LATIN AMERICA &

THE CARIBBEAN
GLOBAL STUDIES

WHAT IS LATIN AMERICA?

THE GROUP OF TERRITORIES AND COUNTRIES IN THE

AMERICAS WHERE ROMANCE LANGUAGES ARE
SPOKEN; INCLUDING SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, AND
FRENCH

Historical Characteristics
Pre-Columbian Heritage
Three ancient / highly developed
civilizations were in L atin America
before Columbus
The Mayans
The Aztecs
The Incas

Historical Characteristics
Colonialism
W ith the arrival of the Spanish
& P ortuguese, the indigenous
people lost power.
Europeans enslaved native
peoples in the Caribbean and
Brazil to w ork on sugar
plantations.
After many natives died
from disease, Europeans
brought Africans over.

Historical Characteristics
Christ The
Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil

Colonialism
Europeans brought w ith
them their:
L anguage (mostly
Spanish & P ortuguese)
& Religion (Roman
Catholicism)
Brazil currently has
the largest Catholic
population in the
w orld.

Historical Characteristics
Spanish colonial society w as made up of distinct social classes:
1. P eninsulares born in Spain. Held the highest positions in the
colonial government and Catholic Church.
2. Creoles colonial-born descendants of Spanish settlers. Owned
most of the plantations, ranches and mines. Increasingly independentminded.
3. Mestizos A mix of Native American & European descent.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Mulattos A mix of African and European descent.

Native Americans
Africans
W omen

Latin America is much more

unequal than other regions. The

reason is history. European

colonization set a pattern of

exploitation of indigenous

Indians. Its legacy, and that of

slavery, live on. This helps to

explain the ethnic character of

some of the region's
inequality.
The Economist

Historical Characteristics
Haitian Revolution
Haiti became the 1st country in L atin
America to break free of Europe.
500,000 - 560,000 people were
enslaved or had been enslaved in
late 1700s
led by Francois ToussaintqLouverture, African slaves set fires
to plantations and fields of
sugarcane.
Yellow fever added to the death of
thousands of French soldiers.

Historical Characteristics
Simon Bolivar (1783 - 1830)
w as a wealthy Venezuelan Criollo
who spent many years traveling
Europe.
Bolivar drove out the Spaniards out
of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
each of these areas joined
together in one nation called Gran
Colombia.
It did not last but Bolivar dreamed
of a union of all L atin American
states.

Historical Characteristics
Miguel Hidalgo (1783 - 1830)
w as a Catholic priest in the town
of Dolores. He began the struggle
for Mexicos independence in 1810.
An army of mestizos & Native
Americans rallied behind Hidalgo.
Over 80,000 people joined the
fight, but the army w as soon
defeated by the Spanish.
Hidalgo w as captured and
executed in 1811.

SCHOOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
You are a spy that was sent by the Spanish gover4ment to Latin America. Your
mission is to look for suspicious people who may t=> to revolt against European
count=ies. Write a leAer to the Spanish gover4ment telling them about the three
revolutionar> leaders that you have found in Latin America. These men are a huge
threat to Spain and other European empires, so make sure you include a lot of
inforEation about these leaders.

Historical Characteristics
Cuba
In 1959 Fidel Castro led a communist revolution
over Cuba.
W ith U.S. assistance a force w ould land at
the Bay of P igs on the Cuban coast and lead
the Cuban people in an uprising against
Castro.
The Bay of P igs invasion proved a
complete disaster; 1,400 anti-Cuban exiles
attempted to overthrow Castro.
The expected uprising never happened.

Historical Characteristics
Cuba
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962 the USSR had placed nuclear missiles in
Cuba.
President Kennedy announced that the US w as
blockading Cuba.
Eventually the Soviets and Kennedy w orked out
a private agreement.

Why w as the USSR interested in helping Cuba?

1. To help a new Communist state

2. To get a launch base for inter-continental missiles (ICMs).
3. To test strength of new U.S. president, JFK.
4. Khrushchev w anted to force JFK to bargain over U.S. missiles in Europe.

