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Modern Latin America

Purpose of Course  showclose

This course will introduce you to the history of Latin America from the early 19th century, when many Latin American colonies declared their independence from European rule (predominately Spain and Portugal), to the present day.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout Latin America during this crucial 200-year period of nation-state formation and engagement with the rest of the world.  The course is roughly structured chronologically, but at the same time the development and history of specific Latin American regions (Mexico, Central America, and South America) and nation-states are also addressed.  Each unit includes representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as efforts by independent Latin American nations to create stable economies in the 19th century in the face of colonial and mercantile systems, the political and economic conflicts among independent states and European imperial powers, the emergence of often extreme left-wing and right-wing political and social movements in the 20th century, the developmental challenges that many Latin American nations face today, and the recent ascendance of certain Latin American nations economically, politicially, and socially.  By the end of the course, you will understand how the countries of the region have overcome significant social, economic, and political problems as they have grown from weak former colonies into modern nation-states.
 

This course will introduce you to the history of Latin America from the early 19th century, when many Latin American colonies declared their independence from European rule (predominately Spain and Portugal), to the present day.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout Latin America during this crucial 200-year period of nation-state formation and engagement with the rest of the world.  The course is roughly structured chronologically, but at the same time the development and history of specific Latin American regions (Mexico, Central America, and South America) and nation-states are also addressed.  Each unit includes representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as efforts by independent Latin American nations to create stable economies in the 19th century in the face of colonial and mercantile systems, the political and economic conflicts among independent states and European imperial powers, the emergence of often extreme left-wing and right-wing political and social movements in the 20th century, the developmental challenges that many Latin American nations face today, and the recent ascendance of certain Latin American nations economically, politicially, and socially.  By the end of the course, you will understand how the countries of the region have overcome significant social, economic, and political problems as they have grown from weak former colonies into modern nation-states.Students will be able to think critically about the history of Latin and South America from the 19th century to the present

? Students will be able to analyze how the peoples of Latin and South America attempted to organize viable nation-states following independence from Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule

? Students will be able to assess how the United States used economic imperialism to control the economic and political development of the nations of Latin and South America

? Students will be able to identify the origins of the 1910 Mexican Revolution and assess the political, economic, and social impact of the revolution for the people of Mexico

? Students will be able to assess the role that Latin and South American nations played in the global economy in the 19th and 20th centuries

? Students will be able to analyze the role that cultural agents such as the Catholic Church played in the development of Latin and South American nations

? Students will be able to identify the role played by women, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Latinos in the social and political development of Latin and South America

? Students will be able to identify the political and economic factors that led to the emergence of political dictatorships in many Latin and South American nations in the early 20th century

? Students will be able to assess how Cold War struggles between capitalist and Communist ideologies influenced political life in the nations of Latin and South America and led to the rise of repressive, authoritarian regimes in the 1970s and 1980s.

? Students will be able to identify important contemporary political, economic, and social trends in Latin and South America based on an analysis of the region’s history.

? Students will be able to analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 19thand 20th centuries using historical research methods

Course Information  showclose

Welcome to History 222: Modern Latin America.  Below, please find general information on this course and its requirements.
 
Primary Resources: This course is composed of a wide range of free, online materials.  However, the course makes primary use of the following materials:
Requirements for Completion: In order to complete this course, you will need to work through each of the nine units and all of its assigned materials.  You will also need to complete:
  • The Final Exam
Note that you will only receive an official grade on your Final Exam.  However, in order to adequately prepare for this exam, you will need to work through the readings and web media for each of the nine (9) units.
 
In order to “pass” this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the Final Exam.  Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it.  If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again.
 
Time Commitment: This course should take you approximately 97 hours to complete, including the Final Exam.  Each unit includes a “time advisory” that lists the amount of time you are expected to spend on each subunit.  These should help you plan your time accordingly.  It may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and determine how much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit and then set goals for yourself. 
 
Tips/Suggestions: Finally, you will find it useful to use the following “Latin American Network Information Center” from the University of Texas at Austin throughout this course as an important research tool.
 
Web Resource: University of Texas at Austin: “Latin American Network Information Center”
 
Link: University of Texas at Austin: “Latin American Network Information Center” (HTML)
 
Instructions: You may choose to peruse this important site for research on Latin America, but you do not need to read this entire resource straight through.  Instead, save it as a bookmark in your web browser for consultation throughout this course.
 
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

Learning Outcomes  showclose

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
 
  • Analyze how the peoples of Latin America attempted to organize viable nation-states following independence from Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule.
  • Assess how the United States used economic and cultural imperialism to control the economic, social, and political development of Latin America.
  • Identify the origins of the 1910 Mexican Revolution and assess the political, economic, and social impacts of the revolution for the people of Mexico.
  • Assess the role that Latin American nations played in the global economy in the 19thand 20thcenturies.
  • Analyze the role that cultural agents such as the Catholic Church played in the development of Latin American nations.
  • Explain the role played by women, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Latinos in the social and political development of Latin America.
  • Evaluate the political and economic factors that led to the emergence of political dictatorships in many Latin American nations in the early 20thcentury.
  • Analyze how Cold War struggles between capitalist and communist ideologies influenced political life in the nations of Latin America and led to the rise of repressive, authoritarian regimes in the 1970s and 1980s. 
  • Evaluate the current state of contemporary Latin America, taking in mind its pre-Columbian, colonial, and post-colonial history, to surmise its future challenges and advantages in a world of globalization.
  • Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 19th and 20thcenturies using historical research methods to garner a more profound understanding of Latin American history.

Course Requirements  showclose

In order to take this course, you must:
 
√    Have access to a computer.

√    Have continuous broadband Internet access.

√    Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g., Adobe Reader or Flash).

√    Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer.

√    Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.).

√    Be competent in the English language.

√    Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.

√    Complete the core program (4 courses), 6 geographical concentration courses (6 courses), and 3 300-level electives of your choice (3 courses), for a total of 13 courses.This course fulfills one of the required 6 geographical concentration courses for the History major.

√    This course also fulfills one of the requirements for the History minor.

Unit Outline show close


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  • Unit 1: Independence Amidst Imperialism  

    During the first three decades of the 19thcentury, every Spanish and Portuguese colony in the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Cuba and Puerto Rico, achieved political independence.  Freedom from European rule represented only the first step in a long and arduous process of nation-building.  Over the course of the 19thcentury, Latin American political leaders gradually organized national governments, developed local economies, and attempted to resolve regional conflicts through negotiations and military force.  Local elites of European decent controlled political life in most Latin American nations.  Poor inhabitants of mixed ancestry, who comprised the majority of the population, held little political power.  In many nations, disputes between contending factions of the political elite led to periodic coups and revolutions throughout the 19thcentury.  Typically, poor inhabitants were caught in the middle of these broader political and military struggles and suffered dreadful consequences. 
     
