Semester B Unit 6 Flashcards
- Which areas of the Western Hemisphere make up Latin America? How many independent nations are in Latin America and why is this region called Latin America?
The central and southern parts of the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and the continent of South America make up the area
called Latin America. There are 35 independent nations. The area is called Latin America because it was colonized mainly by Spain and Portugal, whose languages descended from Latin.
- What type of government did Brazil adopt after independence? The new Latin American nations became republics in name; why didn’t they develop into democracies?
Brazil became a constitutional monarchy. The new Latin American nations did not develop into democracies partly because Spain and Portugal had never encouraged the development of representative institutions in their colonies.
- Which colonial legacies remained in the newly independent Latin American nations?
- Most of the wealth remained in the hands of a minority of large landowners.
- Military strongmen known as caudillos used social unrest as an excuse to seize political power.
- Strong racial divisions remained; whites discriminated against the Indians, who lived in isolated, impoverished communities; mixed-race mestizos held a position between the whites and Indians and could sometimes rise through ambition and hard work.
- A white minority dominated government and commerce.
- Catholicism remained the dominant religion.
- What are developing nations? Why did Latin America enter the twentieth century as a region of developing nations?
Developing nations are countries with low levels of industry and commerce, where a majority of the people live in poverty. During the nineteenth century, the economies of Latin American nations remained rooted in agriculture. Because a small minority owned most of the land for farming, wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few, leaving the majority of the people in poverty
- How was Latin America affected by the worldwide Great Depression of the 1930s?
Some Latin American nations exported agricultural products to the developed countries of Europe and North America. The Great Depression of the 1930s drove down demand for agricultural products, and the value of Latin American exports fell by nearly half. Across the region, more people fell into poverty
- What did Latin American leaders try to do to remake their own economies after World War II? Why?
Latin American leaders realized that their countries had depended too much on agriculture, so they promoted the growth of industry and manufactured goods at home. They believed that by manufacturing goods they could end trade deficits and make their nations more self-sufficient.
- What effect did the growth of industry have on the Latin American society?
To get the factories built, Latin American businessmen often had to look to developed countries for technical knowledge and investment capital. Latin American economies remained dependent on the economies of the wealthier developed nations, which fueled resentment and a growing sense of nationalism. Millions of poor people left their rural homes and flocked to the cities in the hope of finding well-paying jobs in factories. Latin American cities grew rapidly, and many migrants from the countryside found that not enough jobs were available in the cities, and most lacked the skills to perform the ones that were.
- What led to political unrest in many Latin American nations in the 1950s?
Social inequality and widespread poverty fueled political unrest. Those in power resisted reform, and violent rebellions broke out in some countries.
- Why did the United States intervene in several Latin American nations during the Cold War era? Give two examples of U.S. intervention in Latin America.
The United States had sometimes intervened in Latin American countries where political turmoil threatened American business or political interests. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States used a naval blockade of Cuba to force the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson sent U.S. troops to the Dominican Republic because he feared that fighting among political factions might bring an anti-American group to power, and he would not allow another communist government in the Western Hemisphere. Other presidents intervened in Chile, Nicaragua, and elsewhere when communism or socialism threatened to emerge.
- What is liberation theology and how did it relate to the changing role of the Catholic Church in Latin America in the postwar era?
Liberation theology is the belief that Christians should work on behalf of the poor and oppressed. In the 1970s, some Catholic priests and nuns in Latin America practiced a form of liberation theology and began demanding reform in the name of workers and peasants. The head of the country’s Catholic Church, Archbishop Oscar Romero, proclaimed the right of the poor to organize and defend themselves.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/111qdoh2mCEQcYoz14SgPv0AHGQa9j2M2fRmPuuiTHGs/edit
- Why did dictators rise to power in much of Latin America?
Economic and political instability, social inequality, and poverty in Latin America led to political unrest. Many Latin Americans wanted political and social reforms and some military leaders promised to enact beneficial reforms. Some other military leaders imposed harsh and oppressive measures on the people to gain and maintain power.
- Various international organizations helped Latin American nations make the transition to democracy. Describe how the following organizations helped Latin American nations.
(a) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Answer:
(b) Organization of American States (OAS):
Answer:
IMF
The IMF offered loans to Latin American countries that promised to make reforms that encouraged free-market economies, for example, by lowering tariffs and selling government industries to private investors.
OAS
Founded in the 1940s to encourage regional cooperation, in the 1990s, the OAS focused on promoting democracy. For example, the OAS sent observers to member states to see that elections were conducted fairly.
- Which Central American nation established the most successful and longest-lived democracy in Latin America? How was this country able to achieve this status?
Costa Rica achieved the status of having the most successful and longest-live democracy in Latin America because the country pursued a democratic and peaceful road to development. Costa Rica’s president abolished its army
- What helped Nicaragua and El Salvador experience peaceful, democratic transitions of government?
Holding free elections has helped both countries. Former guerrilla groups have transformed themselves into political parties, and the people have elected their leaders.
- Give examples as to why many Latin American dictatorships failed in the late twentieth century.
In Argentina, the military government had badly mismanaged the economy and lost popularity among the people. In Brazil, mounting economic problems caused the military dictatorship to give up power in 1985. In Chile, General Pinochet stepped down in 1990, after a nationwide voted showed his lack of support from the people.
- Which two Latin American nations continue to have a dictatorship style of government?
In Cuba, the Communist Party retains control. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has acted more and more like a dictator.
- Why did the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) remain in power for so long?
Oftentimes, the voting was rigged to ensure a PRI victory. PRI candidates bribed poor citizens to win their votes. Sometimes, supporters of opposition parties were murdered.