On the Brink of Nuclear War

An excerpt from
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Considering its Place in Cold War History

October 1962: Kennedy Discovers the Missiles

n October 14, 1962, an American U-2

reconnaissance aircraft flew over the
province of San Cristobal in Cuba on a routine mission to gather data. The pictures the
aircraft took of the ground disclosed developments that were far from routine. The photos
revealed Soviet efforts to install approximately
forty nuclear missiles, each capable of devastating an American city.
Since Cuban leader Fidel Castros first
appeals to Moscow in 1960, U.S. officials had
repeatedly warned the Soviets against attempting to put missiles in Cuba. The Soviets had
assured the United States that they had no
intention of giving the Cubans nuclear missiles. They pledged that Cuba would receive
only nonnuclear weapons to defend the island
from attack.

There is no need for the Soviet Union

to shift its weapons for the repulsion
of aggression, for a retaliatory blow,
to any other country, for instance
Cuba. Our nuclear weapons are so
powerful in their explosive force and
the Soviet Union has such powerful
rockets to carry these nuclear
warheads, that there is no need to
search for sites for them beyond the
boundaries of the Soviet Union.

What did U.S. leaders think

Soviet intentions were?
When U.S. leaders discovered that the Soviets were installing nuclear missiles in Cuba,
they were stunned. No one was sure of Soviet
leader Nikita Khrushchev or Fidel Castros
intentions. Would the nuclear missiles be used
to threaten Cubas Latin American neighbors,
or even intimidate the United States? Did the
communist leaders believe that the United
States would not oppose their plan? In October
1962, Americans did not know the answers to
these questions.
Khrushchevs motives aside, the White
House was shocked that the Soviets had ignored U.S. warnings against putting missiles
in Cuba. President Kennedy was especially indignant at the secrecy surrounding the Soviet
operation. Kennedy administration officials
recognized that members of Congress and the
American media would press for a strong U.S.
response.

TASS [Official press agency of the USSR]

September 11, 1962

Why was the Kennedy administration

concerned about the missiles?
In the White House, there was little disagreement that nuclear missiles in Cuba would
pose a grave threat to U.S. security. For the
first time, American territory would be highly
vulnerable to Soviet nuclear attack. From the
U.S. perspective, the question was not whether
the missiles should be removed but how.

The discovery of evidence that nuclear

missiles had been sent to Cuba forced U.S.
leaders to respond. The crisis that began when
the reconnaissance photos were examined on
October 15 was the most dangerous confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United
States of the Cold War.

Initially, President Kennedy and his

advisers decided to keep their knowledge of
the missiles secret from the Soviets and the
American public. On October 16, the president
called together his closest and most trusted
advisers to help him manage the crisis. This
group was the Executive Committee of the
National Security Council, or ExComm.

Today, it is known to Americans as the

Cuban missile crisis, to Soviets as the Caribbean crisis, and to Cubans as the October
crisis. At no other time in history has the
world come so close to nuclear war.

WWW.CHOICES.EDU

Cuban Missile
Crisis Assignment

President Kennedy and ExComm met to

consider the options for removing the Soviet
missiles from Cuba. The discussion produced
three distinct choices for U.S. action, ranging from the purely diplomatic to a full-scale
military assault. Each of the three strategies

WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, BROWN UNIVERSITY

CHOICES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION PROGRAM

Historical Characteristics
Mexico
is a major transit and drug-producing nation: an
estimated 90% of the cocaine smuggled into the
United States every year moves through Mexico.
Border Issues
9/11 fused national security w ith
immigration (i.e. anti-Mexicanism ; xenophobia)
Agribusiness and other sectors feared loss of
labor

FARC
TERRORISM IN
COLOMBIA

FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) is a left wing group of guerillas in Colombia.
In English, FARC means the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The organization was formed
in the 1960s as the military part of the Colombian Communist Party. The United States, Canada
and the European Union classify FARC as a terrorist organization. However, other countries such
as Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina do not regard the FARC as a terrorist group. They see the
FARCs logo

FARC as rebels or revolutionaries.

