Latin America Flashcards

26^th of July Movement

· was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1958 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba. The 26th of July Movement fought the Batista regime on both rural and urban fronts.

Alliance for Progress

· initiated by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 aimed to establish economic cooperation between North and South America

· increased economic assistance to Latin America to over a billion dollars a year but was cut short of this when Nixon took office.

Atlacatl Battalion

· a former Salvadoran Army unit, was a rapid-response, counter-insurgency battalion created in 1980 at the U.S. Army's School of the Americas, then located in Panama. It was implicated in some of the most infamous incidents of the Salvadoran Civil War. It was named for Atlacatl, a legendary figure from Salvadoran history.

Augusto Pinochet

· was a Chilean army general and president who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973. Among his titles, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean army from 1973 to 1998, president of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1974 and President of the Republicfrom 1974 until transferring power to a democratically elected president in 1990

Bay of Pigs

· was an unsuccessful attempt by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southernCuba, with support from US government armed forces, to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro.

· The plan was launched in April 1961, less than three months after John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency in theUnited States. The Cuban armed forces, trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the exile combatants in three days.

Blancos & Colorados

· Two parties that were present in the Uruguayan Civil War also known as the Guerra Grande from 1839 to 1851

· Conservative Blancos represented the business interests of Montevideo

· Liberal Colorados looked after the agricultural interests of the countryside

Bolsa Familia

is a part of the Brazilian governmental welfare program Fome Zero (Zero Hunger). Bolsa Família provides financial aid to poor and indigent Brazilian families on condition that their children attend school and are vaccinated. The program attempts to both reduce short-term poverty by direct cash transfers and fight long-term poverty by increasing human capital among the poor through conditional cash transfers

Bracero Program

· agreement between Mexico and the US 1942 for the importation of temporary contract laborers from Mexico to the US.

· Formally ended in 1964

Brazil’s Economic Miracle

· The military government had created conditions in which new industries could thrive at the expense of Brazil’s poor majority

· Safe climate for foreign investment meant low wages, no strikes, few restrictions, and no exporpriations

Chaco War

· Fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, incorrectly thought to be rich in oil

· Led to the bloodies military conflict fought in South America during th 20^th century.

Che Guevara

· Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerilla leader, and major figure in the Cuban Revolution

· His experiences led him to believe that Latin American poverty were a complex result of capitalism, monopolies, neocolonialism, and imperialism with the only remedy of Revolution.

Chicago Boys

· were a group of young Chilean economists who trained at the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger, or at its effective offshoot in the economics department at the Catholic University of Chile. The training was the result of a "Chile Project" organised in the 1950s by the US State Department and funded by the Ford Foundation, which aimed at influencing Chilean economic thinking. They made ISI

Colonel Domingo Monterrosa

· Military commander during the Salvadoran Civil War.

· Militarily trained by American soldiers in Panama and in Taiwan

· Head of the Atlacatl Battalion that was responsible for the El Mozote Massacre.

Constitution of 1917

· Carranza was the first president under this new constitution and it is still the present constitution of Mexico.

Contras

· Regrouped Somoza National Guard that created a new U.S. proxy force that raided Nicaragua from bases on the Honduran side of the Honduran-Nicaraguan border.

· Reagan coined them the ‘Freedom Fighters’ and were trained by Argentine military government under CIA supervision

Cuban Embargo

· Put on by the US with the intention to cut off not only US trade but also all trade between Cuba and countries allied with the US.

· Cuba could not trade with the rest of Latin America due to US grip on the OAS—sanctions applied to neutral countries as well

· Cuba’s external trade shifted decisively to distant countries aligned with Soviet Russia.

Cuban Missile Crisis

· Mid—1962 Soviet Union began installing nuclear missile installations and exporting missiles to Cuba—US threatened an ultimatum to Russians

· One of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War; Soviets remove missiles

· Ended any real military threat of the US towards Cuba

Daniel Mitrione

· FBI agent and US government advisor for the CIA in Latin America.

Deane Hinton

· US ambassador to El Salvador in 1981-83 and in Costa Rica and Panama

Dirty War

· Period of state sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983

· Victims of violence were left wing activists—trade unionists, students, journalists

· Carried out primarily by Rafael Videla’s military dictatorship as part of Operation Condor sponsored by the US government

El Mozote Massacre

· December 1981 US trained Salvadoran armed forces killed from 200 to 1000 civilians in an anti-guerilla campaign during the Salvadoran Civil War.

