LA after independence from Spain & Portugal

1. What role did the military play in shaping the economy of Brazil? The military
dictators ruled Brazil for two decades. When Brazil was under control of the military the
economy boomed and brought in a lot of money.
2. What were some of the positive benefits of one-party rule in Mexico? A benefit of the
one-party rule in Mexico was that President Lazaro Cardenas tried to improve life for the
peasants and workers. Cardenas was able to carry out land reforms in Mexico and
strongly promoted labor rights.
3. What effect did the Falklands war have on the military government in Argentina? The
Falklands war affected Argentina because Argentina elected Raul Alfonsin as president
in the first free elections in the country. This was the countrys first free elections in 37
years. When president, Raul Alfonsin worked to rebuild the economy of Argentina and
the democracy they had.
4. Review the chart of Population Living in Poverty
[a] In which three countries of Latin America is the percentage of people living in
poverty the lowest? Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia
[b] In which three countries is the poverty rate highest? Uruguay, Chile, Argentina
5. After reading this excerpt, in your opinion, has the military dictatorships in L.A.
nation's been bad or good for the nation's' growth?
After reading the excerpt, I believe military dictatorships in L.A. nations has been
bad and not successful for the nation's growth. One reason it has not been successful is
because they have had issues with becoming democratic. Everytime one of the Latin
American nations has tried to become independent, there has always been an issue
and it was a long battle to become democratic. For a democracy to be a successful one,
it will take time, and may take longer if the government is going from a dictatorship to a
democracy, something they are not used to.
A democracy needs many propper essentials to work properly. The
government needs to implement ideas of free elections to the people in the country and
allow them to vote the way they want to in elections. In order for this action to be
complete, there needs to be one political party in place, along with a freedom to vote for
anyone that is a legal adult and over the age of 18. In a democracy, there are many
other important aspects, including citizen participation in the government. The citizens
are allowed to participate and have a say in government. Also, the citizens should be
educated and have a good literacy, along with any background knowledge of economic
security for that nation. When it comes to the time to vote, citizens need to be educated
and understand the economic level of the nation and be able to make the correct
choices for their nations.
While reading, define/ explain each term or name below and write a sentence regarding
its significance to the topic:

a. Brazilia- New capital of Brazil with the help of Juscelino Kubitschek. Brazilia
becoming the new capital was a huge expense for Brazil, and caused the foreign debt
and inflation in the country to increase significantly.
b. Land reform- Breaking up large estates and distributing the land to peasants.
c. Standard of living- After the economy boom in Brazil, the government froze wages
and cut back on social programs. This caused a decline in the SOL, or level of material
comfort, which is judged by the amount of goods people have.
d. Recession- A slowdown in the economy.
e. PRI- Main political party that changed it names to the Institutional Revolutionary
Party. In the half-century that followed, the PRI became the main force for political
stability in Mexico.
f. NAFTA- The North American Free trade Agreement that removed trade barriers
between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
g. Nationalization of an industry- Nationalization is often a way for a government to
expand the economic resources and power in the nation.
h. Welfare state- A system where the government undertakes to protect the health and
wellbeing of the citizens in the nation. The government will undertake to protect the
health and wellbeing of those citizens who are in financial or social needs. The
government gives these citizens grants, pensions and other benefits.