The group has an armed conflict with the government of Colombia. They conduct all kinds
of violent acts, such as kidnappings, extortion, bombings and shoot-outs. They usually target
wealthy landowners, foreign tourists and government officials. Their operations are funded
by the ransom from kidnappings, illegal mining and the production of drugs. The group is

FARC Warm Up

present in approximately 20% of Colombias territory, mostly in the rainforests of the

southeast and along the Andes Mountains.
FARCs aim is to overthrow the government of Colombia and establish a communist system.
They say that they represent the rural poor population of the country against the wealthy
FARC guerillas

elite. The rebels oppose the privatization of natural resources and large corporations.

It is estimated that FARC has around 9,000 members, though the number of members has dwindled because of government and police
attacks. In the last few years, FARC and the Colombian government have negotiated for peace.

Exercise 10: Are the following statements true or false?

1) FARC has religious motives for their attacks.

2) FARC wants to separate from Colombia and form
their own independent state.
3) FARC conducts attacks on ordinary citizens.
4) The conflict between FARC and the Colombian
government is ongoing.
5) The U.S. and the E.U. support the actions of FARC.
6) FARC wants to establish a communist
government in Colombia.
7) FARC has weakened in the last few years.
8) FARC produces and sells drugs in order to finance
their operations.

Exercise 11: Unscramble the words, hints are given below.

( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )

1)

uglrisela

________________

FARC is a group of communist .

2)

neoottirx

________________

A violent act that FARC conducts.

3)

eoastinfrr

________________

Where do most FARC members hide?

4)

mncomiusm

________________

What kind of government does FARC want to install?

5)

envezueal

________________

A country that does not see FARC as a terrorist group.

Colombia Facts
44 million people
Two percent own 53% of the land, while the basic food requirements of
25% are not met.

Colombia has vast wealth disparity, the second most inequitable

in the Western Hemisphere after Brazil.
approximately 64% living below the poverty line and 23% in absolute poverty.
Roughly 30% are of African descent (AfroColombians).

Historical Characteristics
Colombia
Until the 1950s, conflict w as largely between tw o major
political parties, the L iberals and Conservatives.
The CIA-backed assassination of the popular resistance
leader, Jorge Gaitan, sparked L a Violencia.
The early 1960s saw a large peasant uprising in protest of
inequity and repression.
Establishment of third party; a communist party (CCCP)
In 1964, the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia
(FARC)
desires Communism and more equality.

Historical Characteristics
The Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC)
the strength of FARC threatened
the stability of the region, which
had become a primary market
for U.S. goods and services.
FARC w as largely financed
through taxation of coca
(cocaine)and kidnapping.
After 9/11, FARC w as listed as
a terrorist organization.

FARC FAST FACTS

An estimated 220,000 people have been killed in the conflict which has brought terror, misery and death
to generations of Colombians -- and displaced as many as 5 million people.
The armed guerrilla group seized territories, used violence, kidnappings, and extortion as sources of
leverage and income. In one of its most high-profile kidnappings, the FARC abducted presidential candidate
Ingrid Betancourt in 2002. The FARC also hijacked planes and made millions trafficking cocaine, as well as
forcing children to become soldiers in its w ar. More than ten thousand people, including nearly four
thousand civilians, have been killed or maimed in landmine explosions by FARC
Juan Manuel Santos

L ast month, after lengthy talks, rebel leaders signed a peace accord w ith the government which w as then
narrowly rejected by the people of Colombia in a referendum.
After that defeat, President Santos pledged to press ahead w ith peace efforts.
"I hear those that said 'no' and those that said 'yes' and we all w ant peace.

WHY DID THEY SAY NO?