    While the nations of Latin America gained political independence in the 19thcentury, most countries remained tethered to former colonial powers by economic bonds.  Spanish and Portuguese investors controlled many local businesses and served as sources of capital for economic development.  British investors also began to organize local companies in many Latin American nations and used their economic power to influence political affairs in these nations.  European economic imperialism had a profound influence over the economic and political development of the nations of Latin America.  In this unit, we will examine how independent Latin American nations grew economically, politically, and socially over the course of the 19thcentury and evaluate the ways in which European imperialism shaped political and economic life in these countries.  We will also look at the regional military conflicts that shaped the modern-day boundaries of these nations and explore the consequences of these conflicts for the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies.  

    Unit 1 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 1 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 1.1 Nation-Building  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Shaping Latin American Independence: Force and the State”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Shaping Latin American Independence: Force and the State” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: This lecture covers subunits 1.1.1–1.1.3.  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 37 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk works to answer important questions about Latin American independence movements as he addresses the causes of Latin American instability in the 19th century and the dangers faced by the newly independent Latin American nations.  This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History Chair of Latin American Studies and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 1.1.1 Organizing National Governments  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.1.  Please focus specifically on the way in which nascent Latin American nations create unique governmental structures that confront the dilemmas faced by the newly independent nations.

  • 1.1.2 Liberalism and Representative Democracy  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.1.  Please focus specifically on the development of political progressivism and how early post-colonial nations struggle with the creation of truly representational governments.

  • 1.1.3 Conservative and Radical Regimes Vie For Power  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.1.  Please focus specifically on how recent post-colonial politics often veer to conservatism as the ruling social elite attempt to maintain political control after independence and how radical political challenges arise to confront these attempts to maintain the political status quo.

  • 1.1.4 Class Conflict and Politics  
  • 1.1.5 Social Challenges in Latin America at the Time of Independence  
  • 1.2 Rebuilding National Economies  
  • 1.2.1 The Economic Costs of Independence, the Case of Mexico  
  • 1.3 European Economic Imperialism  
  • 1.3.1 European Investment  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.3.  Please focus specifically on European investments in Latin America that both sustain the colonies (and later the newly independent states) and also threaten to exacerbate social conflict.

  • 1.3.2 Trade Relations  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.3.  Please focus specifically on how the relationships of subordination and superiority are reinforced by trade relationships between Latin America and Europe.

  • 1.3.3 Debt and Political Control  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 1.3.  Please focus specifically on how capitalist economic policies created new notions of debt in Latin America and how this compares to pre-colonial indigenous societies and their notions of debt.

  • 1.4 Military Conflict  
  • 1.4.1 The Paraguayan Setting for the War of the Triple Alliance  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Paraguay: Alternative Development”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Paraguay: Alternative Development” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 35 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk looks at a Paraguay’s alternative nationalism.  Pay special attention to the second part of the lecture, in which he discusses the War of the Triple Alliance. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History Chair of Latin American Studies and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 1.4.2 The War of the Triple Alliance  
  • 1.4.3 Collapse of Gran Colombia  
  • 1.4.4 Establishing Modern-Day National Boundaries and Foreign Interventions  
  • Unit 2: Latin America and the United States  

    In the late 19thand early 20thcenturies, the United States began to exert significant economic, political, and military influence over Latin American nations.  In 1898, American military forces invaded and occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico as part of a broader war against Spain.  As a result of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a U.S. protectorate and Cuba gained its independence, although the United States maintained a close watch over Cuban political affairs.  By the early 20thcentury, American corporations, such as the powerful United Fruit Company, owned vast tracts of lands throughout the Caribbean and South America.  These firms commonly used bribery and intimidation to influence political affairs in the so-called “Banana Republics” of Latin America.  The United States government backed American corporations with military force; American political leaders such as President Theodore Roosevelt expressed a clear willingness to intervene in the internal affairs of independent nations in order to protect American and European investments.  In 1904, the U.S. government also became involved in the massive project to build a sea-level canal across the Isthmus of Panama.  When the Panama Canal was completed 10 years later, it allowed the United States to exert tremendous economic and military influence throughout the region. 
     
    In this unit, we will examine the relationship between the United States and the nations of Latin America in the 19thand early 20thcenturies.  We will also evaluate how America’s involvement in Latin American affairs influenced (for better or worse) the economic and political development of Latin American nations during this time period, especially in the years leading up to World War II. 
     

    Unit 2 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 2 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 2.1 American Economic Imperialism in the 19th Century  
  • 2.1.1 Creating “Banana Republics”  
  • 2.1.2 “Filibustering” and Private Military Expeditions  
  • 2.1.3 The Spanish-American War  
    • Lecture: Google Videos: Stan Zimmerman, Pierian Spring Academy, icollege lecture: “Spanish-American War”

      Link: Google Videos: Stan Zimmerman, Pierian Spring Academy, icollege lecture: “Spanish-American War” (Adobe Flash)
                 
      Instructions: Please watch the entire video (approximately 48 minutes), which discusses the birth of American Imperialism.  This lecture is delivered by Stan Zimmerman, a specialist in the history of Florida.
       
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      The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

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  • 2.1.4 The Treaty of Paris of 1898  
    • Reading: Yale University’s: “The Treaty of Paris of 1898”

      Link:  Yale University’s “The Treaty of Paris of 1898”

      Instructions: Please read the entire Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain: December 10, 1898.  Known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, the treaty officially ended the Spanish-American War.  It was ratified on April 11, 1899, and signaled the end of the hegemony of the Spanish Empire in Latin America and the Pacific Ocean and marks the beginning of the hegemony of the United States in the Western hemisphere.
       
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  • 2.1.5 Theodore Roosevelt and “Dollar Diplomacy”  
    • Reading: Theodore Roosevelt Association’s “The Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary”

      Link: Theodore Roosevelt Association’s “The Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and its embedded links in their entirety.  The Roosevelt Corollary was U.S President Theodore Roosevelt’s extension of the Monroe Doctrine; it asserted the right of the United States to intervene and “stabilize” the economic affairs of small states in the Caribbean and Central America if they were unable to pay their international debt.  This text is authored by the Theodore Roosevelt Association, dedicated to preserving the memory of Theodore Roosevelt. 
       