Estado Novo

· Created by Brazil’s ex-dictator Getúlio Vargas

· Industrialization program and general expansion of government activites were typical of mid-1900s nationalist movements

· Created unions but did not allow them to strike—instead worker grievances were to be dealt with by the government—not controlled by the workers themselves

Eva Duarte

· Also known as Eva Peron or Evita was the wife of Juan Peron

· Raged against the traditional landowning oligarchy in typical populist form

· and she played a large role in mobilizing the Peronist movement.

· Helped win the vote for Argentine women in 1947 and advocated equal pay for equal work

Falkland/Malvinas War

· Fought in 1982 between UK and Argentina

· Disputed area over the sovereignty

· Argentina surrenders after 74 days and ignited larger protests against the ruling military government which quickened its downfall

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

· President of Brazil till 2003

· Continued privatization program launched by de Mello thus starting the process of denationalization in Brazil

· Former minister of Foreign Affairs and renowned sociologist

· Actions can sometimes be considered as neoliberal

Fidel Castro

· Is a Marxist Cuban politician, primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution and has held many prominent positions in the Cuban government until he resigned in 2010 due to health reasons

· Initially a lawyer turned politician that critiqued and later helped overthrow President Batista and disliked the US for its political and corporate influence in Cuba.

FMLN

· Since 1992 a leftwing political party in El Salvador and formerly a coalition of five revolutionary guerrilla organizations

· Main participants in Salvadoran Civil War

FSLN—Sandanistas

· Socialist political party in Nicaraga

· Named after Sandino leader of the resistance in 1930s

· Overthrew Somoza and imposed significant social reforms—literacy, health care, and gender equality

· Were met by opposition by the Contras

Fulgencio Batista

· President, dictator, and military leader of Cuba that was closely aligned with and supported by the US.

· Was in power until 1944

· Came to power by overthrowing the government of Gerardo Machado

· Regime was corrupt and repressive and systemtically profited from the exploitation of Cuba’s commercial interests with US corporations and mafia

Getulio Vargas

· Brazilian Dictator—Creator of Estado Novo made a comeback in 1950

· Left-leaning populist

· Mingled between worker’s candidate and using pro-labor opportunistically.

· Estado Novo prosecuted the Communist Party but it was paternalistic in many ways

· Nationalist policies mad him truly popular among the Brazilian porr.

Globalization

· The process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of political ideas through communication, transportation, and trade.

Good Neighbor Policy

· 1933--Was the foreign policy of the administration of the US President FDR toward Latin American countries as a result of severed Great Britain diplomatic relation

· FDR’s representatives swore off military intervention

· Cuba and Panama were no longer to be “protectorates”

· Result was a change in the mood of US-Latin American relations

Granma

The name of the yacht used to transport 82 fighters from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 during the Cuban revolution. They were on a mission to over throw Batista. Their initial landing was not successful because local peasants alerted the army. Only 12 fighters survived and they became famous after.

Hugo Chaves

The name of the yacht used to transport 82 fighters from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 during the Cuban revolution. They were on a mission to over throw Batista. Their initial landing was not successful because local peasants alerted the army. Only 12 fighters survived and they became famous after.

Import-export model

Latin America countries need to sell anything they can produce and manufacture and buy everything else.

Isabel Peron

Former president of Argentina, and third wife to former president Juan Peron. When he was in office she was vice president and when he died she took over. She was the first female head of state in the western hemisphere.

ISI

Import-substitution industrialization. The creation of domestic industry to produce products previously imported. Occurred in Latin America during the mid 1900s. This would make Latin American countries less dependent on foreign imports. This was formed in response to the great depression, Latin American countries were not able to export many goods because of low sales around the world.

Jacobo Arbenz

The second reformist president of Guatemala (1951-54). He also was a military officer. He was the president taken out when the American government organized the coup and was replaced by Carlos Castillo. Arbenz was exiled to Mexico and died there in 1971

Joao Goulart

Political protégé of Vargas 24^th president of Brazil, a military coup took him out in 1964. He was not favored by the US government. The economy stalled when he was in power because the urban middle class was against him. He worked hard to try and gain their support and was never successful.

Jorge Eliecer Gaitan

Rose to fame denouncing a massacre of banana workers. He was against the power and the wealth of the upper class. He talked about his poor upbringings to win the crowd over. He was assassinated in 1948, this triggered the “bogotazo”, one of the greatest urban riots to ever occur in Latin America.

Jose Batlle y Ordonez

President of Uruguay for two terms: (1903-07) and (1911-15). Had heavy support from the immigrant, middle and working class. In his second term as president he launched a reform movement called: Batllismo. This movement was against “foreign economic imperialism”. Balltismo was one of the most successful reform movements in Uruguay’s history.

