SS6H3: The student will analyze important 20 th century issues in Latin America and the Caribbean

* Explain the impact of the Cuban Revolution * Explain the impact and political outcomes of the Zaptista guerrilla movemnt in Mexico

* What lasting impact did the Cuban Revolution have on Cuba and the region? * How do guerilla movements affect the politics in countries in which they exist? * How did the Zapatista guerilla movement affect Mexico? * How does the development of economic resources affect the political systems in Latin America?

* In 1898, the United States fought Spain in the Spanish America War * War was fought so the United States could protect the sugarcane they had invested in and to free Cuba and Puerto Rico from the Spanish * The U.S won, and as a result, gained Puerto Rico as a territory * Cuba would become an independent nation after the war, but was controlled by the U.S. until * The U.S. would help establish a government and to build a naval base called Guantanamo Bay

* A young lawyer named Fidel Castro tried to overtake the leader of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista, in 1953, but was unsuccessful and Castro was sent to prison. Once Castro was released, he, his brother, and Che Guevara, plotted a takeover again. In 1957, Castro and his soldiers started guerilla warfare, or using soldiers for sneak attacks. Castro fought for two years and in 1959, Batista left for the Dominican Republic. Castro would name himself prime minister of Cuba. Castro as leader would remove everything the U.S. controlled and owned, including sugarcane plantations, phone and utility services, cattle ranches, and casinos. These events by Castro would later be called the Cuban Revolution

* As leader of Cuba, Castro would put in a Communist government, where citizens had no say in the government and the government controlled schools, businesses, farms, money and the media * Castro agreed with the principles of another Communist country, the Soviet Union, and Cuba and the Soviet Union would begin to arm themselves with nuclear weapons * The poor supported Castro for his policies, but the wealthy despised him. Many tried to defect, or leave, Cuba. Some were successful, while others were not and died in the waters. The ones that made it entered the U.S. through Florida * The U.S. would put an embargo on Cuba in 1961, and when the Soviet Union fell, Cuba lost an important trading partner. As a result, Cuba has lost many of the wealth and power it once had

* In Chiapas, Mexico around 1994, a rebellion would be formed by a group called the Zapatista National Liberation Army, named after Mexican Revolution hero Emiliano Zapata. The group consisted of Native Americans who were unhappy with the Mexican government. They would protest poverty and the trade agreement made by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This agreement meant that the farmers would have cheap products to sell, ultimately giving them no way to sell it. They also protested the land ownerships laws made by the government.

* The Zapatistas took over four towns in Chiapas, and over 100 people were killed as the rebels fought the Mexican government * The government would regain control, and there was a cease-fire * After negotiations, the Zapatistas and government came to an agreement * Several reforms, or political changes, were made, including improved housing, education, fair dividing of the land, and laws that represented the Native Americans