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    • Reading: Indiana University –Bloomington: Dr. Rafael de la Cova’s version of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Third Annual Message to Congress,” December 6, 1904

      Link:  Indiana University–Bloomington: Dr. Rafael de la Cova’s version of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Third Annual Message to Congress,” (HTML) December 6, 1904
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  In this speech to Congress in December of 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt presented a new diplomatic policy that would later be referred to as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.  Some termed Roosevelt’s policy “Dollar Diplomacy,” since American military interventions in Latin America generally resulted from local interference with American firms or unpaid debts to European firms.  This website is authored and maintained by Dr. Antonio Rafael de la Cova, professor at Indiana University–Bloomington.
       
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  • 2.2 The Panama Canal  
  • 2.2.1 Early Canal Projects  
    • Reading: Panama Canal Authority’s “Canal History”

      Link: Panama Canal Authority’s “Canal History” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on “Read Our Story” and read this text and its embedded links in their entirety.  Pay special attention to the role of the United States in the creation of the Canal.  This site is maintained by the Panama Canal Authority, an entity of the government of Panama.
       
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  • 2.2.2 The Panamanian Revolution  
  • 2.2.3 The U.S. Government Takes Over the Canal Project  
  • 2.3 American Military Interventions and Occupations  
  • Unit 3: The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920  

    The Mexican Revolution, which lasted from 1910 through the early 1920s, played a significant role in reshaping political and social life in Mexico, and it had profound implications for the broader political culture of Latin America during the first half of the 20thcentury.  The revolution began as a reaction against the 30-year rule of autocratic Mexican president Porfirio Diaz.  As president, Diaz had favored the landed elites in Mexico and encouraged Europe and the United States to invest in the Mexican economy.  Diaz’s policies did little to help poor workers and farmers, who made up much of the Mexican population.  In 1910, Diaz blocked the election of opposition candidate Francisco Madero by briefly throwing him in jail and forcing him to flee Mexico.  Madero responded by issuing the “Plan of San Luis Potosi,” a revolutionary manifesto asking the people of Mexico to rise up against Diaz.  In the military conflict that followed, Madero received help from a broad coalition of supporters that included indigenous peoples, poor farmers, urban workers, and political radicals.  With their help, Diaz was removed from office and Madero was elected president in 1911. 
     
    Madero’s rule as president was short-lived, as his policies managed to offend both radical and conservative supporters.  In 1913, conservative military officer Victoriano Huerta staged a coup and removed Madero from office.  Madero was assassinated a few months later.  His assassination destabilized Mexico and led to renewed fighting between Huerta’s forces and opposition leaders, including radical populists Poncho Villa and Emiliano Zapata and moderate Venustiano Carranza.  Huerta fell from power and Carranza took control of the government in 1914.  He was driven from power by the combined forces of Villa and Zapata in 1915 but later elected present in the democratic election of 1917.  He held the office of the president until his death in 1920.  Following Carranza’s death, Mexico remained politically unstable until the early 1930s, when Lazaro Cardenas took power and implemented many of the social reforms that Carranza had originally suggested when he was in office. 
     
    In this unit, we will examine the origins of the Mexican Revolution and discuss the political and social objectives of its various participants.  We will also look at how the revolution drastically altered political culture in Mexico and eventually led to social and economic reforms that granted more power to the lower and middle classes.  Finally, we will evaluate how the Mexican Revolution inspired radicals throughout Latin America to challenge conservative political regimes in the second half of the 20thcentury.  

    Unit 3 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 3 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 3.1 Origins  
    • Reading: University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology’s “The Mexican Revolution”

      Link:  University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology’s “The Mexican Revolution” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and its embedded links in their entirety.  This text offers an in-depth overview of the Mexican Revolution: its causes, the insurgency period (1810–1821), caudillo politics and the liberal reform (1821–1876), the Porfiriato (1876–1910), and the Agrarian Revolution (1910–1940).  This text was created by University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology as part of its “Peasant Social Worlds and their Transformation” project.
       
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  • 3.1.1 Mexican “Democracy” in the 19th Century  
  • 3.1.2 Class Conflict and Economic Development in Mexico  
  • 3.1.3 The Corruption of the Diaz Regime  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Porfiriato”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Porfiriato” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 17 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk looks at the Porfiriato (Porfirio Diaz’s rule between 1876-1910) from an economic and political perspective, exploring the darker side of this period of remarkable economic growth. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 3.1.4 Revolutionary Undercurrents  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Five Mexican Revolutions”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Five Mexican Revolutions” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 34 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk offers an overview of the four chronological phases of the Mexican Revolution and the five different thematic sides of the Revolution: the bourgeois/centralizing; the peasant-ranchero; the proletarian; the national; and the cultural. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.

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  • 3.2 The 1910 Revolution  
  • 3.2.1 The Liberal-Democratic Revolution  
    • Reading: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Francisco Madero’s “The Plan of San Luis Potosi,” November 20, 1910

      Link: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Francisco Madero’s “The Plan of San Luis Potosi,” (HTML)November 20, 1910

      Instructions: Please read the entire text.  Mexican politician Francisco Madero issued this revolutionary manifesto in November 1910 after Mexican President Porfirio Diaz ordered him arrested to prevent him from winning the presidential election.  Madero declared the election invalid and asserted that he was the new provisional president of Mexico.  He urged the Mexican people to rise up and support him in his efforts to bring down the Diaz regime.  He called Diaz’s government “violent and illegal” and declared that it was oppressing the free will of the Mexican people.  Madero’s declaration marked the beginning of the 10-year Mexican Revolution.  This site is maintained by Paul Halsall at Fordham University.
       
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  • 3.2.2 Downfall of the Diaz Regime—Madero’s New Government  
  • 3.2.3 The Revolutionary Consensus Splinters  
  • 3.2.4 Agrarian Revolutionaries—Zapata and Villa  
    • Web Media: Voices' "Pancho Villa"

      Link: Voices' "Pancho Villa" (HTML and YouTube)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and watch the video (approximately 2 minutes) in their entirety.  This text offers a brief historical account of the Mexican Revolution focusing on Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.  This page is maintained by Voices [Education Project].  It contains excerpts from John Womack, Jr., Zapata and the Mexican Revolution (pp. 326–330), which is considered one of the best narrative histories written about modern Latin American history.
       
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  • 3.3 Conservative Counter-Revolution  
  • 3.3.1 Huerta’s Coup d’etat  
  • 3.3.2 Huerta’s Downfall  
  • 3.3.3 American Complicity and Opposition  
  • 3.3.4 Carranza and the Constitutionalists  
    • Reading: Library of Congress Country Studies: Tim L. Merrill and Ramón Miró’s (ed.) Mexico: A Country Study: “Carranza”

      Link: Library of Congress Country Studies: Tim L.  Merrill and Ramón Miró’s (ed.) Mexico: A Country Study: “Carranza” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read the entirety of this page.  This text discusses Carranza’s decision to overlook the constitutional provisions and the events that led to the raising of the constitutionalist army that marched to Mexico City in 1920.  This website contains electronic texts of previous publications printed by the Library of Congress and sponsored by the U.S.  Department of the Army from 1986–1998.
                 