Jose Figueres Ferrer “Don Pepe”-

Served as president of Costa Rica three times: (1948-49), (1953-58) and (1970-74). During the civil war he led “Caribbean Legion” against the National republic party. Figueres defeated communist led guerillas and the Costa Rican army. They won the civil war and he became president, and one of his first acts as president was getting rid of the army.

Juan Peron

Populist leader in Argentina, raised workers standard of living, in return the working class was extremely loyal to them. He was overthrown in 1955 during a military coup. He was exiled until 1973 when he came back to serve his third term. He served for 9 months until his death. His wife Isabel took over after his death.

Lazaro Cardenas

He ran unopposed as the revolutionary party’s candidate for president. However he campaigned like he was the underdog. He visited many villages and was always loyal to his cause. He campaigned for a fairer Mexico. During his presidency he distributed 45 million acres of land.

Liberation theology

a small but influential grassroots movement within the Latin American catholic church beginning in the late 1960’s. In accord with liberation theology, consciousness raising and social organizing among the poor became central missions.

Luiz “Lula” Ignacio

35^th president of Brazil. One of the founding members of the workers party. He developed the “bolsa Familia” which was Brazil’s welfare program. This was implemented with Fome zero “zero hunger”. During lulas first term as president poverty fell nearly 30%.

Maquiladoras

a transnational operation that created a manufacturing plan in Latin American countries. These plants used the cheap labor, usually the labor of women. The labor didn’t mean much to the maquiladora and when women would get pregnant they would usually be fired. Also Maquiadoras paid low tariffs, plants in Mexico would manufacture goods and send them across the US boarder to be sold.

Marshall Plan

in 1947 this plan was created to help rebuild post war Europe. Latin Americans saw this as the disenchantment of America. The US would start to spend vast sums of money and saw Europe as their new model of progress. Latin America got about 2% of the foreign aid given about by the US between 1946-59.

MERCOSUR

a free trade zone created by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. It was created 1 year after NAFTA. This gave people access to the Internet and the radio and increased the transnational economy. Lower tariffs gave people more options on imported goods.

Monroe Doctrine-

A US foreign policy by which the United States proclaimed European “hands off” the western hemisphere, reserving it for US influence. The doctrine was rarely invoked until the expansion of US naval power in the 1890’s. This was the first by the US to try and install their government systems and beliefs in Latin American.

Montoneros

An argentine peronist urban guerilla force. They were active during the 1960s and 70s. They hoped for Peron to return from exile and turn Argentina into a “socialist fatherland”. When Peron returned from exile his political ideas were different then those of the montoneros.

Mothers of the disappeared

an organization of Argentine mothers who have become human rights activists. It started when mothers of abducted children would meet in the square. Their children were the victims of “dirty war” abductions organized by the argentine government. The military never acknowledged the dirty war that went behind the scenes and called the women crazy.

Movement for national liberation (MNL)-

Mexican leftist political party composed of numerous socialist, Marxist and peasant activists groups.

NAFTA (North American free trade agreement)-

An agreement signed by Canada, US and Mexico. The goal of this agreement was to eliminate barriers of trade between all North American countries. This would eventually lead to the elimination of all trade tariffs between the 3 countries.

National Guard (Nicaragua)-

The first Somoza used the national guard to take over Nicaragua after he had Augusto Sandino killed. This led to the Somoza family taking control of Nicaragua from the 1940s to 70s.

National Security Doctrine

This basically outlined the US/Latin American relationship post world war 2. The US would fund and train Latin American armies to stop any communist threat. They taught them how to fight guerilla forces and the US army would use its air force and navy to protect them from the outside. One important thing is that America would never send its own troops to fight IN Latin American countries.

Neo-liberalism

an updated version of liberalism that swept Latin America in the 1990s, following a period of cold war reaction and military rule. By the 1990s everyone was already past nationalism and neoliberalism was the future. The fact that America was the last true super power made liberalism more favorable as well. The violence that dominated Latin America during the cold war made nationalism very unfavorable.

Nestor Kirchner

Served as the 54^th President of Argentina. He was little known before his election, which he won due to the other candidate withdrawing. Krichner overturned amnesty laws accused of torture and assassinations during the “dirty war”. He was then succeeded by his wife.

Organization of American States

An international organization, headquartered in Washington D.C.

Operation Condor

This was a campaign of political repression involving assassinations and intelligence operations implanted by right-wing dictators. Program was aimed to eradicate all socialist and communist threats against governments. Condor included Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil, with the US supervising.

