holders of the unused land  They complained to the US that Guatemala had turned communist • CIA launched Operation PBSUCCESS to overthrow Arbenz ○ successful United Fruit Co. • Boston Fruit Co and UFCo merged ○ Formed the biggest banana company in the world • UFCo pretty much wasn’t just a company in Guatemala, they were the government • Paid their employees better than other companies, built housing and schools for the children of its employees, built hospital and research labs Authoritarianism • a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of state in a republic or union • It is a political system controlled by typically non-elected rulers who usually permit some degree of individual freedom. US Imperialism • Got into a fight with Spain because of the explosion of USS Maine

ISI

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The war began after American demands for the resolution of the Cuban fight for independence were rejected by Spain

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Import substation industrialization ○ Creating a domestic industry to provide products that had been previously imported only  Done in spirit of nationalism

14 Families • The elite of El Salvador • Pretty much owned the country Liberation Theology • Philosophy promoted by the Catholic church ○ Help the poor ○ Ensure and protect human rights ○ Education ○ Getting politically involved Archbishop Romero • He becomes political when he sees human rights being violated in El Salvador • Put God first • Assassinated in 1980 during mass Contras • label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional)Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship Sandinistas • Socialist political party in Nicaragua. • Ended the Somaza dynasty when they overthew Anastasio Somaza Somozas • influential political dynasty in Nicaragua • influence exceeded their combined 43 years in the de facto presidency, as they were the power behind the other presidents of the time through their control of the National Guard • Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956; ruled 1937–1947, 1950–1956), the father • Luis Somoza Debayle (1922–1967, ruled 1956–1963), his eldest son • Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1925–1980, ruled 1967–1972, 1974–1979), his second son. Good Neighbor Policy • The United States wished to have good relations with its neighbors

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Meant that the United States would keep its eye on Latin America in a more peaceful tone

Soft vs. Hard power • Soft: the ability to obtain what you want through co-option and attraction • Hard: term describing power obtained from the use of military and/or economic coercion to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies Peron • Juan Peron ○ Argentine general and politician ○ elected three times as President of Argentina • Eva Peron ○ Juan’s second wife ○ Reason why Juan was reelected many times ○ Looked up to, praised, people loved her • Isabel Peron ○ Juan’s third wife ○ Gave the power over to a military leader  Starting of the disappearance of people Disappeared • During Argentina’s Dirty War, politically involved people were kidnapped, tortured, murdered • Some ‘reappeared’ but most were murdered and gone Las Madres • The mothers of the disappeared gather every Thursday in the Plaza de Mayo (by the Casa Rosada) demanding to know what happened to their loved ones • The mothers are tolerated because they are women and they are respected The Little School • Alicia was captured and put into the little school where she was blindfolded • She was captured because she was semi involved in politics • Later on she was moved to a state facility where she was treated a bit better Dirty • • •

War Coup d’état against Isabel The military persecuted anyone that was leftist or against the government People started to disappear because the government took them to find out what they wanted to know

Allende • Marxist socialist • Career politician who had pushed for social reform and was friend with Chile’s communist party • After he got power, he began to carry out his platform of implementing socialistic programs in Chile

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○ Nationalization of large scale industries ○ Government administration of the health care system ○ Educational system ○ Program of free milk for children ○ Greatly expanded plan of land seizure and redistribution ○ Provided employment Castro made a month long visit to Chile ○ Gave advice to Allende 1973 economy went bad September of 1973 Chilean military staged a coup Shortly after he committed suicide

Pinochet • The secret police reported to General Pinochet through the National Intelligence Directorate (later National Information Center) • Kept dissidents living in dear of arrest, torture, murder of disappearance • The formers member of the Socialist Party went into exile or underground • Communists suffered brutal persecution • He became president • Government evolved into a one man party • Appointed many new generals and had others retire Operation Condor • Eliminate communist and socialist thinking • Specialized in targeted abductions, disappearances, interrogations, torture, and transfers of persons across borders • Levels ○ One: mutual cooperation among military intelligence services ○ Two: organized cross-border operations to detain /disappear dissidents ○ Three: “Phase III” the formation of special teams of assassins from member countries to travel anywhere in the world to carry out assassinations of subversive enemies  Aimed at political leaders especially feared for their potential to mobilize world opinion or organize broad opposition to the military states