Most of those who voted "no" said they thought the peace agreement w as letting the rebels "get
aw ay w ith murder. Under the agreement, special courts w ould have been created to try
crimes committed during the conflict. Those who confessed to their crimes w ould have been
given more lenient sentences and w ould have avoided serving any time in conventional prisons.
This, for many Colombians, w as one step too far. They also balked at the government's plan to
pay demobilised Farc rebels a monthly stipend and to offer those w anting to start a business
financial help.
Others were unhappy that under the agreement, the Farc w ould be guaranteed 10 seats in the
Colombian Congress in the 2018 and 2022 elections.
They said this w ould give the newly created party an unfair advantage.

FARC FAST FACTS

THE NEGOTIATIONS
UPDATES!

1. The end of political violence. FARC ceases to be a rebel army and transforms into a political party. Once the
accord is officially signed, as soon as late September, the rebels w ill begin moving into U.N.-monitored camps where
they w ill disarm in phases over a period of 180 days. Colombia's military the lifelong enemies of the guerrillas
w ill be in charge of setting up security perimeters to protect the camps from potential attacks by drugtrafficking groups, right-w ing militias and other FARC rivals.

2. Justice for victims of the conflict. Colombia w ill establish special tribunals to adjudicate w ar crimes and other
atrocities committed by the rebels as well as paramilitary groups and government security forces. It w ill be akin to
a truth-and-reconciliation process. If combatants fully attest to their crimes, they w ill be eligible for alternative
sentences and "restorative" justice aimed at making amends to victims. If they don't tell the truth, they w ill be
vulnerable to criminal prosecution and up to 20 years behind bars. This is one of the most controversial elements of
the peace deal, because Uribe and other critics liken it to a slap on the wrist for FARC "terrorists" guilty of w ar
crimes.
3. Rural development. This w as the low-hanging fruit of the peace accords. The government has promised to invest
heavily in infrastructure projects and state-building in the long-neglected areas where FARC has held sw ay.
Naturally, once they're in politics, FARC commanders could play a big role in directing or administering
those projects. For a country w ith one of the fastest-grow ing economies in L atin America, rural Colombia has a
shockingly deficient infrastructure, and the government is simply not present in w ide sw aths of the country.

4. FARC in politics. This one is another gamble for the government, and it w as the last major sticking point to the
final accord. FARC has alw ays insisted it w as forced to take up arms in self-defense because so many of its
members and other leftists have been w iped out by right-w ing assassins while trying to participate in democratic
politics. Santos said W ednesday that the rebels w ill be granted a limited number of seats in Congress through 2018,
where they w ill not have voting rights but can speak on matters pertaining to the implementation of the peace
accords. They w ill be assured a minimum of five seats in Colombia's Senate and five seats in its lower house for
tw o legislative terms starting in 2018. But then they w ill have to w in at the ballot box, Santos said. His opponents
have already savaged this concession as an outrageous giveaw ay to the rebels.

5. Ending the drug trade. This is a big one, especially for the United States, the biggest consumer of Colombian
cocaine. Colombia's illegal coca crop is the gasoline that has kept the armed conflict running all these years, and the
rebels owe their massive military expansion in the 1990s to an increasing dominance of the drug trade. Under the
peace accords, FARC essentially agrees to go out of business as a narcotics-trafficking organization and to w ork
w ith the government and others attempting to wean Colombia's rural farmers off coca.

Mothers of the Disappeared

Historical Characteristics
Argentina
Juan P eron
w as a popular, yet controversial, military leader
elected to the presidency in 1946.
Although he ruled as a dictator, he and his w ife,
Evita, were very popular.
increased censorship, and followed an isolationist
foreign policy.
In 1955, P eron w as ousted by a military coup due to
economic difficulties and rising inflation

Historical Characteristics
Argentina
In 1973, P eron returned to power. He
died the next year and his second
w ife, Isabel P eron, became president.
When she faced economic and political
crises, the military took over.
dirty w ar: the military regime
undertook w idespread kidnappings,
torture, and murder
In three years as many as 30,000
Argentines were killed
In 1983, an elected government
restored democracy.

WHILE THE WORLD

WATCHED