...Economic and social development of Latin America has something to do with different geographical factors. These include the productivity of lands, health conditions, frequency and intensity of natural disasters, settlement patterns, makeup and spatial distribution of productive activities, colonial experiences. Latin America has considered geography as unchangeable, true it is, but still it does not imply that policies should overlook or better yet ignore this fact. Geographically speaking, the whole Latin America lies in different latitudes of the Earth. Thus, places in this region experiences different climate patterns and seasons. This leads us to our first geographical factor that affects their development, the productivity of land. Latin America is known for agricultural products such as vegetables, root crops, and meat. These yields are needs climate and soil conditions that will satisfy for their growth. Considering the climate and soil conditions in temperate and tropical zones of Latin America, it is highly possible that the productivity of their lands differs, as well. However, those in temperate zones yield more crops than those in the tropical. The difference is the result of inputs used by temperate zones farmers that used technological advancements such as fertilizers, tractors, seeds and labour force that increases the yields whether or not the climate and soil type suit the crop. This difference is brought about by the advances...
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...Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 and effect to Latin America Name: Institution: Date: Abstract In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis spread rapidly all over the Asia and affected almost all the economies in the world. Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis, the Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore experienced a remarkable growth in the economy that was considered the highest in the world. These Asian economies increased by a notable proportion of 6 to 10 percent annually in the GDP. However, what had been regarded as an Asian miracle seemed to crumple down rapidly 1997 when these Asian countries were faced with a severe financial crisis in their local stock and currency markets. When the economies started recovering from the crisis in 1998, the stock markets in several countries had considerably lost more than 70 percent of their worth, while their currencies depreciated in comparison to the US dollar (Pettis, 2001). The Asian Financial Crisis also affected several nations in the Latin America as they experienced a relentless economic meltdown that had detrimental effects to the economies. For instance, the financial crisis force multinational firms to close down due to liquidation, the banking system deteriorated and this forced high levels of lay-offs leading to unemployment. In addition, the financial crisis resulted in the loss of the people’s purchasing power in the Latin American while nations turned to the International...
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...In this week's reading the chapters both talk about Nationalism in Latin America. The definition of Nationalism in the book Problems in Modern Latin American History, by James Wood, is the identification of a large group of individuals with a nation. In the book Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, by John Chasteen, it says that nationalists were often urban , middle class, mixed race, or recent immigrants. It is said that Nationalism is one of the most widespread and influential ideologies in modern world history. In this week's reading for James Wood, entitled "Nationalism", it talks about Nationalism and how it affected Latin American countries. An example of how Nationalism affected Latin America is the Cuban war for independence from Spain, which happened from 1868 to 1898. Jose Marti was a apostle of Cuban Independence, in which he earned this title from many years of fighting for this cause. Jose had died on the battlefield fighting for Cuba's independence in 1895. Due to his belief about Cuba being independent, Jose was imprisoned and was also exiled from Cuba. Jose Marti's most famous essay was published in newspapers in both New York and Mexico City in January of 1891. In this essay he talks about the blindness of the previous Latin American governments to what was actually going on in the that region. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 had posed a revolutionary challenge to the neocolonial system. Francisco Madero had led a campaign to overthrow...
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...Eugene Harmon Poverty in Latin America Inequality: The Most Political and Economic Problem in Latin America Throughout the years, Latin America has experienced dramatic political, social, and economic changes amongst its numerous countries. As time went on, various leaders brought grand ideas to the table in hopes of bettering the region. However, in most cases, the outcome was far from grand, failing to address social conflicts that derived from deep inequality and high levels of poverty. Without successfully conquering the underlying causes of conflict within the region, change in a positive direction for Latin America does not exist. This paper will define inequality as the most political and economic problem that Latin American countries continue to face, and how inequality, discrimination, poverty, and crime violence stem from the underlying problem of inequality. As a result, social programs currently in place fail to properly address the issues of inequality and poverty within Latin America, thus being unsuccessful. In their literature review of the Southern Commands, Jorge Castaneda and Patricio Navia remind the reader that, “be it in the Caribbean heat or in the Andes-mountain cold, the uniform and lasting defining characteristic of Latin America is inequality” (82). They continue to explain that, “Latin America brings together – often within the same countries, same cities and occasionally even the same neighborhoods...