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  • 3.3.5 The Carranza and Obregon Regimes  
  • 3.4 Revolutionary Consequences  
    • Reading: University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology’s “Historical Notes on Mexico’s Land Reform”

      Link: University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology’s “Historical Notes on Mexico’s Land Reform” (HTML)
       
      Instructions:  Please read this text in its entirety.  Before the 1910 Mexican Revolution, a single elite ruling class owned most of the land in Mexico.  Because many were brutally suppressed, revolts were common in Mexico.  To relieve the Mexican peasants’ plight and stabilize the country, various leaders tried different types of agrarian land reform.  This text focuses on the social changes produced by the agrarian land reform, particularly the Cardenista land reform, which redistributed 45,000,000 acres of land.  This text was created by University of Kent at Canterbury Center for Social Anthropology as part of its “Peasant Social Worlds and their Transformation” project.
       
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  • 3.4.1 The Catholic Church and the Revolution  
    • Reading: Kellogg Institute for International Studies: Professor Robert Curley’s “Political Catholicism in Revolutionary Mexico, 1900-1926”

      Link: Kellogg Institute for International Studies: Professor Robert Curley’s “Political Catholicism in Revolutionary Mexico, 1900-1926” (PDF)
       
      Instructions: Download this PDF by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.  Please read this text in its entirety.  This paper argues that the Mexican Revolution played a formative role in the construction of modern Mexican Catholicism, while Catholic politics fundamentally shaped the outcome of the 1910 revolution.  In the end, Professor Curley demonstrates how Catholic militants were central to the revolution and the construction of a modern state in Mexico.  This text is authored by Robert Culey, a professor of history in the Social and Urban Studies Department of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.  The site is maintained by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies of University of Notre Dame.
       
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  • 3.4.2 The Cardenas Regime and the Gradual Fulfillment of the Revolution  
    • Reading: Encyclopedia of World Biography’s “Lázaro Cárdenas”

      Link: Encyclopedia of World Biography’s “Lázaro Cárdenas” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  This is a monographic article on Mexican revolutionary leader and presiden Lázaro Cárdenas, the restorer of the people’s faith in the revolution.  This entry is maintained by the Encyclopedia of World Biography, a project of the Thomson Gale Corporation.
       
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  • 3.4.3 Liberal Democracy and One-Party Rule  
  • 3.4.4 Broader Consequences for Latin American Nations  
  • Unit 4: Latin America in the Global Economy  

    From the postcolonial era to the present day, the nations of Latin America have played a significant role in the global economy.  Under colonial rule, these nations primarily produced agricultural commodities for export to Europe and served as markets for goods manufactured in Spain and Portugal.  In the postcolonial era, the economic situation remained similar.  Newly independent Latin American nations had few resources for internal economic development and industrialization.  Instead, they continued to grow and export major agricultural commodities such as coffee, sugar, and livestock to Europe.  These monoculture export economies placed Latin American nations at the mercy of the global economy.  When commodity prices were high, growers reaped handsome profits.  When commodity prices fell, growers went out of business or defaulted on loans.  European and American investors provided much of the capital for business development in the region.  Similarly, Europeans and Americans served as technical experts for development projects such as railroads, factories, and other high-skill industries.  Consequently, outsiders exercised great control over local and regional markets and transportation systems.  The slow rate of industrialization and outside control of local industries proved to be a major source of political tension in the region.  Populist political parties agitated against European and American influence in various Latin American nations.  These groups argued that Latin American nations needed to develop their own internal technical experts through the creation of institutions of higher education and grow their own economies through the diversification of agricultural and industrial production. 
     
    This unit will study the ways in which the politics of economic development shaped the nations of Latin America in the 19thand early 20thcenturies and examine some of the development projects that took place across the region.  We will also look at export industries such as coffee and sugar production and see how these global industries shaped working and living conditions for Latin Americans. 
     

    Unit 4 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 4 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 4.1 Monoculture Export Economies  
  • 4.1.1 Coffee and Labor in Brazil  
    • Reading: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Pierre Denis, from The Coffee Fazenda of Brazil, 1911

      Link: Fordham University’s Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Pierre Denis, from The Coffee Fazenda of Brazil, 1911 (HTML)

      Instructions: Please read the entire text.  This short excerpt from author Pierre Denis’ 1911 study of Brazil describes living and working conditions on coffee fazendas, or isolated Brazilian plantations, where workers tended to coffee trees and tried to eke out precarious existences.  Denis discusses the labor-intensive process of harvesting coffee beans and preparing them for export to American or European markets.  He notes that workers made very little money working on fazendas and typically had to raise and sell other crops in their spare time in order to make ends meet financially.  This site is maintained by Paul Halsall at Fordham University.
       
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  • 4.1.2 Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Biotechnology in Latin America  
  • 4.1.3 Mining  
  • 4.2 Economic Development and Institutional Change in Latin America  
  • Unit 5: Social and Cultural Agents in the 19th and 20th Centuries  

    Social and cultural agents helped shape distinct regional and national identities across Latin America in the 19thand 20thcenturies.  The Catholic Church was by far the most significant of these agents.  The church played a major role in Latin American society, both as an agent of conservative control and revolutionary change.  In the 19thcentury, elites used the conservative influence of the church to promote national unity and acceptance of social and class distinctions.   On the other hand, in the 20thcentury, radical priests used church institutions to champion social justice and attack corrupt political leaders across the region.  Along with church institutions, artists and writers shaped the regional and national identities through their work.  Nobel Prize winners in Literature from Latin America, like Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Octavio Paz, and Jose Sarmago, examined local history and regional cultures and highlighted the unique blend of European and indigenous identities and cultural values in countries like Columbia, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico.  In this unit, we will look at how specific social and cultural agents shaped distinct identities in Latin American nations and examine how these cultural agents have been exported throughout the world during the 20thcentury.

