Conflict: the Basis for Latin American Change (Born in Blood and Fire: a Concise History of Latin America)

The Independence of Latin America was a process caused by years of injustices, discriminations, and abuse, from the Spanish Crown upon the inhabitants of Latin America. Since the beginning the Spanish Crown used the Americas as a way to gain riches and become greater in power internationally. Three of the distinct causes leading Latin America to seek independence from Spain, were that Spain was restricting Latin America from financial growth, (this included restrictions from the Spain on international trade, tax burden, and laws which only allowed the Americas to buy from Spain), The different social groups within Latin America, felt the pressure of the reforms being implicated on them

John Charles Chasteen chose the title Born in Blood and Fire for his book because the Latin American countries of today arose from the brutal killings, enslavement and systematic genocide of indigenous natives by the Europeans. These countries all possess a common history in which european conquest and colonization dramatically affected their culture and demographic, the results of which are still evident today. The imposition of Spanish and Portuguese languages, religious beliefs, and social institutions were all factors that “fueled this fire”. Chasteen describes

After the age of enlightenment, colonies and nations around the world began questioning their rulers and ruling nations. Liberal and nationalist ideas spread across Europe and the world, especially after the French Revolution. When these beliefs spread to the colonies of America, independence movements and revolts occurred. The Latin American revolution and Haitian revolution were both significant events during the 19th century that affected both their respective nations and the world. While both revolutions resulted similarly such that a social hierarchy based on race existed after independence, they differ in that while the Latin American revolutions placed an emphasis on ending the Spanish casta system, Haitian revolution was based on freeing slaves.

From 250 A.D. to the late 1500’s A.D., three civilizations, the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas controlled Central and South America. Their decline happened for many different reasons. The Spanish conquistadors was one of the most common and deadliest, due to their advanced weapons and diseases they brought. It seems that wherever the Spanish went, bad things always happened. Innocent people were killed for no reason, cities were massacred and civilizations were destroyed.

Revolutions hit Latin America, and the fight for independence would change history forever. In the early 1800’s the lower class known as Mulattos, Mestizos and mid-class creoles were in a battle for a new form of government, against the abundant and powerful peninsulares. Rebellions in Latin America were fueled by the unjust distribution of food, wealth, and power.

The United States has been an important part in the history of all of Latin America. Many times, the United States influenced Latin American countries with its economic, political, and military power. The United States looked down at Latin America as its backyard, constantly using its influence to benefit from the land and supporting dictators in the region. The United States used this power to effectively influence Latin America for decades, even when the U.S. faced communism as a new threat during the Cold War. The United States feared the communist influence of the Soviet Union in countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, because the “evil empire’s” plan for world domination included infiltrating Latin America. Even though these

Latin America as we know it today has undergone many changes throughout history. The beginning for this time of change was 1808. Spain, the country most widely responsible for the colonization of Latin America, was in trouble with France’s master of conquest, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napolien overthrew the King of Spain and replaced him with his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. The repercusions of this evet rolled through Latin America and primed the atmosphere for revolution. The colonial people of Latin America had no loyalty to the new Jing Joseph. This lack of respect for the new

Models for post-revolutionary Latin American government are born of the complex economic and social realities of 17th and 18th century Europe. From the momentum of the Enlightenment came major political rebellions of the elite class against entrenched national monarchies and systems of power. Within this time period of elitist revolt and intensive political restructuring, the fundamental basis for both liberal and conservative ideology was driven deep into Latin American soil. However, as neither ideology sought to fulfill or even recognize the needs or rights of mestizo people under government rule, the initial liberal doctrine pervading Latin American nations perpetuated

When the Europeans first arrived in Latin America, they didn’t realize the immensity of their actions. As history has proven, the Europeans have imposed many things on the Latin American territory have had a long, devastating effect on the indigenous people. In the centuries after 1492, Europeans would control much of South America and impose a foreign culture upon the already established civilizations that existed before their arrival. These imposed ideas left the continent weak and resulted in the loss of culture, the dependence on European countries, and a long standing ethnic tension between natives and settlers which is evident even to this day. The indigenous people of South America, which

This book illustrates several key issues and social problems that Latin American politics faced and continue to struggle with to this day. The matter of insurgent movements and the counter-insurgency methods that have been throughout the

The relationship between the United States of America and Latin America nations has been turbulent since the beginning of colonization. The United States had withheld a sense of superiority since its inception. Their view of Pan-Americanism is only shared by them; Canada and most Latin American nations do not share this view. They viewed Latin America’s struggle for independence as a necessity, but did not pledge their assistance until it coincided with American interests and objectives in the area. The author mentions Latin America’s one-crop economy, but they do not emphasize the role the US played in their economies or how much they were involved in their own politics. Recent events, in regards to Cuba, have made certain parts of the chapter

With the increase in industrialization, particularly rail roads and steam boats, Latin America could efficiently export more goods. The installation of railroads and increased trade stabilized the economy of many countries. As long as Europe and the United States required raw materials, the economy would continue to grow. With the economy growing, political stability followed. This is demonstrated in Chasteen’s essay “Governance did become more orderly. As the profits of the export boom rose, government revenues from import/export taxes rose too…Higher government revenues afforded middle-class people new employment opportunities…Greater stability and prosperity attracted further investment from aboard intensifying trade, and the cycle repeated itself” (Chasteen, 207). As more money flowed into the continent, the more the government improved. Using the available revenue from the export boom, local governments could afford better equipment and put down rebellions with less casualties. The government was better able to provide more individuals with employment opportunities, thus stabilizing the politics in the Spanish Americas.

Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1997

In this paper, I will focus on Policy Issues through Conflict Analysis in Latin America. First, I will talk about the differences and critiques in the Merida Initiative: Mexico and Central America. Then, I will focus on “Drug War”: Lenses, Frames, and “Seeing” Solutions. I will then talk about, “conflict analysis¬¬¬¬, a lens for viewing conflict that brings into focus a multilevel, integrative diagnosis of the violence in Mexico and supports recent evolutions in Plan Merida toward a more holistic peace-building approach” (Carpenter, 2013). In other words, conflict analysis focuses on the determination of conflict in Mexico and aids current advancement in Plan Merida regarding a non-violence approach. Finally, I will focus on “conflict analysis lens to the war in Mexico to identify its multiple causes and entry points for multidimensional intervention strategies” (Carpenter, 2013). That is to say, the conflict analysis lens explores the origins and possible actions of policies taken regarding the war in Mexico. I will be discussing policies that are flawed and conflict analysis.

Independence wars were over, and the people were waiting for a new modern democratic society, that never really came (Chasteen, Textbook p.128). A Liberal government was put in place. However, leaders were still white, upper class men, and never really took an interest for the people of Latin American (Chasteen, Textbook p. 129). It was a hostile society, the new democratic ideas had very little to do with the actual social reality. Slavery was still happening, children were slaves until the age of 18 to pay off their cost of maintenance (class notes October 16, 2017). Slavery was finally abolished in 1852 by the Liberal government. They looked at slaves as voting numbers and that it was a ‘gift’ from the white elites (class notes October 16, 2017). Latin America went from old traditions to being just underdeveloped. Before 1850, there were only a few banks in Latin America, therefore there was little money being lent to help with modernizing their machinery, agriculture and transportation. The lack of available transportation in particular held back a lot of exporting of sugar, cotton or coffee. The government waited too long to realize their export potential and instead raised taxes to make up for lost income. By the mid-1800s most of Latin