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...The Latin American wars of independence were notably conducive to the decline of the Spanish Empire however, the decline can not be attributed singularly to the Latin American wars of Independence as there were other subsidiary factors involved. The Latin American wars of independence were a series of revolutions within South America causing Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Haiti and Columbia to become independent countries. These wars drained the Spanish Empire’s resources, enforcing its decline in the early 19th century. Prior to the wars of independence, poor economic conditions, the destruction of the Spanish Armada, as well as an imperialistic overstretch between territories, resulted in contributing to the downfall of the Spanish Empire. Colonial mismanagement in the Spanish Empire acted as a precluding catalyst in causing the Latin American wars of Independence, thus contributing to the fall of the Spanish Empire. The Latin American wars of Independence, whilst an influential factor in the decline of the Spanish Empire, were not the sole determinant in causing the downfall of the Spanish Empire. The Latin American wars of independence contributed to the fall of the Spanish Empire to a considerable extent, being the final element amongst other collective factors which ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Spanish Empire. During the 17th century, there were many indications of Spain’s erosion of power; the collapse of the empire...
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...popular books, “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent” in 1971, and gives readers a left-winged perspective of the history of the post-colonial Americas. Throughout this book, Galeano presents the argument that the underdevelopment of Latin America resulted because of exploitation. Since the 15th century, Latin America served as a location where European countries could be made wealthier. The Latin American continent has suffered massively in terms of constant abuse and capitalism of their natural resources from colonial nations. The book begins with the history of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the West Indies and the discovery of...
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...MODERN LATIN AMERICA ESSAY 1 Question: Despite most of the Latin American countries achieving political independence in the early 19th century, not one of them was able to achieve first world status over the next one hundred years. Why was this so? Concentrate on one country in your analysis. Latin America is the vast continent with three distinctive regions of Central America, South America and the Caribbean coast, and is composed of 33 republic countries varying in terms of population size from over 19 million Brazilians to 11 thousand citizens of Grenada. The ethnic make-up of modern Latin America comprises a variety of racial and ethnic groups such as Europe, Africa, Asia and American-Indians, all of whose root is based in 4 different continents. The notable physical geography is the range of Andes Mountains that are long narrow backbone of the continent from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and on into Chile, and cut off the east coastline and the west inland areas. The other features are the Amazon and rivers, huge tropical rain forest, and lastly, an abundance of natural resources as well as vast hectares of farmland. These geography features are an important factor that hampered economic growth due to difficulties in public transit and transportation between regions, hindrance of social and political unity, and therefore, unable to achieve a formation of large unitary state, like North America, that led to separation into large and small 30 countries...
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...Latin America’s foreign and domestic policies were drastically influenced by Hugo Chavez and his regime. He successfully demonized the United States and rejected capitalistic ideas replacing them with government funded social programs. Due to a plethora of social and economic policy changes, the people of Latin America were profoundly impacted by Hugo Chavez and his sovereignty in Venezuela. Venezuela’s steady economic decline can be directly attributed to the rise of radical leftist, Hugo Chavez and his revolutionary socialist policies. Chavez was born in 1954 and raised as a low-middle class citizen of Venezuela. He attended the Venezuelan Military Academy and joined the Venezuelan Army in 1971 at age 17 (Biography). Because the majority...
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...Does the Spanish Conquest constitute genocide? Do you agree or disagree? The late 1400’s brought about the period of colonial expansion, initiated under the crown of Castile and the Spanish Conquistadors. This expansion continued over the next 4 centuries, seeing the Spanish Empire expand over most of Central and South America. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and the Incas spanned over decades and was not a peaceful conquest without bloodshed. The Conquista unleashed violence, death and destruction on a scale unknown until then. Charny acknowledged that it was possible for genocide to occur during the process of colonisation, as seen in the colonising of North America and similarly in Australia. This essay will discuss the various elements of genocide as defined by the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, as well as other sources. Through this discussion, the essay will relate it to circumstances and events related to the Spanish Conquest of Latin America, discussing the possibility of a connection between the conquest and genocide. There are a number of elements that must be satisfied in order to find a case for genocide. When defining an act of genocide, the UN definition is the internationally recognised and the framework by which this essay will follow when referring to an act of genocide. As found in the UN definition of genocide; the act committed must have the intent to destroy the target, in whole or in part, a national, ethical,...
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...Race: The Cultural and Political Power of an Illusion in Latin America Race has been the most arguable and controversial subject in Latin American history. Since 16th century it has created a great deal of prejudice among Latin American people, it has been referred, as biological characteristics later modified to a social statue such are education, wealth and language. It has been under a heavy influence of cultural and political power where people were classified from their biological characteristics to their wealth. Through the time race has become the main tool for state creation and regulation. Race has become a status, which has structured and organized the nation but the term “race” has never itself been stable. In today’s Latin America modern theory of “race” has meaning of a political power, status and regulation, it’s a states way of monitoring and controlling of the heterogeneous nation. Race gradually has become a political cultural and economic power for Latin American state. In this paper I will argue about the idea that race in Latin America gradually has became just an illusion, a tool by which people were controlled structured and manipulated. Various articles will be presented to support and illustrate the transformation of the word “race “ and its cultural and political influence on Latin America. I will talk about the colonial to republic period idea of “race “ In Latin America and how the meaning of the word was manipulated. I will discuss the colonial...