    Unit 5 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 5 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 5.1 The Catholic Church  
    • Reading: Edward L. Clary’s Crisis and Change: The Church in Latin America Today, Chapter 1: “A New Leadership: From Inertia to Momentum”

      Link: Edward L. Clary’s Crisis and Change: The Church in Latin America Today, Chapter 1: “A New Leadership: From Inertia to Momentum” (HTML)

      Instructions:  Please read this text in its entirety.  It offers an overview of the role of the church in Latin America in the 20th century.  Pay particular attention to the information regarding the first half of the century.  This text is Chapter 1 of Edward L.  Cleary’s “Crisis and Change: The Church in Latin America Today,” published by Orbis Books in 1985.
       
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  • 5.1.2 Liberation Theology: The Church as a Revolutionary Agent  
    • Reading: Leonardo and Clodovis Boff’s “A Concise History of Liberation Theology”

      Link: Leonardo and Clodovis Boff’s “A Concise History of Liberation Theology” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  This article traces the historical roots of liberation theology and offers a narrative of its social, political, ecclesial, and theological development, as well as its formulation, supporters, and opposers.  This text is an excerpt of the book Introducing Liberaton Theology by Leonardo and Clodovis Boff, published by Orbis Books.
       
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    • Reading: Phillip Berryman’s NACLA Report on the Americas, March/April 1997: “Church and Revolution”

      Link: Phillip Berryman’s NACLA Report on the Americas, March/April 1997: “Church and Revolution”  (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  In this article, author Phillip Berryman describes the historical origins of Catholic liberation theology in Latin America and the consequences of this religious philosophy.  He argues that 20th-century Catholic priests became concerned about the rampant mistreatment of workers and poor people by the wealthy, elite ruling class in Latin America.  Priests knew of the struggles that many poor people faced in Latin America since they interacted with these people on a daily basis and were able to use their position of cultural authority to champion the rights of the poor.  They argued that mass poverty and political repression represented sinful acts by the elites.  Some priests even encouraged the poor to rise up and directly challenge the local power of elite leaders.  Berryman notes that priests who embraced liberation theology occasionally paid for their views with their lives and concludes that liberation theology encouraged social justice movements throughout Latin America and played an important role in highlighting the extreme economic and political inequalities between the wealthy elites and the poor masses throughout the region.  This page is maintained by Hartford Web Publishing, a pro bonoweb publishing service that aims to promote social progress.
       
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    • Assessment: The Saylor Foundation's "The Catholic Church as a Revolutionary Agent in Latin America"

      Link: The Saylor Foundation's "The Catholic Church as a Revolutionary Agent in Latin America" (PDF) and "Answer Guide" (PDF)

      Instructions: Please read both articles in this unit in their entirety before beginning this assessment.  Then try to answer the questions as best you can.  When you have finished answering the questions, please consult the "Answer Guide".  This assessment should take you no more than one hour to complete.

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  • 5.2 National Identities  
  • 5.2.1 European Immigration of the Late 19th Century  
  • 5.3 Cultural Pride  
  • 5.3.1 Literary and Artistic Expressions  
  • 5.3.2 The Nobel Laureates of Latin America  
  • 5.3.3 Exporting Latin American Culture  
  • Unit 6: Gender and Race in Modern Latin America  

    Since the colonial period, gender and race have played an important role in shaping Latin American society.  In the postcolonial era, women began to demand a greater role in national life.  After they achieved independence at the beginning of the 19thcentury, some Latin American nations granted women the right to vote.  On the other hand, many public institutions continued to discriminate against women.  In the late 19thcentury, feminists in nations such as Argentina began advocating for women to be admitted to institutions of higher education.  They also agitated for new laws regarding women’s rights to their own bodies and their legal rights in marriage and divorce.  Indigenous peoples and Latin Americans of African decent also became more assertive about their political and economic rights in the 20thcentury.  Both groups also demanded recognition of their ethnic heritage and cultural values by dominant elites of European ancestry.  In this unit, we will look at different ways that women and people of indigenous and African ancestry challenged the power and dominance of white male authorities throughout Latin America.  We will also look at how these groups created unique cultural expressions of their backgrounds.  

    Unit 6 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 6 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 6.1 Women in Latin American Society  
    • Reading: Washington State University: Maria Eugenia Echenique’s “The Emancipation of Women, 1876”

      Link: Washington State University: Maria Eugenia Echenique’s “The Emancipation of Women, 1876” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please this text in its entirety.  In this essay, 19th-century Argentinean feminist Maria Eugenia Echenique argues that women are capable of more than caring for a home and having children.  She asserts that women must be free to pursue other interests and educate themselves in order to be intellectually equal to men in Argentinean society.  She concludes that only by doing this will Argentine women be truly emancipated.
       
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  • 6.2 Indigenous Peoples  
    • Reading: Marc Becker’s “Indigenous Movements in Latin America”

      Link: Marc Becker’s “Indigenous Movements in Latin America” (HTML)
       
      Instructions:  Please read this text in its entirety.  In this article, Professor Becker offers readers a narrative of the indigenous movements in Latin America in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. This article is authored by Marc Becker, associate professor of history at Truman State University.  This text was originally printed in Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World (edited by Peter N. Stearns).
       
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  • 6.2.1 Contemporary Indigenous Rights Movements  
  • 6.3 Afro-Latinos  
  • 6.3.1 The History of Afro-Latinos in Latin America  
    • Web Media: PBS: “Black in Latin America”

      Link: PBS: “Black in Latin America”  (Video)
       
      Instructions: Please watch video 5/5, “Black in Latin America,” first; it is a brief six-minute overview of the history of Afro-Latinos.  Then watch the remaining four videos are a four-part PBS video series (each 52 minutes in length).  The remaining four videos are entitled: 1/5, “Mexico and Peru, A Hidden Race”; 2/5, “Brazil, A Racial Paradise?”; 3/5, “Cuba: The Next Revolution”; 4/5, “Haiti and the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided”. 
       
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  • 6.3.2 Cultural Contributions of Afro-Latinos  
  • Unit 7: Dictatorships and Revolutions of the Mid-20th Century  

    The 1940s through 1960s were a time of significant political instability throughout Latin America.  Electoral chaos in the 1920s and 1930s and growing political conflicts between radical populists and conservative elites led to the emergence of military dictatorships, or conservative political regimes backed by the military, in many Latin American states in the 1940s.  These conservative rulers feared the growing influence of Socialist and Communist political movements among the factory workers and farmers who made up the majority of the population in many countries.  As left-wing political movements grew in strength, many conservative rulers attempted to suppress them through military force or political intimidation.  By the 1950s, elite rulers could no longer hold back revolutionary armies in a number of Latin American nations, including Bolivia and Cuba.  In a few states, conservative leaders such as Argentinean Juan Peron attempted to implement moderate social reforms while maintaining strict control over political affairs.  In other states, radical leaders were elected to political office and attempted to implement major economic and social reforms.  Often, these reform efforts led to broader social chaos and prompted conservative military leaders to stage coups in order to restore social order.  In this unit, we will examine the political chaos of the 1940s–1960s and look at how radical and conservative forces vied for control over many Latin American nations.  We will also examine some of the economic and social reforms that radicals attempted, such as the redistribution of farmland and the nationalization of foreign businesses.  Finally, we will look at how the political struggles in Latin America fit into the broader Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union.  