PDVSA

Venezuelan state owned Petroleum Company. It is the world’s fifth largest oil exporter. PDVSA owns Citgo. After a lock out of workers, Hugo Chavez fired 19,000 employees and replaced them with employees loyal to Chavez. It considers itself indistinguishable from the state, with its social programs running the country’s socialist revolution.

PEMEX

Pemex is a Mexico state owned petroleum company and is the second largest company in the world.

Peronism

Argentinian political movement based on the programs associated with president “Juan Peron. Based upon strong centralized government, freedom from foreign influences, an approach to economics that is neither socialist nor capitalist, and finally the combination of nationalism and social democracy.

PETROBRAS

A semi owned Brazilian energy company. Was founded mainly due to the efforts of Getulio Vargas.

Populism

A political philosophy that compares “the people” against “the elite” and urges social and political system changes. What appeals to the general mass of the population, regardless of class distinction and political partisanship.

PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party)

A Mexican political party that held power for 70 years. PRI is a Socialist International and a rival Party of the Democratic Revolution.

Radio Venceremos

Was an underground radio network of the anti government FMNLF during the Salvadorian Civil War

Rafael Trujillo

Nicknamed El Jefe, ruled the DR from 1930 til his assassination in 1961. Mostly ruled, aside from presidency, as an unelected military strongman. One of the bloodiest tyrannies of 20^th century.

Raul Castro

President of the Cuban Council of State. Younger brother of Fidel Castro. Received transfer of powers from Fidel due to his illness. Was then elected after Fidel announced he would not be running again.

Revolution of 1930

was a movement that overthrew President Washington Luís and installed Getúlio Vargas as Provisional President.

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Was an extension to the Monroe Doctrine, instituted by Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. This asserted that the US had the right to intervene to “stabilize” economic affairs in the Caribbean and Central America. The catalyst for this was the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902-1903.

Rufina Amaya

Rufina was the only survivor of the massacre at el mozote. Through her testimonies and ability to surface evidence, the massacre at el mozote became much more well known.

Salvador Allende

29^th president of Chile. Member of the socialist party and won the presidency in 1970. Adopted policies of nationalization and collectivization despite strong opposition from Nixon

School of the America’s

Nicknamed “School of Assassins”, a Department of Defense training facility in Georgia. Between 1946-2001 they trained more than 61,000 Latin American soldiers and policemen, many who became notorious for human rights violations.

SERPAJ (Peace and Justice Service)

Non governmental American organization aimed at promoting human rights, solidarity, and non-violence. Comprised of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Uruguay. Adolfo Perez Esquivel was one of the founders and winners of the nobel peace prize.

Shining Path

A Marxist organization that opened in Peru in 1980. When it first launched the internal conflict in Peru in 1980, its stated goal was to replace what it saw as bourgeois democracy with "New Democracy". The Shining Path believed that by imposing a dictatorship of the proletariat, inducing cultural revolution, and eventually sparking world revolution, they could arrive at pure communism.

Somoza Dynasty

43 years in power, they were influential political dynasty in Nicaragua. Were ultimately overthrown by the FSLN

Tenentes

An uprising led by junior army officers that greatly contributed to the Brazilian Revolution of 1930. Launched multiple revolts to spur the revolution.

Buenos Aires Consensus

2003, Argentina's then-President Nestor Kirchner and Brazilian President Lula da Silva signed the "Buenos Aires Consensus", a manifesto in opposition to the policies of the Washington Consensus Skeptical political observers note, however, that Lula's rhetoric on such public occasions should be distinguished from the policies actually implemented by his administration.

Tlatelolco Massacre

A governmental massacre that took place in Mexico City and killed students and bystanders. While the media said it was due to the soldiers being provoked, later documents revealed the opposite.

Todd Greentree

Writer of The Massacre at El Mozote and of the New York Times. He was the first to bring light to the massacre that occurred in El Mozote to international attention.

Truman Doctrine

A policy set forth by U.S. President Harry S Truman on March 12, 1947 stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet sphere.

Tupamaros

Guerilla organization in Uruguay in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The MLN is inextricably linked to its most important leader, Raúl Sendic, and his brand of social politics. José Mujica, current president of Uruguay, was also a member.

UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico)

Public University in Mexico City. UNAM's autonomy, granted in the 1920s, has given it the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without interference from the government. This has had a profound effect on academic life at the university, which some claim boosts academic freedom and independence.

United Fruit Company

An United States corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on third world plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. Formed in 1899, It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries.

Zonas Rojas

Sections in Latin America with High Crime rates.

Latin America Flashcards

History 526 with Gelfand at Boston College

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