Political and Economic Change in Latin America Unit 7 Section 7

Section Overview  Latin America experienced periods of unrest since 1945  Argentina- military regimes and repressive governments took control  Guatemala- had a long civil war  Cuba revolution and had a communist dictator  Nicaragua- issues between communists and counterrevolutionaries

Sources of Unrest  Latin America is a diverse area and includes a variety of different people  Geographic features such as mountains, rainforests, and rivers have discouraged unification  Many Latin American countries looked toward authoritarian leaders to provide solutions

Argentina  By Argentina was the wealthiest nation in Latin America  Great Depression shattered Argentina’s economy  Juan Peron- took power in 1946  Took control under a military coup  Appealed to import substitution- local manufacturers controlled and produced for the economy  Boosted wages  Strengthened labor unions  Had social welfare programs  However, there were also large amounts of debt

State Terrorism  Another military government took over in 1976  Government turned towards terrorism  Dirty war- military arrests, torture, and killed thousands of people  More than 20,000 people have “disappeared”  Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo- mothers of the missing people

Democracy Restored  Argentina held elections and therefore turned to a democratic system of government  New government: controlled the military and restored human rights  Argentina suffered an economic crisis

Guatemala  Had Cold War tensions  The United States stepped in to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz  Landowners and military gained power  Civil War occurred  Indigenous people were the majority and suffered  30,000 people were killed  1996 peace was reached

Nicaragua  the Samoza family governed Nicaragua  Sandinistas overthrew the government  Sandinistas are a mix of reform minded and communist  Governed under Daniel Ortega  Government was socialist or communists  Reforms were socialized

Nicaragua  The Contras  Revolutionary group against Daniel Ortega  US supported Contras because the US feared the spread of Communism  Civil war broke out  Severe damage to Nicaraguan economy

Mexico  After the Mexican Revolution, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) dominated politics for 71 years.  students in Mexico protested  Indian Zapatista rebels in the southern state of Chiapas demanded social and economic reforms  Many called for election reforms  PRI lost to Vicente Fox  President Felipe Calderon began a nationwide military crackdown on Mexican drug cartels

Economic Links with the United States  1950s- Organization of American States (OAS)  Goals:  Strengthen democracy  Promote human rights  Tried to end the selling of drugs, poverty, and terrorism  OAS expelled communists Cuba in 1962

NAFTA  1990s- Mexico, the United States, and Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement which allowed free trade among the nations

Panama  1980s- United States officials suspected that the leader of Panama, Manuel Noriega, was helping with drug cartels and smuggling them into the United States Panama Canal Constructed by the US in the 1900s Connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans US gave Panama control of the Canal

Role of Religion  Catholic Church played a major role in Latin America