Focus on Argentina and Brazil By: NG 24-4

Dictatorship and Democracy in Argentina In the 1900s, Argentina was the largest Spanish speaking nation in the world and the richest nation in Latin America Economy was fed by exports of beef and wheat Argentina attracted many immigrants For the next 50 years, it suffered from economic crises, military rule, and social unrest

In 1946, Juan Peron was elected president He limited foreign-owned businesses and promoted import substitution He won the loyalty of the working class by boosting wages and strengthening labor unions Peron’s wife had clinics built and gave money to the sick and unemployed

She also helped get woman their right to vote In 1955, Peron was forced into exile by a military coup, mostly because he caused huge inflation and debt For two decades after, the military was in and out of power Many wanted Peron to return and he was re- elected

He married again to Isabel, who later became the first female president in the western hemisphere To combat guerrillas, the army started a “dirty war” Took people that was accused of being a guerrilla Mothers marched in the Plaza de Mayo and they were called “ Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

In 1982, the military took the Falkland Islands but it was taken back by the British in a brief war Elected officials returned democracy a year later

Brazil’s People and Government Brazil was settled by Portugal and has a population of over 173 million Most are Roman Catholic but many others are evangelical Protestant Rapid population growth and class divisions have contributed to poverty Favelas, or slums, are all around the cities

Between 1930 and 1945, dictator Getulio Vargas allied himself with the poor He improved wages and benefits and gave woman the right to vote again Again, a military power got rid of another leader, but it allowed presidents to rule Brazil for 20 years after that In 1964, fear of communism led the military to take control again

It was supported by the U.S. but the assistance was unneeded The generals were backed by middle and upper class citizens and so they censored press and tortured and jailed critics In 1898 the military let up some and the citizens were allowed to vote for a president

Brazil’s “Economic Miracle” The demand of Brazilian rubber slowed to a stop and coffee took up the major export But it was not enough and the economy started to fail Vargas encouraged industry and development Brazil began producing steel and cars It enriched a few but the majority of Brazilians were still poor

In the 1980s, inflation from higher oil prices caused massive debt The gov’t was unable to help much because of population growth and migration It worsened when they cut the spending to help fix the debt One of the problems is land distribution – Over 50% was owned by the wealthy and most of it was unused

The Movement of Landless Rural Workers urged peasants to become squatters Many fights broke out between squatters and landowners In the 90s, President Fernando pushed reforms to help economic growth In response to the squatters, he gave some land to the peasants

In 2002, President Lula was elected He promised to end hunger, corruption and to ease economic problems He had to tackle rooted social problems and warned Brazil that it would take more than one term

Looking Ahead Brazil’s economy accounted for 2/5s of Latin America’s output Ranked among the world’s economic giants Brazil is eager to become a economic superpower

Review Juan Peron- President that served three times and favored the working class Eva Peron- 1 st wife of Juan and she had clinics built and gave money to the sick Isabel Peron- First female president in the western hemisphere Dirty War- Terrorizing people that they claimed were enemy of the state Falklands- British ruled Islands Carlos Menem- Helped turn Argentina's economy around

Getulio Vargas- Dictator of Brazil who improve economy Brasilia- Federal capital of Brazil Favela- slums Plebiscite- vote Squatter- person who settles on land that is not their own