Latin America in the 19th and 20th
Centuries
Prior to the 20th Century
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In the 1700s Spanish power was starting to
decline. Creoles(criollos) began to question
the policies of Spain and Portugal. However,
independence movements initially fell short
because of the unwillingness of the elites to
include the political participation of Indian,
mestizo, and mulatto masses.
Events in Europe seems to be the catalyst
that brought change in Latin America.. Four
events in particular had an influence on Latin
America
Latin America Prior to the 20th Century - p.2
Events that caused political change:
1.
The American Revolution(1775-1783) provided a model of how
to break from the mother country. Creoles liked it.
2.
The French Revolution(1789) - very popular in LA until it got
radical for the Creole elites. Could not deal with regicide rejection of the church’s authority or the social leveling of the
Declaration of the Rights of Man
3.
Revolt in Haiti - in 1791 the slave Toussaint L’Overture led a
revolt against the French. In 1804, Haiti became the first Latin
American colony to achieve independence. For the elites, this
was an example to avoid.
4.
This last event helped LA independence the most: France
(Napoleon) invaded Spain and Portugal. A general insurrection
and long civil war questioned who was actually in charge in
Spain. Juntas in LA claimed to rule by the deposed king
Ferdinand’s decree; but actually ruled for themselves.
Toussaint L’Overture - The Haitian
slave turned rebel leader
Mexico - its beginning
• In 1810, Father Miguel de Hidalgo called for
American Indians and mestizos to break from
Spain. He lost the support of the Creoles, who
feared social rebellion more than they desired
independence. Hidalgo was eventually
captured and executed.
• In 1820, acting on events in Spain, Creoles
once again moved toward independence.
Augustin de Iturbide, a Creole officer, was
sent to crush the insurgents. Instead, he cuts
a deal and becomes emperor of Mexico. Thus,
in 1823 - Mexico becomes in independent
nation. However, Mexico is born a monarchy with little recognition to the Indian and mestizo
masses.
Mexico - p.2
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The 1824 Mexican constitution is modeled after the United States and
France’s constitution; but it does not address the social inequality in the
nation.
A power struggle ensues between conservative centralists and liberal
federalists. The liberals were in control until their attack on the church led
to a violent reaction and assumption of power by General Antonio López
de Santa Anna. A caudillo(independent rulers who often had their
personal armies), Santa Anna represents deep rooted social problems of
Mexico
Problems with Texas led to Texas’s declaration of independence in 1836.
The U.S. claims manifest destiny in 1845, which leads to the MexicanAmerican War - a loss for Mexico
The Treaty of Guadalupe - Hidalgo in 1848 takes about 1/2 of Mexico’s
territory, but only 5% of the population. The war with the U.S. leaves a
bitter legacy of distrust with its northern neighbor; but increases a sense
of Mexican nationalism.
Mexico - p.3
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Mexicans tire of Santa Anna, and a new generation of
intellectuals emerge - in particular, one Benito Juárez - an
Indian who is legally trained. Juárez envisions a Mexican society
that is based on the rule of law and the privileges of the church
and the military would be eliminated as a means to promote
social change. His movement is called La Reforma(1857).
La Reform’s attempt to redistribute land terribly backfires resulting in half of Mexico’s rural peasants landless.
La Reforma’s forms a new constitution hated by the elites and
the church. Conservatives plea for Napoleon III for help. He
sends the Austrian archduke Maximilian von Habsburg as ruler
of Mexico in 1862. The presence of French troops allowed him to
rule.
Max tried to appease Juárez, but he could not tolerate a foreign
ruler. When the French army left Mexico, Maximilian and his
generals were captured and executed. The message to Europe hands off of Mexico.
In 1872, Juárez dies and one of his generals, Porfirio Diaz
becomes president and then virtual dictator.
Emperor Maximilian’s Execution by
the French painter Eduard Manet
Mexican Revolution -p.4
• Porfirio Diaz’s rule saw great economic change in Mexico. He
allowed foreigners into Mexico to develop the mining, railroad,
and other industries. This enriched the Mexican elite; did little for
the masses. Any opposition was dealt with harshly.
• In 1910, when Francisco Madero proposed to run against Diaz
under the banner of moderate social change, Diaz had Madero
arrested and rigged the election that put Diaz back in power.
When Madero was released from prison, he called for a revolt.
• In the north, bandit and commander Pancho Villa led a rebellion
of farmers, railroaders, and cowboys.
• In the south, Emiliano Zapata led a peasant based guerrilla
movement fighting for land reform under the banner of “Tierra y
Libertad.”
• Zapata criticized Madero’s moderate reforms as not enough Madero lost control of his subordinates.
• In 1913, with the blessing of the U.S. ambassador in Mexico,
Madero was ousted in a military coup and then assassinated.
General Victoriano Huerta was now in charge, temporarily. Diaz
fled to El Paso.
Mexican Revolution - p.5
• Huerta wanted a Diaz-style dictatorship supported by
large landowners, the army, and foreign companies but the revolution would not be stopped - Pancho Villa
and Emiliano Zapata were still fighting.
