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Economic Dependency

  • Mercantilist policies before independence kept colonies from developing their economies
  • After independence, LA countries adopted free trade, but Britain and the US simply replaced Spain and Portugal as the trading partners
  • Foreign goods came in, making large profits for foreign investors
  • Foreign investment was accompanied by local interference by Mexican people
  • Britain and US pressured their governments to take action if social movements threatened their interests

US Expansion into Latin America

  • After war with Mexico, US gained Northern Mexican territory and 6 states
  • Began to be involved in overseas affairs
  • Cuba wanted freedom from Spain - US declared war and got Cuba their freedom
  • Forced Cuba to add Platt Amendment to Constitution giving the US naval bases there and the right to intervene in affairs

Economic Growth

  • With foreign capital, economies did grow:
  • Chile - exported copper/nitrates
  • Argentina - expanded livestock/wheat
  • Brazil - exported coffee, sugar, and rubber
  • Venezuela - developed oil industry
  • Foreigners invested in ports and railroads to carry goods to coastal cities
  • European immigrants promoted economic activity and a middle class emerged
  • LA moved into the world economy, but internal development suffered
  • Elite benefited from economic growth, but the poor earned too little to buy consumer goods

War With The US

The Monroe Doctrine

  • Settlers in Northern Texas revolted
  • After a brief fight with Santa Anna's (below) soldiers, gained independence and set up a republic
  • Theb, the US annexed Texas and defeated Mexico
  • In Treaty of Guadalupe, Mexico lost half of territory
  • Humiliation created new violence between liberals and conservatives
  • Spain planned to recover their American colonies, but Britain opposed any move that would close trade with LA
  • Britain asked President Monroe to join them in a statement preventing colonization of the Americas
  • Monroe didn't want an alliance, so he created the Monroe Doctrine alone
  • US lacked military to enforce doctrine, but Britain's strong navy prevented European interference

Conservative vs. Liberal Elites

  • Ruling elite was divided into 2 parties:
  • Conservatives:
  • Defended traditional order
  • Favored press censorship
  • Supported Catholic Church
  • Liberals:
  • Backed laissez-faire economics
  • Supported religious tolerance
  • Wanted greater access to education
  • Defended freedom of press
  • Saw themselves as "enlightened", or wanting progress, but unconcerned with the needs of the majority

General Porfirio Diaz

The Colonial Legacy

Power Struggles

  • Problems in new nations came from colonial rule in the past
  • Creoles replaced peninsulares
  • Roman Catholic Church kept position of power and owned huge quantities of land
  • Mestizos, mulattoes, blacks, and Indians faced limited voting rights and racial prejudice
  • Wealthier citizens owned haciendas and had peasants working for them (similar to serfdom in medieval Europe)
  • Without roads or traditions of unity, regionalism weakened the new nations
  • Caudillos assembled private armies to attack the central government
  • Popular caudillos gained national power and ruled as dictators
  • Power struggles amongst caudillos led to revolts, but these only changed who was in power

Construction of the Panama Canal

Economic Imperialism in Latin America

By Olivia Van Dyke

Panama Canal

  • Panama was proposed site for canal, but Colombia refused to sell land
  • US backed revolt by Panamanians against Colombia - gained independence and US got control
  • Panama Canal opened in 1914
  • Cut sea distance between major cities by thousands of miles, boosted trade and shipping worldwide
  • However, Latin Americans were anti-American, seeing this as more "Yankee imperialism"

After the Independence of Latin America

  • Democracy did not hold in newly freed countries
  • Power went to few wealthy citizens
  • New technology (refrigerated ships) linked economies, but Latin America became dependent on more developed economies (Britain, US)
  • Strong ties among nations were broken because of feuds, barrier confusion, and nationalism
  • 20 new nations created with constitution and elected legislature for each

Further Intervention

  • To protect further interests in LA, US added Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
  • Claimed the right to international police power in Western Hemisphere
  • Under the Corollary and Dollar Diplomacy, US sent troops to all LA countries to protect investments
  • Became a target of resentment like the other imperialist powers

General Diaz's Rule

  • General Diaz led military coup when Juarez died
  • In "Order and Progress" strengthened the army, the police, and the government
  • Made tangible economic advances:
  • Built roads
  • Trade increased
  • Industry developed
  • Mining expanded
  • However, Diaz gave foreign investors special rights for capital for the development of Mexico
  • Also let wealthy landowners buy Indian land
  • Indians and mestizos could not escape peonage and lower classes suffered financial hardship

The La Reforma Era

  • Led by Benito Juarez and other reformers
  • Stripped military of power
  • Ordered Church to sell unused land to peasants
  • Conservatives resisted - started civil war
  • Juarez still elected President, expanded reforms
  • Conservatives turned to Europe, so Napoleon III made archduke Maximilian emperor
  • Juarez's troops battled Mexican conservatives and French until France withdrew troops and Maximilian was shot
  • Juarez returned to power and tried to reform again but opponents resisted
  • Juarez united Mexico, brought mestizos into politics, and separated church and state

Benito Juarez

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