- In 1992, Mexico, Canada, and the United States signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).What was the purpose of this agreement and did the agreement meet any resistance in the three countries it affected?
The goal of the agreement was to improve the economies of all three nations by encouraging commerce. In Mexico, nationalist politicians argued that the agreement weakened Mexico, while labor unions protested that their members would lose jobs because of competition from cheaper foreign imports.
- What are some of the ongoing issues that Latin American nations have struggled to address?
Some of the greatest challenges include urban poverty and the violence associated with the drug trade.
- When the Cold War ended, the drug trade became one of the main concerns for the U.S. government in its relations with Latin America. What has the United States done to help Latin American nations stop the flow of drug trade?
In 1989, the U.S. invaded Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega, who engaged in drug trafficking. The American government has given Colombia some $5 billion in aid to destroy crops of coca, the plant from which cocaine is made. The United States has also provided military assistance to the Colombian armed forces to fight guerrilla groups that support themselves by smuggling drugs. The United States has given millions of dollars to Mexico’s military and police to assist in their war on drug cartels.
- What are some of the problems Latin American nations have in agriculture?
Poor farmers have been crowded out of land ownership by powerful agribusinesses. In Peru and Brazil, desperate farmers have cleared land in protected rain forests, causing severe damage to the environment. As farmers have planted more crops to sell for export, less land is planted with food crops, causing food prices to go up
- What are the major urban problems in large Latin American cities?
People are crowded together in shanty towns that have no running water, sewers, or electricity; high crime rates, water shortages, and air pollution are some of the urban problems found in Latin American cities.
- Despite the embrace of democracy and the spread of free market reforms, what are the two major problems that Latin America continues to face?
Poverty and inequality are two stubborn problems that Latin America continues to face
- What was the goal of Mao’s Great Leap Forward?
to modernize China within 15 years
- During the Great Leap Forward the following occurred:
* Factor managers drove their machines and workers to the point of ______________.
* Nearly the entire rural population was forced into gigantic farming ______________, where they were subject to military-style discipline. They were worked mercilessly.
- Factor managers drove their machines and workers to the point of BREAKDOWN.
- Nearly the entire rural population was forced into gigantic farming COMMUNES, where they were subject to military-style discipline. They were worked mercilessly.
- Two important results of the Great Leap Forward were:
* At least ____ million Chinese starved to death from a man-made famine.
* The close alliance between the Chinese and the _______________ came to an end.
- At least 20 million Chinese starved to death from a man-made famine.
- The close alliance between the Chinese and the SOVIETS came to an end.
- Mao’s goal in launching the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was to stamp out any trace of ____________________ in China and to destroy the allegiance of the Chinese to their traditional culture, especially the ancient philosophy of ___________________.
Mao’s goal in launching the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was to stamp out any trace of CAPITALISM in China and to destroy the allegiance of the Chinese to their traditional culture, especially the ancient philosophy of CONFUCIANISM.
- After Mao died, Deng Xiaoping began to modernize in four areas—agriculture, industry, technology, and defense. The Chinese Communist Party refused, however, to allow a fifth modernization that was called for by dissidents. What was it?
Democracy
- How did the Chinese government respond to the growing democracy movement in the late 1980s?
The government crushed it; for example, the government sent tanks and troops to stop student protestors in Tiananmen Square.
- After Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, life in China changed in some respects and stayed the same in others. Explain whether life changed or stayed the same politically and economically.
(a) Politics
(b) Economics
POLITICS
People still cannot vote in a free election, criticize their government, or worship if and as they please
ECONOMICS
The government has allowed greater economic freedom. This has resulted in a growing middle class that dresses in Western clothes and can afford consumer goods like televisions and personal computers.
- Complete the following table to explain the reasons for India’s partition and the political and social result.
India’s Partition
Cause
India’s population included Hindus and Muslims. The Muslims, who were a _______________, believed the Hindus would not share power with them or grant them equal rights.
Effect
The British partitioned India.
Social and Political Outcomes
CAUSE
India’s population included Hindus and Muslims. The Muslims, who were a MINORITY, believed the Hindus would not share power with them or grant them equal rights.
EFFECT
The British partitioned India.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL OUTCOMES
Two new countries: India with a Hindu majority and Pakistan with a Muslim majority; the fighting caused at least a million deaths and millions became refugees
- Jawaharlal Nehru committed himself to Gandhi’s campaign of passive resistance in the 1920s. In 1929, he became the leader of the Congress Party and worked toward Indian independence. Nehru became India’s first prime minister in 1947. As prime minister, he did the following:
* Emphasized the need for national __________ and a respect for democracy
* Helped pass laws forbidding discrimination against the __________________ of India’s caste system
* Worked to improve the status of _______________, who were given the right to vote, hold office, and inherit property
* Reorganized India’s economy on _______________ principles (the government took over major industries and most agricultural production)
* Pursued a policy of __________________, and refused to take sides in the Cold War
- Emphasized the need for national UNITY and a respect for democracy
- Helped pass laws forbidding discrimination against the “UNTOUCHABLES” of India’s caste system
- Worked to improve the status of WOMEN, who were given the right to vote, hold office, and inherit property
- Reorganized India’s economy on SOCIALIST principles (the government took over major industries and most agricultural production)
- Pursued a policy of NONALIGNMENT, and refused to take sides in the Cold War
- Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, served as India’s prime minister for four terms throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She continued the socialist economic policies of Nehru, was found guilty of _________________, assumed almost dictatorial powers, and dealt with a growing independence movement among the Sikhs.
- Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, served as India’s prime minister for four terms throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She continued the socialist economic policies of Nehru, was found guilty of CORRUPTION, assumed almost dictatorial powers, and dealt with a growing independence movement among the Sikhs.