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...Analysis on Open Veins of Latin America History is a subject most people tend to disregard and see it as only the class they needed to pass in school. Most individuals don't take the time to reflect how history has had an impact on them, their family and even their culture. By studying and understanding history and why events happened they way they did it can help us analyze our current situation and even help predict future events. This is what Eduardo Galeano tries to do in his book Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the pillage of a Continent. He discusses the events in history that have led to Latin America be in the state it currently is in. Galeano argues that because of both European and U.S intervention, Latin America has been led down a path which has caused damage to its politics, its society and most importantly its economy. The book begins with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the Spaniard who tried to find a faster passage to Asia but instead would discover by accident the Americas. Columbus would get started with his voyage after asking the Queen and King of Spain to fund his expedition so he could bring wealth to the Spanish Empire. During this time, the Spanish had been fight a war to expel the Moors out of its Kingdom and all those who were not of catholic faith. This included people of Islamic religions and Jews. But the cost of this war was increasing by the day and the Spanish crown was running out of funds to continue this war. But...
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...Latin America is more than just an exotic travel destination for Americans or any travelers from around the world for that matter. Though Latin America is filled with several breath-taking wonders of the world; including their crystal clear waters and beautiful sandy white beaches, tropical rain forests, and ancient historical landmarks. Latin America’s tranquil atmosphere should not be underestimated as the little more than underdeveloped sibling. After examining the history, politics, and economic stand point of the countries in Latin America, they have many similarities with the United States and several differences that should be taken into consideration when dealing with United States foreign policy with Latin American countries. What is Latin America? Where is Latin America? What countries are considered to be a part of Latin American? These are the initial questions a person thinks about when Latin America comes into a discussion. Around the world people will have their own ideas and stereotypes about Latin America, but here are the facts. The term Latin America is used to describe the countries in the sub regions of the Americas that were once the old colonies of European nations. The reference to Latin corresponds to the fact that as product of the colonization from the European nations the languages now spoken in these countries are Latin based. The languages spoken are derived from the so called “Romance tongues” of Spain, Portugal, and France. Latin America...
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...Inequality: The Most Pressing Problem in Latin America Throughout the years, Latin America has experienced dramatic political, social, and economic changes amongst it’s numerous countries. As time went on, various leaders brought grand ideas to the table in hopes of bettering the region. However, in most cases, the outcome was far from grand, failing to address social conflicts that derived from deep inequality and high levels of poverty. Without successfully conquering the underlying causes of conflict within the region, change in a positive direction for Latin America does not exist. This paper will define inequality as the most pressing problem that Latin American countries continue to face, and how inequality, discrimination, poverty, and crime violence stem from the underlying problem of inequality. As a result, social programs currently in place fail to properly address the issues of inequality and poverty within Latin America, thus being unsuccessful. In their literature review of the Southern Commands, Jorge Castaneda and Patricio Navia remind the reader that, “be it in the Caribbean heat or in the Andes-mountain cold, the uniform and lasting defining characteristic of Latin America is inequality” (82). They continue to explain that, “Latin America brings together – often within the same countries, same cities and occasionally even the same neighborhoods – the wealth and prosperity of the most-industrialized nations in the world and the dispossession, despair and hopelessness...
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...United States foreign policy is the way in which it defines its interactions with foreign nations and sets standards for its corporation’s organizations, and individual citizens’ interactions. It aims to assure defense and security of America. It protects and projects national interests of America worldwide. The foreign policy is shaped national interest and covers a wide range of economic, political, ideological, military, and humanitarian concerns. However, U.S. foreign policy heavily relies on being in good relations with other countries. The U.S. has a history of maintaining a realist ideology when it comes to getting into relationships with other countries. With an imperialistic view as such, they have had a hard time maintaining good...
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...This paper will discuss the poverty in Latin America. Latin America has always been in poverty and although there have been some ups and downs, the poverty level remains great. First, we will discuss the region that is known as Latin America, the determining factors of poverty, the statistics and history of the poverty in Latin America and the future of the poverty in Latin America. Latin America refers to the areas of America in which the Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail. These areas include Mexico, most of Central and South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Latin America can be subdivided into different regions, such as North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. (Wikipedia, Retrieved 2010). Latin America consists of many different ethnic backgrounds and races. It is one of the most diverse regions in the world. Some of the predominant races/backgrounds include European-Amerindians (Mestizo), Amerindians, European, Mulatto, Black, Asian and Zambo (mixed Black and Amerindian). Latin America continues to be challenged by inequality and poverty. Poverty is defined as, “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” (Merriam-Webster, Retrieved 2010). According to the World Bank, nearly 25% of the population of Latin America lives on less than $2.00 a day. At least 182 million people are living in poverty in Latin America and at least 68 million people are living in extreme...
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