• By 1914, Huerta was out but the victorious leaders now
fought amongst themselves on the nature of the new
regime. Eventually, the general Alvaro
Obregón,emerged as the leader of the government.
• By 1920 the civil war was over. Obregón was elected
president - he was a first of series of presidents from
the “revolutionary elite.”
• The Mexican Constitution of 1917 promised land
reform, limited foreign ownership of resources, and
workers rights. It also limited church ownership of
property and promised educational reforms.
Mexican Revolution - Analysis
• The Mexican revolution has similarities with
revolutions in other agrarian societies that had
gone through rapid modernization.
• The Boxer Rebellion(1899-1901) and the end
of imperial China(1911), the 1905 revolution in
Russia, and a revolution in Iran the same year
all occurred in societies experiencing rapid
modernization with a large amount of foreign
investment from either the United States or
western Europe.
• These nations had become overly dependent
on foreign financing. When a world banking
crises occurred in 1907-08, Mexico and these
other countries were cut-off from their needed
sources of capital, causing social unrest
Porfirio Diaz - Mexican Dictator
Francisco Madero -
Madero’s insubordinate subordinates Zapata and Villa
Art by Mexican muralist Siquieros
Culture and Politics in Post-revolutionary Mexico
• Having neglected the needs of the masses in Mexico for over a
century, Mexico now wanted to “Indianize” the nation through an
education system that promoted nationalism and decried
capitalism.
• The murals of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco
recaptured the past and outlined social programs through murals
painted on public buildings. Mexican art and literature was a
combination of romantic images of Indian past, Christian
symbols, and communist ideology.
• The secularization of society was met with opposition from the
church and conservative groups - the Cristeros fought during the
1920s that ended in a compromise.
• The U.S. invaded Mexico after Pancho Villa made a raid into
Columbus, N.M. just prior to American involvement in WW1.
• Mexican President Cardenas nationalized the oil industry in 1934
that called for further American intervention in Mexico. This
action implied that Mexico was striving to be economicallly
independent.
• Mexico developed a one-party system. The party, called the
Party of the Institutionalized Revolution(PRI) developed in the
1920s and 1930s and became a force in Mexican politics
The Cuban Revolution
Che and Fidel
The Cuban Revolution: Socialism in the Caribbean
• The differences between the Cuban and Guatemalan
revolutions underscore the diversity of Latin America
• Cuba was a nation of 6 million descendents of
Spanish and African slaves; Guatemala had a large
Indian population.
• Cuba had a better education and health systems
compared to other nations in the region; it had a large
middle-class
• Cuba was heavily dependent on the United States 3/4s of their imports came from the United States
• Cuba’s main product was sugar, followed by tobacco a tenuous basis for an economy
• The growing gap between the rural poor and the
middle-class gave rise to tensions.
The Cuban Revolution
• Cuba was ruled from 1934 to 1944 by the authoritarian Fulgencio
Batista.
• Initially, Batista worked as a reformer, but his regime was corrupt.
When he returned to power in 1952 - he was more of a dictator
than a reformer
• In 1953, Fidel Castro, a young lawyer and critic of Batista,
organized a militia and launched an unsuccessful attack on a
military barracks. Thrown into prison, and then released - he fled
to Mexico where he met the Argentinean Ernesto “Che”
Guevara.
• In 1956, Castro and Guevara launched a military invasion of
Cuba. By 1958 they had gained popular support from students
and laborers.
• Batista, no longer an ally of the United States for his excesses,
could not put down the Marxist-Leninist “barbudos.”
• The new government, formed January 1959, initiated sweeping
reforms. Foreign properties were expropriated, farms were
collectivized, and a centralized socialist economy was put in place.
The Cuban Revolution - p.2
• The communists policies of Castro alienated
the United States - the U.S. broke off relations
in 1961; there is still no diplomatic or
economic relations today.
• The American CIA led Bay of Pigs invasion
drove the Cubans to establish relations with
the Soviet Union.
• The Cuban Missile Crises in October, 1962
further deteriorated relations between the U.S.
and Cuba. The crises is considered the most
dangerous moment in World History - the U.S.
and Soviet Union were on the verge of nuclear
war.
Cuban Revolution: Epilogue
• Cuba remained very dependent on the
financial support of the Soviet Union. When
the U.S.S.R. collapsed in the early 1990s,
Cuba’s situation deteriorated.
• In the late 1970s, Castro emptied his jails of
Cuban criminals, lunatics, and other unwanted
citizens and launched them to the United
States - the Cuban flotilla was just another
episode of bad U.S. - Cuban relations.
• In 2008, Fidel Castro relinquished power to his
brother, Raul. Some reforms are being
instituted today - its impact is too soon to
evaluate
Chilean President Salvador Allende at
a political rally
General Augusto Pinochet: Chilean military dictator
Signs of a dictator
Wears dark glasses indoors
Slick-back hairstyle
Military uniform
Mean look or
evil smile
Rolex Watch
Usually a lot of
medals
Henchmen
always nearby
Juan and Eva Peron Argentina
Juan and Evita Peron
Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico