Postwar Latin America and Middle East Flashcards
What are the distinguishing features of the region that we call Latin America ?
- Culture, economy, politics were imprinted by Iberian colonialism
- Spanish/Portuguese
- Catholicism
How did the Great Depression impact Latin America economically and stimulate postwar reform after WWII ?
Many political leaders would try to modernize and industrialize their states. Mexico and Brazil were the most successful
What was Raul Prebisch’s diagnosis of Latin America’s economic ills and what did he propose to remedy this ; to stimulate industrial development, modernize the economy and usher in more independence for the region ?
Seized their political independence during the 19th century but are locked inside a Western-dominated world economy
- Import substitution industrialization (ISI)
Why did the USA overthrow Jacobo Arbenz’s regime ?
The US financed Arbenz’s political opposition. Overthrowing Arbenz sent a message to Latin American leftists and gave the US a blueprint for future interventions in the region
What was the record of ISI ? What type of growth did this stimulate throughout the region during the postwar years and how did this provoke unrest, resistance, and reform movement by the early 1960s ?
How did Latin America endure such a debilitating debt crisis during the 1980s ?
The 1973 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had a cost raise for oil importers in Latin America.
In 1982, Mexico would tell their US financial partners that they couldn’t pay, placing them in debt. Latin America would have to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
In what ways has the USA played a significant, through largely informal role, in the region ?
Through what tactics did Latin American regime crush their left-wing opponents ?
Why did the US mostly support Latin American dictators that used violence and terror against their own citizens ?
To what extent can the activities used by military juntas be legitimately labeled acts of state terrorism ?
