History Of Latin America (pt 2)
Life after Cuban Revolution:
Cold War came to Latin America after Cuban revolution
Revolutionism:
Marxism: siding with the poor and against the rich minority (anti U.S corporations)
US POV: saw Marxist revolutionary movement as a Soviet Proxy Force. (U.S foreign policy encouraged a violent counterrevolutionary reaction that spread over the region)
Sides in the Cold War:
Side #1:
Communist/ socialist movements in many nation of LA
Referred to as the left/ guerillas/ pro-Soviet Union
Side #2:
LA nations that had authoritarian, military-led government
Referred to as anticommunist, right wing, Pro-US
Anticommunist Alliance:
Most important U.S anticommunist allies were the armed force of LA
U.S military provided aid for LA armies, counterinsurgency (how to fight guerrillas)
U.S. military’s School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia
Alliance for Progress:
JFK provided U.S foreign aid to friendly LA nations with twin motives of improving economic development and gov.
Aid policy wanted to stop the spread of communism
Marxism became Culturally Popular in LA:
Many sprays painted revolutionary Marxist Slogans
Marxist views put forth films and novels like Magical Realism
Liberation Theology Movement:
Movement emphasized consciousness raising about systemic injustices and social organizing among the poor
Conservative critics called it “Christianized Marxism”
Mostly a non-violent movement
Pope John Paul II strongly opposed this movement
Violence imposed by LA Armies:
Gruesome attacks committed against “internal enemies”
Military performed secret kidnappings torture, and murder.
Targeted anyone that was suspected of sympathizing with Marxists
Includes: student protestors, labor leaders and peasant organizers
U.S anticommunist policy triggered several brutal military dictatorships (torture techniques were taught by SOTA)
Dirty War in Argentina:
Armed forces went against Urban Guerrillas (Mainly feared exiled nationalist Juan Peron)
Military began killing, which was far worse than Brazilian torture and murder
Marxist guerrillas, made up of mostly young people, fought against military gov.
Interruption:
Juan Peron was able to return to the government, but he became sick and died soon after his election
Dirty war continued soon after his death.
New military president, they set out to exterminate guerilla enemies
Most Argentines tried not to notice the war
Uruguay:
Usually quiet, democratic, and prosperous Uruguay, soon took a similar path to Argentina’s military repression
Madres de La Plaza:
Protests of Mothers and Grandmothers holding up pictures of their disappeared children, demanding to know about their whereabouts
Military called them “Las Locas” but let them protest because attacking women in LA was considered off limits/too far
Slowly the world realized that their accusations against the government were real
Chile Ravaged by Cold War:
Chilean Communist Party did not advocate for an Armed Revolution
Marxist Salvador Allende:
CIA gave a lot of money to his opponent, but he still won the popular vote
Wanted a nonviolent “Chilean road” to socialism:
Nationalization of Chilean Industry, land reform, higher wages for workers
CIA funded his opposition and wanted him overthrow
Nixon’s Opposition
“We’re going to make their economy scream”
Did this by US paying truck drivers twice their normal wages to go on strike to help cripple the Chilean economy
Chilean Women Protested against US intervention
Death of Chilean President:
On September 11, 1973, Chilean army tanks rolled onto streets to take down President Allende
Allende refused to leave and tried to rally supporters through radio broadcast
He died due to the attack
US and President Nixon saw this a great victory however many disagreed
This coop was the bloodiest in LA history, many famous Chileans were tortured and killed in the process
Peru avoided Brutal Dictatorship:
Peru was ruled by military but wasn’t brutal
Raised Quechua to co-national language along with Spanish
Mexico avoided Brutal Dictatorship:
Avoided rule by military and continued with one party
One Exception:
Awful massacre of several hundred protecting University Students
Argentina vs. UK (Falkland/Malvinas War):
Nationalist Argentina went to war against UK over the Malvinas Islands
GB won quickly, which humiliated Argentina’s military
Argentina finally had free and fair elections, so Argentina returned to civilian rule
Central America Civil War:
Revolutionaries and reactionaries fought what turned out to be the last major battles of LA’s 30-year Cold War.
