Political Systems and Conflicts in Latin America

Unitary System

A centralized government where most political power is held by the national government.

Federal System

A political system where power is shared between the national and state governments; adopted in Mexico's 1824 Constitution.

Santa Anna

A Mexican general and politician who dominated politics in the mid-1800s; known for his role in the loss of Texas and the Mexican-American War.

Caudillos

Military or political strongmen who ruled with authoritarian power in Latin America, especially in 19th-century Mexico.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

A conflict resulting from U.S. annexation of Texas, ending in a U.S. victory and major territorial gains via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Second French Intervention (1861-1867)

France's attempt to establish an empire in Mexico under Maximilian I; ultimately repelled by Mexican forces.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Ended the Mexican-American War, ceding about half of Mexico's territory to the United States.

Porfiriato (1876-1911)

The long rule of Porfirio Díaz characterized by economic modernization, foreign investment, and political repression.

Constitutionalists

A faction in the Mexican Revolution that supported the 1917 Constitution and opposed both the Porfiristas and Zapatistas.

Zapatistas

Followers of Emiliano Zapata who fought for land reform and the rights of peasants during and after the Mexican Revolution.

División del Norte

Revolutionary army led by Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution.

Constitution of 1917

Revolutionary constitution establishing land reform, workers' rights, and limits on foreign ownership—still in effect today.

Annexation of Texas (1845)

Sparked the Mexican-American War after the U.S. annexed the former Mexican territory.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

U.S. policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas, often used to justify U.S. interventions.

Spanish-American War (1898)

Conflict in which the U.S. defeated Spain and gained control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

Pact of Zanjón (1878)

Ended the Ten Years' War in Cuba; failed to resolve Cuban demands for independence from Spain.

De Lôme Letter (1898)

Leaked Spanish letter mocking President McKinley; helped push the U.S. toward war with Spain.

Teller Amendment (1898)

U.S. promise not to annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War.

Platt Amendment (1901)

Gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and established a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Panama Canal (1904-1914)

U.S.-built canal through Panama; gained through support of Panamanian independence from Colombia.

Roosevelt Corollary (1904)

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine asserting the U.S. right to police Latin America.

Haiti (1915-1934)

U.S. military occupation of Haiti under the guise of stabilizing the country and protecting U.S. interests.

William Walker

American filibuster who briefly declared himself president of Nicaragua; symbol of U.S. imperialism.

Banana Republics

Term for countries politically and economically dominated by foreign fruit companies.

The United Fruit Company

U.S. corporation that controlled large areas of Central America, influencing politics and economics.

The Great White Fleet (1907-1909)

U.S. naval tour to project American power, including stops in Latin America.

Honduras/Guatemala

Key Banana Republics influenced by the United Fruit Company and U.S. interventions.

Jacobo Árbenz

Guatemalan president who implemented land reforms; ousted by CIA-backed coup in 1954.

Decree 900

Árbenz's agrarian reform law that redistributed land to peasants.

Dulles Brothers

U.S. Secretary of State and CIA Director who orchestrated anti-communist interventions, including in Guatemala.

Operation PBSuccess (1954)

CIA-led coup in Guatemala that overthrew Jacobo Árbenz.

José Martí

Cuban intellectual and independence leader; symbol of anti-colonial struggle.

Fulgencio Batista

Cuban dictator overthrown by Fidel Castro's revolution.

Fidel Castro

Led the Cuban Revolution; established a socialist state aligned with the Soviet Union.

M-26-7

Castro's revolutionary movement named after the July 26, 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks.

Agrarian Reform Act (1959)

Redistributed land from wealthy landowners to peasants after the Cuban Revolution.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

Failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Confrontation between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba; nearly led to nuclear war.

Mariel Boatlift (1980)

Mass emigration of Cubans to the U.S. from the port of Mariel.

Operation Carlota

Cuban military intervention in Angola in support of anti-colonial and Marxist forces.

"Che" Guevara

Argentine revolutionary who fought in Cuba and supported insurgencies across Latin America.

General Anastasio Somoza García

Dictator of Nicaragua; established a family dynasty supported by the U.S.

Sandinistas (FSLN)

Leftist Nicaraguan movement that overthrew the Somoza regime in 1979.

Contras

U.S.-backed rebel group fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Iran-Contra Affair (1980s)

U.S. scandal involving illegal arms sales to Iran to fund the Contras.

The School of the Americas

U.S. military training facility for Latin American officers, many of whom became dictators or committed human rights abuses.

Ríos Montt

Guatemalan dictator (1982-1983) responsible for genocide against indigenous Maya communities.

Guatemalan Genocide

Campaign of mass killings of indigenous people during the civil war, especially under Ríos Montt.

Salvador Allende

Democratically elected Marxist president of Chile, overthrown in a U.S.-backed coup in 1973.

Fascism

Authoritarian ultranationalism with dictatorial power; inspired several Latin American regimes.

Augusto Pinochet

Chilean general who led the 1973 coup against Allende and ruled as a brutal dictator.

CIA in Latin America

U.S. intelligence agency deeply involved in regime changes and counterinsurgency throughout the region.

Brazil

Experienced a U.S.-backed military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985.

Operation Condor

Coordinated campaign among South American dictatorships (with U.S. support) to repress dissidents.