Midterm Essay : Pink Tide

John M. Barry, author of Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, communicates his fascination with the Mississippi River by using diction, imagery, and syntax. Barry’s word choice conveys the mechanical force of the river; his use of imagery the beauty, and his use of syntax the unpredictability. Barry’s command of rhetorical devices draws the reader in and brings the Mississippi River to life.

John M. Barry's Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, takes us back 70 years to a society that most of us would hardly recognize.

As was laid out in the previous section, the United-States always had a ‘hegemonic presumption’, the conception that Latin America was inferior, a supposition that gave the right to Washington to intervene in the region’s political and economic affairs (LeoGrande, 2007:384). This second chapter will explore how the U.S. intervened in Latin America, more specifically after the World War II. Indeed, the U.S. benefitted greatly from the aftermath of the war. A subsection will be dedicated to the Pink Tide in Latin America, with a focus on the U.S. foreign policy under President GW Bush and President Obama. The overthrown Presidents of Honduras and Paraguay were part of this movement and their outset signals a reversal in the region.

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

Politically, Latin America became infamous in the eyes of other countries for frequent regime collapses and violent tactics, which frequented the Latin American civilization. Just as in the Western Society, two politically active groups, the liberals and conservatives divided the country. The liberals who were strongly influenced by Westerners, trusted parliamentary governments, civil rights and constitutions, and wished for a great reduction in the power of the church. The liberal party believed strongly in the need for an extended education, and tended to

During the late twentieth century, nations throughout the Western Hemisphere found themselves exhausted economically due to a combination of recessions which occurred from the late sixties to the early nineteen eighties-caused most in part due to energy crises and government regulations to combat inflation (due to counteract Cold War spending). Combined with growing economic interdependence, due to the need for foreign resources needed for the sustainable growth and expansion of consumer-based manufacturing markets in the developed world-beginning post World War Two, the United States and impactful developing states sought to create regional zones of economic integration that could provide solutions to internal economic concerns of employment, growth, and governmental sustainability, as well as provide a platform for prosperity in regards to capitalism, inter-market sustainability, and geo-economic authority within the region. In order to do this, beginning in the late nineteen seventies, pro-capitalistic states, such as Chile, Mexico, and most recognizably the United States- , and different economic institutions-such as the World Bank and the IMF- pushed for a new wave of liberalism, emphasizing revamped laissez-faire policies. This resurgence of classical economic liberal ideology, which is known as neoliberalism, emphasized growth

policy in Latin America after the year 1959 can be written down to three potent words: "no more Cuba’s." However, in order to achieve this goal, Washington pursued a two-track approach which was: foreign assistance to encourage modernization and economic development, and the training and arming of Latin American militaries supportive of U.S. objectives. After a decade of minimal economic aid to Latin America, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, in collaboration with U.S. multinational companies, pumped in twenty billion dollars of economic assistance. Moreover, the Alliance for Progress did contribute to per capita economic growth for most nations during the 1960s, but meaningful social and agricultural reforms proved

Latin America has a long and complex history. From the early 1500s to 1888 there have been many political changes (foreign control, political ideology, slavery) and some continuities (central control), but the changes have had a greater effect because independent nations were able to establish themselves and form their own governments. Globally, the European Industrial Revolution was taking place which allowed for a political advantage because the new technologies could give the European governments stronger control over their colonies.

This week, we had a variety of readings discussing neocolonialism, and the effects of the progressive era, and move towards an authoritarian mode of government. During the progressive era, Latin America had many reforms in hopes of becoming more like the western powers in Europe and the United States, however, while they succeeded in some areas, their plan did not go perfectly. For many, quality of life improved, however for the lower classes, life stayed practically the same. This aspect of the reading surprised me, as I thought with progressive reforms, more social reform would take place. Being how modernization theory should have taken place, I found it shocking that there was a large flaw in this theory. There was economic growth, but

Latin America is a continent that is constantly struggling between governmental abuse and oppression of its citizens. In Latin America, it is very common for non –democratic systems to be enforced. During recent years, the continent has experienced a governmental shift from an absolute to a more democratic system. This era is called the democratic third wave, which brought about democratic like tendencies to Latin America. Many factors such as corruption, poverty, and inequality pushed the people to favor this new democratic system. The abuse of power is also very common, and the citizen’s unrest is highly noted. Most citizens are in favor of doing away with the old system of government, and establishing a new efficient political system.

Throughout United States history, there has not been a more prominent and long lasting threat like the one of communism. It has been a threat to the democratic and capitalist ideals of the U.S. since before World War I, throughout the Cold War and is still until this day. When one thinks about communism, you conjure up images of the Red Scare that the Soviet Union induced and of other dictatorships throughout the western hemisphere and one might overlook the Marxist ideals that were being spread throughout our neighboring countries. These western countries were allies that the U.S. could not afford to lose during the Cold War. Latin America, which has many ties to the U.S., both geographically and politically, could pose a very strategic threat to the U.S. in its battle against communism. To understand Latin America’s communist history is to understand how much influence and intervention the U.S. had in the region during the Cold War. This report will serve to explain how communism spread to the western hemisphere, why the U.S. government had to stop that spread, and how they were able to stop many communist revolutions in Latin America.

There are many similarities of right-wing and left-wing authoritarian regimes in Latin America and Cuba. However, for this essay I will focus on the similarities within abuses and the differences regarding the United States’ support.

While other Spanish American nations shared similar effects of social structure changes, in Brazil the influence of liberalism caused both lower and upper classes to stood to become independent from

In the novel, The Color Purple, there are three main characters who demonstrate meaningful traits of women. Celie, the main character, is the most important of the three. She is influenced by other characters in the novel and is inspired to let herself seek their virtues. Celie's two friends, Shug and Sofia, are both strong women who teach Celie how to achieve the happiness she desires.

The 21st century in Latin America will be filled with a number of multifaceted challenges. As we sift through Latin America's rich history, we can find potential clues to how modern problems should or should not be handled. It's incredibly difficult to predicate with a high degree of certainty whether a solution from the past will be successful today. Likewise certain choices from the past shouldn’t be ignored just because they didn't work in the past. Therefore we shouldn't treat the past as a rulebook, but rather as a source of inspiration to guide us towards a more prosperous future. From the economy to the environment, Latin America's diversity will be both its greatest asset and burden in solving their 21st century