Lecture 13: Latin American Conflicts 1970s-1980s Flashcards
What is the relationship between the catholic church and liberal/conservatives?
Catholic church increasingly sides with conservations (since liberals begin more strongly advocating for separation of state and church)
- results in support for authoritarian regimes in LA
Church opposed Marxism and fears communism
What is liberal theology and where did it emerge?
Emerged during the Second Vatican council
Theology bridges catholic doctrine with progressive social action by emphasizing social justice and empowerment of the poor
Did the vatican continue to support liberal theology
No, subsequent popes such as Pope Paul II rejects liberation theology
Activist priests are persecuted
What marked a change in the relationship between the catholic church and LA?
The election of Pope Francis in 2013
First LA pontiff
What is the lead up to the Mayan genocide in Guatemala in 1982?
Large portion of Guatemalan demographic is Indigenous
Civil war between 1960-1996 between guerrillas and government forces
- Government forces conducted brutal counter-insurgency campaigns
- guerrillas, despite advocating for Indigenous rights, were mainly led by urban white/mestizo leaders who often misunderstood rural indigenous realities
Guerrillas begin to adopt Vietnam-style tactics that place Indigenous civilians at the conflict’s center
This culminated in the state-sponsored genocide of the Mayan people
Why did Indigenous activism emerge in Guatemala?
State repression and limited leftist representation spurred independent indigenous movements
What did Indigenous movements in Guatemala fight for?
- Fundamental rights (food security, land access, education)
- Cultural preservation (language rights, autonomy)
- Political representation
- Self-determination
How did indigenous issues in Guatemala enter the international stage?
Rigobera Menchu played a big role in this, especially after winning the 1992 Peace Prize
What was El Salvador’s political climate between 1931-1980s before the civil war
- Military rule served small oligarchy (20 families)
- These families controlled 70% of coffee exports, banks, and media
1972: uprising kills many people
What are the root causes of the 1979-1992 civil war in El Salvador?
Military repression and inequality
The civil war is between the left-wing insurgency and the US backed military
What happens to the demographics of El Salvador during the civil war?
Many people move to the US
How did gang culture emerge in El Salvador
Gangs emerge in the US
However, during the war on drugs, many El Salvadorian gang members are deported
Gangs arrive in El Salvador, bringing a lot of violence
What is the government’s response to gangs in El Salvador?
Mano dura policies are inefficient
Bukele administration implement mass incarceration strategy
Results in significant reduction of gang violence, but at the cost of thousands of innocent people and minors incarcerated without trial
World’s highest incarceration rate (up to 1% of population)
What are the goals of the Sandinista Revolution in 1979 in Nicaragua?
Land reform
Literacy campaigns
Social equality
What are the challenges of the Sandinista campaigns?
US opposition
Economic sanctions
Contra War
What is the Contra War in the 1980s in Nicaragua?
- US funded counter-revolutionaries sought to destabilize Sandinista government
- Amidst conflict, Daniel Ortega is elected
- The war causes significant economic hardship and loss of life
When did Sandinista rule come to an end?
In 1990 with the election of Violeta Chamorro who defeats Ortega
Introduces neo-liberal economic policies and reconciliation efforts
What is the state of Nicaragua in 2006-present
Ortega is reelected
- Crackdown on opposition, media, and civil society
- Allows for indefinite reelection
- transition from unstable democracy to dictatorship
- imprisonment of activists and political opponents
Mass demonstrations
International isolation
- sanctions and condemnation
What distinguishes Costa Rica from other LA countries?
- Costa Rica dissolved its military after the civil war in 1948 and redirected funds towards education, healthcare, and social services (universal healthcare and education) –> rise of middle class
- A lot of land protected through national parks and reserves
- Free and democratic elections since the mid 20th century
- Economy including agriculture, technology, eco-tourism, renewable energy, etc.
What contributed to Costa Rica’s success?
Lack of mineral wealth protected it from colonization and neo-colonial/imperial intervention
Geographically positioned next to countries such as Panama that do not have a big military presence
Who is Martin Chambi?
Quechuan photographer
Born in Peru
Who are the Taino people
Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean
Said to have “gone extinct” (genocide on paper) yet still persist to this day