    Unit 7 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 7 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 7.1 Argentina  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: The Oligarchic State (1880-1916)”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: The Oligarchic State (1880-1916)” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 23 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk discusses the high point of oligarchic rule in Argentina, which took place between the bourgeois consolidation of 1880 and the election of Hipolito Yrigoyen in 1916.  He focuses on the nature of economic growth in that period and the way in which the oligarchy gradually (and reluctantly) drew in the middle classes.  This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 7.1.1 Military Dictatorship of the 1930s-1940s  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: The Rise and Fall of Peronism”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: The Rise and Fall of Peronism” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: This lecture covers subunits 7.1.1-7.1.4.  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 36 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk discusses the two phases of the Argentine labor movement (anarcho-syndicalism during the early years of the 20th century and Peronism after World War II), and examines Peronism, its social bases, and its ideology.  Volk also explores populism in Latin America and discusses the inherent weaknesses of Peronism. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 7.1.2 An Overview of Argentine Politics in the 20th Century  
  • 7.1.3 Coups and Counter-Coups of the 1960s  
  • 7.1.4 Left-Wing and Right-Wing Political Extremism  
  • 7.2 Bolivia  
  • 7.2.1 Agrarian Populism Versus Elite Rule  
  • 7.2.2 Rise of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement in the 1950s  
  • 7.2.3 Military Rule in the 1960s  
  • 7.2.4 Stability Versus Political Freedom  
  • 7.3 Brazil  
  • 7.3.1 Dictatorships and Economic Development in the 1930s-1950s  
  • 7.3.2 Brazil and the Second World War  
  • 7.3.3 Populism and Political Control in the 1950s–1960s  
  • 7.4 Chile  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile in the 19th Century” and “Chile: Nitrate Mining and the Labor Movement”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile in the 19th Century” and “Chile: Nitrate Mining and the Labor Movement” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of both lectures (approximately 30 and 26 minutes, respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Volk discusses Chilean history in the 19th century, with a particular focus on elements that can explain two factors: firstly, the stability and conservative/authoritarian focus of the elites and secondly, the rise of an active labor and left movement.  The second lecture focuses on the critical role of nitrate mining in the Chilean economy in the late 19th and early 20th century and argues that the strength of the Chilean labor movement was in part derived from its strategic placement.  This lecture also discusses the nature of the labor force in the Chilean north, the growth of labor organizing, and the 1907 massacre of workers in Santa Maria de Iquique.  This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.

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  • 7.4.1 Military Rule and Political Instability in the 1930s  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Roots of Labor and Left Militancy (1900-1930)”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Roots of Labor and Left Militancy (1900-1930)” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 22 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk traces the roots of labor and Left militancy in Chile in the first three decades of the 20th century.  The lecture focuses on mancomunales, the organizing strategies of anarchists and socialists, and the development of labor federations.  Professor Volk looks at the passage of labor legislation under Arturo Alessandri Palma, Palma’s overthrow by Carlos Ibáñez, and the Communist and Socialist approaches to elections and the state. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 7.4.2 Right-Wing and Left-Wing Politics in Chile  
  • 7.4.3 Radical Party Rule in the 1940s-1950s  
  • 7.4.4 Social and Economic Reforms of the 1950s and 1960s  
  • 7.4.5 Growing Conservative Opposition to Reform Efforts  
  • 7.5 Cuba  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Roots of the Cuban Revolution (1898-1959)”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “The Roots of the Cuban Revolution (1898-1959)” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 16 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk looks at the particular reasons which can account for the Cuban Revolution of 1959, including the weakness of the bourgeoisie, the Church, the political party system, and the military.  This lecture also explores the period between the attack on the Moncada barracks in 1952 and the departure of Batista at the end of 1958. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.

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  • 7.5.1 Modernization and Political Rule  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba, 1902-1925”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba, 1902-1925” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety.  Don Mabry, Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University, narrates how General Tomás Estrada Palma took over a country that was devastated by war and stimulated immigration, created educational and public works, negotiated a reciprocity treaty with the United States, and by doing so, started the modernization movement of Cuba.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.5.2 The Rise of Fulgencio Batista  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Aimee Estill’s “Batista y Zaldívar, Fulgencio”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Aimee Estill’s “Batista y Zaldívar, Fulgencio” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety.  Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar maintained direct and indirect power over the Cuban government for over 25 years.  His first presidency was characterized by economic growth; the second, by the forceful and oppressive means by which he ruled Cuba, as well as the corruption in the government.  Pay special attention to how this second presidency left Cuba in such a state of turmoil, it opened the door for Fidel Castro to seize power.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.5.3 Democratic Rule in the 1940s  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba, 1934-52”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba, 1934-52” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety.  Pay special attention to Fulgencio Batista’s first presidency.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.5.4 Batista and the Politics of Political Corruption in the 1950s  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba & Batista, 1952-59”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Professor Don Mabry’s “Cuba & Batista, 1952-59” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety.  Don Mabry, Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University, discusses the forceful and oppressive means by which Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba as well as the corruption in the government.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.5.5 Castro and the Origins of the Cuban Revolution  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Shannon Maxwell Eldridge’s “Castro, Fidel: The Rise to Power”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Shannon Maxwell Eldridge’s “Castro, Fidel: The Rise to Power” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety.  This article pieces together the story of Fidel Castro’s youth and discusses what may have influenced his rise to power when he was only in his 30s.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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    • Reading: Granma’s version of Fidel Castro’s “Speech Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution,” January 1, 1999

      Link: Granma’s version of Fidel Castro’s “Speech Commemorating the 40thAnniversary of the Cuban Revolution,” (HTML) January 1, 1999
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  In this speech commemorating the 40thanniversary of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro discusses the history of the Communist revolution against the conservative Batista regime in 1958–1959.  Castro describes how the poorly equipped and ill-trained rebels defeated the Cuban Army by using their knowledge of the local terrain.  Castro also explains how his forces gradually seized control of strategic towns and encouraged revolts against Batista’s forces in other communities on the island.  He concludes the speech by appealing to younger revolutionaries to continue his struggle for justice and equality. This page is maintained by Granma, the digital version of the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.
       
