Chapther 1 Flashcards
Como é que Nogales está divido?
Nogales está dividido em duas partes: the north is part of the USA territory located in the Santa Cruz County of Arizona. The south is part of Mexico more specific Sonora.
Why these two locations are so different?
There is no difference in geography, climate or the types of diseases prevalent in this area. The background is the same.
The difference is based on the type of institutions that rule them.
The incentives provided from the institutions and the countries they are in are the reason for the differences in economic prosperity and divergence of the way the society is structured.
Why are the institutions of the USA so much more conductive to economic success than those of Mexico?
The awnser lies in the way different societies formed during the early colonial period. An institutional divergence took place then, with implications lasting into present day.
Who is Juan Diaz de Solís
He is a Spanish sailor, that in 1516 sailed into a wide estuary on the Eastern Seabord of South America
Who they found in the Rio de la Plata?
The indegenous people on either side of the river were the Charruas ( in what is now Uruguay) and the Querandi ( where is now modern Argentina)
Which name was given to the river that Juan Diaz saled and why was it called like that?
The river’s name was called Rio de La Plata, since the local people possessed silver.
Who and when the Spanish founded Buenos Aires?
Under the leadership of Pedro de Mendoza, the spanish founded a town on the site of Buenos Aires in 1534
Why Argentina was not a successful aquisiction?
The local people could not be forced into providing labor. The area had no silver or gold to exploit, and the silver that de Solis found had actually come all the way from the Inca state in the Andes.
Which and why the expeditions under Juan de Ayolas leadership was successful?
In 1537, they penetrated up the Paraná river, and end up finding the Ayolas. This people were sedentary people with an agricultural economy. They end up being able to adapt the existing system of forced labor.
Who was Hernán Cortes
Cortés was a spanish colonizer that invaded Mexico in 1519.
Who was the tribe living in Mexico during Cortés arrival?
The spanish arrived at the Aztec capital (tenochtitlan) in 1519 and were welcomed by the Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, peacefully
What is the encomienda
was a system where Spanish adventurers and settlers were granted the legal right to extract forced labour from indigenous tribal chiefs in the Americas colonies of the Spanish Empire.
Who was Bartolomé de las Casas?
A Dominican priest who created the Spanish colonial system called encomienda
Who was Francisco de Toledo
To exploit the silver in there colonies, the spanish needed miners. The Spanish sent this chief Spanish colonial official whose main mission was to solve this problem
What “reducciones” mean’s in this historical period?
Literally reductions, but the context, after arriving in Peru, Toledo needed to find more people to work, for this he decided to concentrate the entire indigenous population in new towns that were given the name of reductions, which would facilitate the exploitation of labor
What was the “mita”?
In the Incas language means “ a turn”. This was a system that the Incas had used forced labor to run plantations designed to provide food for temples, the aristocracy and the army
What is the repartimiento de mercancias?
“repartimento” literally means “the distribution of goods” involved the forced sale of goods to locals at prices determined by the Spanish
What is the “trajin”?
This means “burden”, which used the indigenous people to carry heavy loads of goods as substitutes for pack animals
Why the use of the different systems, such as the encomienda, mita, repartimento,…?
These systems were used to force indigenous people’s living standards down to a subsistence level and thus extract all income in excess for the Spanish
Who try to invade England in 1588?
The Spanish Armada did an attempt to invade England by the command of King Phillip II
Why North America wasn’t attractive for the European colonizers?
The indigenous population to exploit was plentiful and where the gold and silver mines were located, had already been occupied.
When did the Virginia Company settle after many attempts?
Under the command of Newport, the sailed into Chesapeake Bay and founded the settlement of Jamestown in 1607
Who claimed the territory of Jamestown before the English?
Powhatan Confederacy
Who was Captain John Smith?
He was a member of the ruling council that was to govern Jamestown.
Reason for Captain John Smith be part of the council?
After many attempts to force the indegenous to work for the English, Smith was able to initiated a series of trading missions that secured vital food supply
What was the “something new” system?
It was imposed by Gates and it was a work regime of draconian severity for English settlers ( not for the elite running the colony)
What was the “headright system”
In 1618, the company began a new system which gave each male settler fifty acres of land and fifty for each member of his family and servents. Settlers were given houses and freed from their contracts
What is the Fundamental constitutions
The main purposes of the Fundamental Constitutions were to protect Proprietary interests and to avoid the creation of a democracy. The Proprietors used the constitutions to try to establish a feudal government and society, so far as permitted by the Carolina charter of 1663.
When was the First Continental Congress
It was in 1774
What was discussed in the Continental Congress?
The assemblies believed they had the right to determine both their own membership and the right to taxation
When was the Cádiz constitution formed and What is it?
It was formed in 1812 and was an introduction of a constitutional monarchy based on notions of popular sovereignty and was able to end special privileges and introduced equality before law
What was the caused for the independence movements
After returning to power and being obligated to restore the Cardiz constitution. This cortes ended up abolishing all forms of labor coercion and attacked special privileges that put in caused the power of elites
What was the caused for the mutinied against Fernand VII ?
After the collapsed of Napolean’s power, king Fernand VII returned to power and the Cádiz Constitution was abrogated.
What is the Plan de Igualdade
The plan featured a constitutional monarchy with Mexico emperor, and removed the provisions of the Cádiz Constitutions that Mexican elites found the provisions of it that threated the privileges of the Mexican elites
What was the patent system ?
It is a system that protects property rights in ideas
why the patent system was implemented
This method was an attempt to stop the king from arbitrarily granting “ letters patent” to whomever he wanted ( granting exclusive rights to undertake certain activities or business)
Why Thomas Edison was a key player to understand the patent system and its impact on society?
With the invention of the lightbuble he demonstrate that was hard to make money from the patents without capital, but proved that if you have money you could increase you wealth in the USA
Who was Porfirio Diaz?
He was a victorious general in the war against the French that formed a rebel army and in 1876 defeated the army of the government at the Battle of Tecoac (ended up ruling Mexico for thirty four years)
What was the Land Ordinance of 1785 or the Homestead Act of 1862 related to?
This two legislative acts gave broad access to frontier lands
What was the cause for instability in the 90’s in Latin America
The gradual drift toward greater political rights for a democratic regime created instability and with this a mass of repression and murder was associated.
Who are Bill Gates and Carlos Slim
Bill Gates was the founder of Microsoft ( the most technological innovative company in the USA) and Carlos Slim the owner of Telmex (by acquisition)
What is the difference between the USA and Mexico that can be known by the contract between Carlos Slim and Bill Gates?
While Bill Gates built his wealth by innovation Carlos Slim did it by the acquisition of a company of telecommunications
What barriers the entrepreneurs in Mexico have?
Expensive licenses, politicians and incumbents who will stand in your way, difficulty of getting funding from a financial sector
What is the “recurso de amparo”
This is literally an “appeal for protection”, an amparo is in effect a petition to argue that a particular law does not apply to you.
What is the amparo used for?
In Mexico around 1857 , this idea was used as a safeguard of individual rights and freedom. In the hands of monopolies, it has been a tool for sementhing monopoly power
How an economic institutions shape economic incentives?
The incentives to become educated, to save and invest and adopt new techologies is the political process that determines what economic institutions people live under and determine how his process works
