20th Century Latin America

The Panama Canal People who wanted to travel around North and South America had to travel across the treacherous land or go all the way around South America France decided to create a canal across the isthmus of Panama since it was only 40 miles wide At the time, Panama was part of Columbia

The Panama Canal U.S. tried to buy the land from Colombia but they refused U. S. urged the people of Panama to revolt and they did In 1903, Panama became its own country and leased the land to the U. S. The canal opened in 1914 and became one of the most important transportation routes in the world

The Spanish-American War Even after Central America broke free of Spanish rule, Cuba and Puerto Rico were still controlled by Spain The islanders rebelled many times but were not able to gain independence 1898 – the U.S. declared war on Spain Wanted to help the people of these countries but also protect the sugar cane plantations they owned on the islands

The Spanish-American War War lasted less than a year The U.S. won – Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Cuba became an independent country The U.S. military set up bases there and kept tight control

Cuba From 1899-1902, the U.S. army stayed in Cuba to keep peace and help set up a new government Most Cubans resented this but many new roads, bridges, and public schools were built Cuba became independent but the U.S. maintained a huge naval base at Guantanamo Bay and insisted it had the right to send soldiers any time it wished

Cuba Cuba had a series of leaders – some elected and some took power by force Most were dictators They tried to stay friendly with the U.S. and welcomed U.S. businesses and tourists Havana offered luxury hotels and casinos but most residents remained poor

Cuba Fidel Castro led a revolution to overthrow Cuba’s current leader, Fulgencio Batista, in 1959 He was greeted joyfully by the people of Havana and promised there would be no more dictators Castro took power during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union

Cuba Castro needed an ally and the Soviet Union wanted to be that ally Castro began to adopt Communist policies for Cuba’s economy He took over sugar cane plantations, U.S. banks, oil refineries, and other businesses on the island The U.S. cut off all trade with Cuba and started an embargo

Guerrilla warfare In Peru in the early 1980s, Communist groups rose up because they were unhappy with the democratic government – Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and Zapatistas Some of these groups fought using guerrila warfare – small nontraditional military groups leading small attacks Many citizens died in the crossfire and it became a kind of civil war

Nationalism Nationalism refers to a people's sense of common belonging and loyalty to a nation. It may develop as people join together to form a unified government he effects of nationalism can be both good and bad. Nationalism gives people a sense of belonging and pride But nationalism also produces rivalry and tension between nations

Nationalism Nationalism also can be improperly used for the political gain of a specific person or party Example: Juan and Eva Peron(Argentina)