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  • 7.5.6 Communist Rule and Castro’s Reform Agenda  
  • 7.5.7 Cuba in the Cold War  
    • Reading: BBC: Professor Ernest R. May’s “John F Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis”

      Link: BBC: Professor Ernest R.  May’s “John F Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  The Cuban Missile Crisis (known as The October Crisis in Cuba) was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States in October 1962 during the Cold War.  This event has become momentous in the history of the relations between the United States and Cuba in the 20th century.  This text is authored by Ernest R May, a Charles Warren professor of history at Harvard University.  He is also the co-editor of The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
       
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  • 7.6 The Dominican Republic  
  • 7.6.1 Carribean Republics  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Donald J. Mabry’s “The Republics of the Caribbean”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Donald J. Mabry’s  “The Republics of the Caribbean” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  The article provides and overview of political disturbances in the region from the time of independence and focuses on the relationship between Carribean nations and the United States. This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.6.2 The Dominican Republic  
    • Reading: Historical Text Archive: Donald J. Mabry’s “Dominican Republic”

      Link: Historical Text Archive: Donald J. Mabry’s “Dominican Republic” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  The article focuses on political instability in the Dominican Republic, including the reign of General Rafael Trujillo.  This site is maintained by the Historical Text Archive, which publishes high quality articles, books, and historical manuscripts and photographs.
       
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  • 7.6.3 Trujillo in His Own Words  
  • 7.6.4 Senator Fulbright Discusses the Dominican Crisis from the U.S. Perspective  
  • Unit 7 Assessment  
  • Unit 8: Authoritarianism in the 1970s and 1980s  

    The political chaos of the 1950s and 1960s—particularly the emergence of organized Socialist and Communist parties in industrializing nations such as Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil—led to major political crackdowns by conservative military leaders in the 1970s and 1980s.  Often, these ruthless political leaders received covert (and at times overt) support from American officials, who viewed Latin America as a new front in the international war against Communism and the Soviet Union.  In Chile, Socialist Salvador Allende was elected president in 1970.  As he began to nationalize foreign-owned business and reorganize the Chilean economy, the U.S. government and the Central Intelligence Agency began encouraging Chilean military officials to stage a coup.  The coup took place in 1973, Allende committed suicide, and military leaders took control of the nation, rounding up opposition supporters and “disappearing” them, often through torture and secret executions.  Similar crackdowns on leftist political movements took place in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay during the same time period.  By the end of the 1970s, authoritarian military leaders with U.S. backing had seized control of many of the nations of Latin America in order to keep them free from Socialist or Communist political influences. 
     
    In this unit, we will learn how military forces took control of major Latin American nations in the 1970s and look at the social and economic consequences of authoritarian rule in the region.  We will also study the ways in which civil rights abuses and political repression by military regimes influenced social and cultural life in the region and led to resistance campaigns in some nations.  

    Unit 8 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 8 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 8.1 Argentinian Political Crisis  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: A State in Crisis (1955-1976)”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Argentina: A State in Crisis (1955-1976)” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions:  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 23 minutes).  Professor Volk discusses the roots of the crisis in Argentina that ultimately led to the military coup of March 1976.  The lecture focuses on the period after the ouster of Juan Peron in 1955 and explores both political and economic reasons behind the increasing militarization of political life in Argentina prior to 1976. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.

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  • 8.1.1 The Falklands Crisis  
  • 8.1.2 Return to Democratic Rule in the Mid-1980s  
    • Reading: Open Democracy: Professor Celia Szusterman’s “Argentina: Celebrating Democracy”

      Link: Open Democracy: Professor Celia Szusterman’s “Argentina: Celebrating Democracy” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  In this article on the 25 years of democracy in Argentina, Professor Szusterman presents a series of lessons about the flaws in the country’s dominant style of governance.  Celia Szusterman is principal lecturer in Spanish and Latin American studies at the University of Westminster.  This site is maintained by Open Democracy, a Think Tank dedicated to publish high quality news analysis.
       
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  • 8.1.3 Truth Commissions and Recovering the Past  
    • Reading: United States Institute of Peace’s “Truth Commission: Argentina”

      Link: United States Instute of Peace’s “Truth Commission: Argentina” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  The consequences of what was called the “Dirty War” were high in terms of lives lost and basic human rights violated.  The 1984 Commission on the Disappeared documented the disappearance and probable deaths of about 11,000 people at the hands of the military regime; human rights groups estimate that there were over 30,000 disappearances during the 1976–1983 period.  This site is maintained by the U.S. Institute of Peace.
       
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  • 8.2 Chile  
  • 8.2.1 Election of Salvador Allende in 1970  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Election of Salvador Allende”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Election of Salvador Allende” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 11 minutes).  Professor Volk discusses the election of Salvador Allende, noting Washington’s role in attempting to prevent his selection in the Congress. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.

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    • Reading: Central Intelligence Agency’s “Report of CIA: Chilean Task Force Activities, 15 September to 3 November 1970,” November 18, 1970

      Link: Central Intelligence Agency’s “Report of CIA: Chilean Task Force Activities, 15 September to 3 November 1970,” (HTML) November 18, 1970
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety (23 pages) by clicking “Next Page.”  This 1970 opinion paper, prepared for U.S.  Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the National Security Council, discusses the election of Marxist Salvador Allende as president of Chile.  The author expresses concerns about the possibility of Chile falling under Communist control and serving as a springboard for Soviet plots against other countries in the region.  The report concludes that the United States should work behind the scenes to undermine the new government through economic pressure and covert intervention if necessary.  This page is maintained by the George Washington University as part of its project, “Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents relating to the Military Coup, 1970–1976.”
       
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  • 8.2.2 Consequences of Allende’s Radical Reform Agenda  
  • 8.2.3 1973 Military Coup and the Rise of Augusto Pinochet  
    • Lecture: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Coup”

      Link: Oberlin College: Professor Steven Volk’s “Chile: The Coup” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lecture (approximately 7 minutes).  In this lecture, Professor Volk offers us video footage and photographs of the Chilean coup of September 11, 1973, with a voice-over of Salvador Allende’s last radio broadcast from that morning. This video lecture is authored by Professor Steven Volk, Professor of History, Chair of Latin American Studies, and the Director of The Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence at Oberlin College.
       
