Lecture 6: Latin America Cont

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Lecture 6 Latin America Cont

• Geog 323

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Gunboat Diplomacy (1901-1928)

• The United States regularly intervened through
  the Monroe Doctrine in the new fragile countries.
• Cuba, Panama, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and
  Haiti were occupied by U.S. military forces for
  extended period and kept under control by naval
  intimidation.
• Between 1901-1928 the United States intervened
  fifty time in the region.

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FDRS Good Neighbor Policy

• Why a change of policy?
• -Military intervention was counterproductive.
• -Cost money.
• On March 4, 1933 Good Neighbor Policy became
  official.
• I would dedicate this nation to the policy of
  the good neighborthe neighbor who resolutely
  respect himself Respects the right of others
  (FDR at inaugural address).
• In other words, the United States would no longer
  answer calls to support one or another side or
  even to supervise elections in the region.

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FDRS Good Neighbor Policy

• The U.S. introduce a more active diplomacy,
  spying, a forceful military diplomacy, political
  manipulation, and economic persuasion to further
  its interests.
• FDR introduce an economic aid program. Ex. Cuba
  and other Latin American countries received such
  aid.
• Second, U.S. military presence continued from
  several naval bases in the Caribbean and Panama
  Canal Zone.
• Third, diplomacy took a more active role by the
  president visiting Latin American countries.
• Lastly, political back dealing established
  governments that were willing to work with the
  United States.

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FDRS Good Neighbor Policy

• What was the legacy?
• Created a legacy of dictatorships during 1930s.
• This dictatorships were chosen by U.S. to
  safeguard U.S. interests.
• Received special protection and received special
  treatment.
• This authoritarian regimes exercised absolute
  authority as long as it protected U.S. interests.

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FDRS Good Neighbor Policy

• Who where this dictators?
• -Dominican Republic Rafael Trujillo
• (1931-1961)
• -Nicaragua Anastacio Somoza (1936-1956)
• -Cuba Fulgencio Bautista (1940-1958)
• -Paraguay Alfredo Stroesner (1954-1989)

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Guatemala1954

• Jacobo Arbenz (professor) is elected president of
  Guatemala.
• He was influenced by FDRs forceful intervention
  in the economy and by protect common citizens
  from economic harm. Mexican revolution and his
  exile for a decade in Argentina.
• Introduces land reforms and seizes some idle
  lands of United Fruit Company.
• CIA organizes a small force to overthrown him and
  begins training it in Honduras.
• Arbenz seeks United States for military help but
  he is denied.
• Arbenz buys arms from Czech (proving that he was
  red).

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Cuba

• 1959 Cuban Revolution
• Bays of Pig (1961)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

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Chile

• Salvador Allende (socialist doctor-politician) is
  elected president of Chile in 1970.
• He came close to win the 1964 election but at the
  last minute his attempt was thwarted by a deal
  among conservatives and by U.S. aid to his
  opponents.
• The election in 1970 were split three ways but
  gave a slim plurality (36.5) to Allende.
• Allende nationalized major banks and insurance
  companies, cooper giants, telephone and electric
  power industries (This involved over 200
  companies some U.S.-owned companies).
• Extend the vote to illiterates and land
  distribution.
• He would recognized Cuba and carry friendly
  relations with all nations, including socialist
  and communist ones.

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Chile

• By 1972, problems emerged.
• Oppositions governments began collaborating to
  block his reforms.
• U.S. cut offs international loans.
• Unions, workers, employers, housewives, peasants,
  and other groups began protesting.
• Lefties groups including armed guerrillas began
  strikes against conservative parties.
• The army and police began counterinsurgency
  operations.
• September 11, 1973 Chief of Staff Augusto
  Pinochet organizes a coup (1973-1989).

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U.S. Influence in El Salvador

• Who where the players?
• In 1979 the civil war exploded in El Salvador,
  the country became a pawn in the international
  chess game between the United States and the
  former Soviet Union.
• The United States, the powerhouse of the West,
  supported the Salvadoran government because it
  wanted its ideology of capitalism and democracy
  to remain dominant in the Western Hemisphere.
• vrs.
• While Russia, the super power of the East, wanted
  socialism and communism to spread far and wide
  and supported the leftist guerilla group called
  the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front
  (FMLN).

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U.S. Influence in El Salvador

• Who where the players?
• The United States President Ronald Reagan
  campaigned forcefully against the spread of
  communism in the Western Hemisphere and the
  threat it represented to United States security.
  
• The United States Congress approved funding for
  military and economic assistance for the
  Salvadoran Government in the name of democracy,
  freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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U.S. Influence in El Salvador

• What was the role of the United States?
• The International Military Education and Training
  Program (IMET) either took place within the
  individual countries, at U.S. military schools in
  Panama, or at the infamous Schools of the
  Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.
• When the war began the number of Salvadoran
  military been trained increased dramatically.
  For example, of the almost 4,000 Salvadoran
  officers trained at the Schools of the Americas
  since 1946, 80 percent of them received
  instruction since 1980 (Barry Preush, 1986, p.
  94).
• However, the U.S. did not only train the
  Salvadoran forces but also accompanied them
  carrying M-16 riffles into combat zones and
  joined Salvadoran troops on field operations
  (Arnson, 1989, p. 65).

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U.S. Influence in El Salvador

• What was the role of the United States?
• The United States government did not want to be
  criticized internationally or domestically
  especially after the fiasco with the Vietnam War.
  
• However, that did not stop the U.S. from
  investing an estimated 6 billion dollars in
  military and economic aid into El Salvadors
  civil war (Booth and Walker, 1993, p. 101).
• An estimated 705 million dollars were provided
  under the Economic Support Funds (ESF) program
  that served as an instrument to stabilize allies
  shaky economies between 1981 and 1985 (Barry
  Preunch, 1986, p. 30).
• During the same period, this money was used to
  repair some of the 1.5 billion dollars in
  economic damages caused by the civil war (Falcoff
  Royal, 1987, p. 267).

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Table 5.United States Economic and Military
Assistance 1953-1990
The number of U.S. personnel as of December 31,
1984 Source Booth Walker, 1993, p.
177
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Reference

• Timeline of U.S.A. military interventions
• www.zompist.com/latam.html
• www.pinzler.com/ushistory/timeline9.html
• Other books
• Rosenberg, M. B. et al (1992). Americas
  Anthropology. Oxford University Press New York.
• Clayton, L.A. and Conniff, M. L. (1999). A
  history of modern Latin America. Hancourt Brace
  College Publishers Toronto.
• Schlesinger, S and Kinzer, S. (1982). Bitter
  Fruit The untold Story of the Americas Coup in
  Guatemala. Doubleday Company, Inc New York.