DEMOCRACY BUILDS IN LATIN AMERICA

10.10 Students analyze instances of nation building in the contemporary world in at least two of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and China.

I. Economic and Social Forces A.Society 1.Uneven wealth distribution 2.Population explosion 3.Land shortages forcing urbanization

4. Religion Inroads by evangelical protestants into Catholic population Liberation Theology- belief that the Catholic Church should work for social reform

B. Economy 1. From the 1950s-1980s little improvement in living standards due to equality and growing populations

2. Reliance on single cash or commodity 3. Import substitution- manufacturing goods locally to replace imports

4. Gradual diversification 5. Growth of agribusiness- giant commercial farms

II The Difficult Road to Recovery A. 1950s and 70s, social unrest leads to rise of military dictators 1. Harsh autocratic regimes 2. Censorship 3. Dissidents exiled

B. Revolutionary Unrest 1. Fidel Castro hero to many 2. Cold War Complications

C. Role of U.S. 1.Dominates OAS 2.Frequent military intervention to support non-communist governments

3. Fear of cultural domination 4. Return of Panama Canal 2000

5. Chilean coup s U.S. supports Contra rebels v Sandinistas 7. War on Drugs 1980s

D. Civil Wars shake Central America 1.Guatemala-military attacks on indigenous or native American population 2.El Salvador-death of Oscar Romero

E. Movement towards democracy 1. End of cold war 2. Military leaders permit elections

defeat of PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in Mexico 4. Vicente Fox

III. Argentina A. Stability in early 1900s 1. Export economy 2. European Immigration

B. Upheavals 1.Peronista period- Depression and WW II and 1976 military coups

C. The Dirty War loss in Falklands War against Britain. 2.Civilian rule restored

1.Financial crisis election of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner – first female Latin American head of state