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  • 8.2.4 Political Repression and Authoritarian Rule Under Pinochet in the 1980s  
  • 8.2.5 Return to Democratic Rule in the 1990s  
  • 8.3 Uruguay  
  • 8.3.1 Democracy and Economic Prosperity in the 1950s-1960s  
  • 8.3.2 Emergence of the Tupamaro Urban Guerrilla Movement in the 1960s  
    • Reading: Global Security’s “Tupamaros Uprising”

      Link: Global Security’s “Tupamaros Uprising” (HTML)
       
      Instructions:  Please read this text in its entirety.  Tupamaros, also known as the MLN (Movimiento de Liberación Nacional or National Liberation Movement), was an urban guerrilla organization in Uruguay in the 1960s and 1970s.  The MLN is linked to its most important leader, Raúl Sendic, and his brand of social politics.  José Mujica, current president of Uruguay, was also a member.  This page is maintained by Global Security, a source of background information in the fields of defense, intelligence, and homeland security.
                 
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  • 8.3.3 State of Emergency and Military Rule in the 1970s  
  • 8.3.4 Return to Democratic Rule in the 1980s  
  • 8.4 Central America and the Caribbean During the Cold War  
  • 8.4.1 Nicaraguan Civil War  
  • 8.4.2 Haiti  
  • 8.4.3 Grenada  
  • 8.4.4 Colombia  
  • 8.5 Brazil  
  • 8.5.1 The Brazilian Military Republic  
    • Reading: Library of Congress Country Studies: Rex A. Hudson’s (ed.) Brazil: A Country Study: “The Military Republic, 1964-85”

      Link: Library of Congress Country Studies: Rex A. Hudson’s (ed.) Brazil: A Country Study: “The Military Republic, 1964-85” (HTML)
       
      Instructions:  Please read the entirety of these pages.  The “Military Republic,” also known as the “Military Dicatorship,” started in 1964 with a coup d’état against President João Goulart by the Brazilian military.  This coup is widely understood as part of the Cold War and a response to the perceived threat of Communism.  This website contains electronic texts of previous publications printed by the Library of Congress and sponsored by the U.S.  Department of the Army from 1986–1998.
         
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  • 8.5.2 Return to Elected Civilian Rule in 1990s  
  • Unit 9: Latin America in the 21st Century  

    By the late 1980s, many Latin Americans had grown weary of military rule.  The fall of the Soviet Union and the diminishing threat of international Communism prompted demands for democratic elections and a return to civilian rule across the region.  By the early 1990s, democratically elected leaders had taken charge of most of the major nations in Latin America.  Nevertheless, the region continued to face severe economic and social challenges in the 1990s and 2000s.  Many Latin American countries struggled under the weight of generations of failed economic development projects.  They owed large debts to American and European investors and did not have the money to expand domestic economies.  The region also suffered from chronic problems resulting from the unequal distribution of wealth.  Many poor people turned to the illicit drug trade for income and nations like Columbia and Nicaragua became centers for illegal drug production and distribution.  Frustration over the uneven distribution of wealth also led to the emergence of anti-neoliberal political movements in countries like Mexico and Venezuela.  These political movements championed the political and economic rights of poor, often indigenous people and challenged the political power of large corporations and the supposed benefits of free-market, global trade for developing nations. 
     
    In this final unit, we will look at contemporary political, economic, and social movements across Latin America and examine how post-colonial development in the region has led to profound criticisms of globalization and free-market capitalism.  We will also explore the ways in which certain Latin American nations (such as Brazil) have emerged as regional and international powers and evaluate what the future may hold for the other nations of the region.  

    Unit 9 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 9 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 9.1 Reestablishing Political and Social Order  
  • 9.1.1 Gradual Social Reform Measures  
  • 9.1.2 Compromise and Political Moderation  
  • 9.1.3 Rise of Anti-Neoliberal Political Movements in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Mexico  
    • Reading: Share the World's Resources: Professor Emir Sader’s “Postneoliberalism in Latin America”

      Link:  Share the World's Resources: Professor Emir Sader’s “Postneoliberalism in Latin America” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  Anti-neoliberalism is used to describe liberals who are socialist, socially libertarian, and opposed to neoliberalism (understood as a market-driven approach to economic and social policy).  This text is authored by Emir Sader, retired professor at University of São Paulo, who now runs the Laboratory for Public Policy of the State University of Rio de Janeiro.  This text was originally published by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.
       
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    • Reading: Professor Harry Cleaver’s “The Chiapas Uprising and the Future of Class Struggle in the New World Order,” RIFF-RAFF Magazine, February 1994

      Link: Professor Harry Cleaver’s “The Chiapas Uprising and the Future of Class Struggle in the New World Order,” (HTML) RIFF-RAFF Magazine, February 1994
       
      Instructions:  Please read this text in its entirety.  This article appeared in 1994, shortly after Zapatista rebels led an armed uprising against the Mexican government in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.  The article’s author, Harry Cleaver, discusses the economic, social, and political goals of the indigenous rebels and works to situate the rebellion within a global political and economic context.  Cleaver concludes that the Chiapas Uprising was more than a local revolt against inequitable economic and political conditions in southern Mexico.  He argues that the Zapatistas are part of a broader reaction to neoliberal political and economic policies that emphasize business expansion and global economic development at the expense of workers and poor people in developing nations.  This article is authored by Professor Harry Cleaver, University of Texas Austin, and was originality written for the Italian journal RIFF-RAFF.  A revised version in English was published in Common Sense (Edinburgh) No. 15, April 1994, pp. 5–17.  This page is maintained by the University of Texas.
       
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  • 9.2 Economic Development and Stagnation  
  • 9.2.1 Foreign Debt  
  • 9.2.2 Austerity Policies  
  • 9.2.3 Unequal Distribution of Wealth  
  • 9.2.4 Globalization and Economic Policies  
  • 9.2.5 The “Lost Half-Decade:” 1997-2002  
    • Reading: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean: José Antonio Ocampo’s “Poverty Increased in Lost Half-Decade”

      Link: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean: José Antonio Ocampo’s “Poverty Increased in Lost Half-Decade” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  Since 1990, growth rates have been half of what Latin America achieved during the period of state-led industrialization.  The strong recession that began in 2001 deepened in 2002, when GDP fell by 0.5 percent in Latin America, completing what has been called “the lost half-decade.”  This article provides readers with the data they need to understand the causes, development, and consequences of this economic recession in Latin America.  This text is authored by José Antonio Ocampo, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, a regional commission of the United Nations.
       
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  • 9.2.6 Regaining Economic Prosperity  
  • 9.3 The “War on Drugs”  
  • 9.4 The Rise of Brazil  
  • 9.4.1 Population Growth  
  • 9.4.2 Investments in Green Technology  
  • 9.4.3 Expanding Economy  
  • 9.4.4 Social and Cultural Identity  
  • 9.4.5 Recognition on the World Stage  
  • 9.5 The Future of Latin America  
  • Final Exam  

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