LA still depended heavily on a few agricultural exports (wealthy landowners still controlled national wealth)
CA was plagued by greedy tyrants who got US support because of the furious anti-communism
Repressive Military Rule in Guatemala:
Since Arbenz overthrow, Guatemala had been under military rule
Landowners lived in dread of massive peasant upraising
Their fear did occur (war between military and rural guerrilla armies)
A lot of repression of indigenous peasants put in rural concentration camps
Causse of many college students “disappearing”
Indigenous Maya Rigoberta Menchu:
Family was tortured and killed by Guatemala army was killed so she became a voice for those who suffered from human rights violations (Won Nobel Peace Prize)
Most Mayan people wished to only raise crops and follow traditions but government believed they were supporters of communism
Peaceful Costa Rica:
Escaped Cold War Violence
Had relatively few indigenous inhabitants before Euro. Conquest so few were killed by conquistadors.
Whitest CA country was less burdened by exploitive hierarchy
Abolished army in 1940
Cold War Nicaragua:
Agusto Sandino guerrilla war against US marines (made him a leftist hero)
Sadino was assassinated by Somoza and then ran as a dictator till the 70’s
US supported because they were anti communist
Somoza ruling:
Assassinated Joaquin Chamorro which enraged leftists
Led to a revolution between the left and right (widespread rebellion)
Uprising defeated the national guard, so Somoza fled to Maimi and accepted exile in Paraguay
Argentine Marxist guerillas assassinated him
After Somoza ruling, communists took over
Sandinistas Marxist Revolutionary plans were inspired by Cuba
Full literacy, public health care
Hundreds of Cuban teachers and doctors arrived to help
Regan believed Sandinistas were dangerous
Supported Honduras against Nicaragua and aided them with training and weapons
The raiders crippled the economy but weren’t strong enough to hold Nicaraguan territory, so they attacked the native people
U.S mined Nicaragua’s harbors to cut off trade with other countries
Led to disintegration of economy due to the increase in inflation.
Everyone lost: Free elections, Sandinistas lost but Somoza couldn’t take over
Iran-Contra-Scandal
Reagan attempted to stop spread of communism by training the contras to overthrow the Marxist Sandinista government.
Many human rights abuses committed by both sides:
Reagan denied knowing any knowledge about the attacks, however this turned out to be untrue since he approved many attacks and aid to the Sandinistas
**El Salvador Cold War:
Had an undemocratic and anticommunist gov.
Had a classic landowning oligarchy, called “The 14 Families”
Misery of rural poor had increased social pressure of cookers
Wage was so low that some rural poor began to starve
Salvadoran Communist Party became one of the strongest Marxist parties in LA
Attempt to lead an uprising was quickly crushed
After this military controlled gov for half a century
Due to its small size, the struggle of the Salvadorian people was much more intense and personal.
Communist Revolutionary Rebel group (FMLM), fought against brutal U.S
Few of the priests and nuns who worked with the poor sympathized with the FMLN
This angered the Salvadorian Military led gov.
Oscar Romero:
Named Archbishop and was initially conservative but changed his mind after anticommunist death squads attacked priests and nuns
Shocked by the violence against his people, he called on the U.S to stop funding this groups violence
Was killed along with four other women
US Schock against violence
The murder against the archbishop and women made many question the US CA policy
Were their tax dollars funding the bullets that killed those nuns
Reagan pressured Congress to continue funding, in order to fight the Marxist guerrillas and stop Soviet Influence.
Many were killed by gov after Romero’s death since no one stood up against the injustice
Military killed about 75000 people and an unknown amount of desaparecidos
Hundreds of Salvadorians fled El Salvador
FMLN refused to run in elections because they believed they would be rigged
Anticommunist candidates always won
Civil War dragged on and many started to lose hope
FLMN signed a peace treaty to stop death toll
Esquipulas Peace Agreement:
Costa Rica President, Oscar Arias Sanchez, was awarded the Peace Prize for planning to end the civil wars
Peace plan was approved by Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua
Aimed at free elections, safeguards for human rights, and an end to foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs
LA Cold War Wound Down
Peace born exhaustion settled over CA
Berlin Wall falling and Soviet Union ceasing to exist, largely calmed down the war
As for suffering, nobody had won, there were only losers.
Life after End of Civil War:
Crime rates shot up
Had highest homicide rates in hemisphere
Peace accords did not initiate an era of greater social and economic justice
Hundreds of thousands continued to flee the violence and poverty of the “northern triangle”