1. Revolutions, Repression, and Democratic Reform in Latin America

2. 1970s – Latin America overview
Political violence
Democratic governments overturned by the military
The idea that the Cuban Communist govt. had survived U.S. attempts to overthrow it encouraged other revolutions
The U.S. increased support for its allies in Latin America, determined to defeat communism

3. Brazil 1964 – the army overthrew the President
Suspended the constitution
Outlawed political parties
Exiled all opposition
Death Squads – detained, tortured and executed thousands of citizens
Promoted import substitution industrialization

4. Chile 1970 – Salvador Allende – new President
Socialist reforms to redistribute land from the wealthy to the peasants
Nationalized heavy industry and mining
Including American owned copper mines
Opposed by Richard Nixon

5. Allende’s popularity

6. Chilean coup d'état
Allende was overthrown by General Augusto Pinochet (supported by the U.S.)
Allende was killed in the Presidential palace
Thousands were killed. Many Allende supporters executed en mass in soccer stadiums
Pinochet stopped the socialist reforms
Encouraged foreign investment

9. Pinochet ruled Chile for two decades

10. Argentina’s “Dirty War”
Isabel Martinez Peron became president upon the death of Juan Peron
Military seized power and suspended the constitution
Dirty War
Conservatives crush socialist opposition
Seven year war between the military and what it called terrorists
Over 9,000 Argentines died. Thousands go “missing”

11. Disappearances

12. Madres de la Plaza de Mayo

13. Disappeared

14. Nicaragua 1979 – overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza by socialists
Sandinistas (FSLN) took power
Received political and financial support from Cuba
Command economy – nationalized property owned by the elites and U.S. companies

15. The United States President Jimmy Carter (1977- 1980) Ronald Reagan
Stopped the flow of U.S. arms to some regions
Promised Panama sovereignty and control of the canal in 1999
Tried, but failed to get along with the Sandinistas
Ronald Reagan
Wanted to undo the Nicaraguan Revolution and remove Sandinistas
Armed and trained counterrevolutionaries called Contras
Financed by both legal and illegal (from arms sold to Iran!) funds

18. Iran-Contra Scandal Nicaragua
U.S. sold arms to Iran (through Israel as intermediary) in exchange for the release of American and Israeli hostages in Lebanon. Those profits then funneled to Contras!
Contras were unable to defeat the Sandinistas
Sandinistas called for free elections in 1990
They lost the election to middle-of-the-road Violeta Chamorro

19. El Salvador The FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front)
Inspired by the Sandinistas
Organized an effective Guerilla force
The U.S. responded
Gave millions of dollars to the Salvadoran Army
Hard to continue after Salvadoran Death Squads killed Catholic Clergy and thousands of civilians
FMLN negotiated an end to the war after the U.S.S.R. fell and the Sandinistas lost power

20. Military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile
Fell apart due to high number of noncombatant deaths and govt. corruption
Argentina
Military rule collapsed after Argentina tried to take the Falklands from the British and the U.S. supported the British in the Falkland Islands War 1982

21. Chile
Despite economic growth, Chileans resented the violence and corruption of the military under Pinochet
1989 – Chile elected a civilian President
Brazil
Began converting to civilian rule
1989 – first popular presidential election

22. Oil importers Oil exporters Debt Brazil and others
Had to borrow money to pay the high cost of oil
Oil exporters
Mexico and Venezuela
Made money at first, but borrowed money to increase production
When the price of oil fell in the 1980s, they could not repay their debts
Debt
By 1988, Latin America was $ 400 Billion in debt

23. U.S. involvement continued
1983 – President Reagan authorized a military invasion of Grenada
1989 – President George H.W. Bush sent a military force to Panama to arrest Manuel Noriega who was associated with drug smuggling and attacks on U.S. personnel

24. Latin American after the fall of the Soviet Union
Neo-liberalism
Capitalism, free-market policies
Milton Friedman
University of Chicago economist