What Are The Major Economic Problems That Have Plagued Latin America?

Which of the following is not a current attempt at economic integration in South America?

The Latin American countries have been subject to many changes ever since the American continent was discovered. These changes have mainly affected the economy, culture and power changes these countries have suffered throughout the years. According to Jon Charles Chasteen on his book “Born in Blood & Fire” During the twentieth century, there were three main events that changed the course of Latin American countries and their economies. These three events were, the emergence of nationalism, the end of World War II, and the Cuban revolution. However, in my point of view, the event that created more impact in Latin America and the future of these countries has been Cuban Revolution. It is not a secret that the Cuban Revolution created a big impact to the country’s future, unfortunately this revolution not only changed Cuba, but also the entire region of Latin America.

Over the course of the history of the United States, specific foreign policies have affected the methods in which the U.S. involves itself around the globe. Specifically, certain policies have affected U.S. involvement in Latin America.

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.

Massive modern Latin American immigration began in the early 1990’s due to rising tensions in Latin America and Mexico. According to Foreign Affairs, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua all had some sort of civil war that was going on in the 1980s and 1990s. These wars crippled each nation 's infrastructure and also allowed drug rings and gangs to form in each country. Many of these issues may have stemmed from the United States’ own wrongdoings. According to BBC News former United States president Ronald Reagan even aided rebels in Nicaragua because he was afraid of the spread of communism. These same rebels turned into some of the drug cartels that plague Central America today, and they were aided by the

Over the course of the past half-millennium, the 33 countries that now comprise Latin America and the Caribbean have gone through drastic change. Since the discovery of the New World in 1492, each country has gone through some level of colonization by a European power and transition to its current state. During this period the regions have seen political, social, religious and economic transformations of various degrees.

During this time, the illegal drug trade in Colombia grew immensely with an emphasis on cocaine trafficking. The most notable drug trafficking organizations, the Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel, grew until they had enough money and military power to have a strong influence on politics in Colombia. Newfound political sway on behalf of the cartels contributed to a notoriously corrupt Colombian government. Violence in the country increased as opposing drug cartels engaged in intergroup fighting that would eventually lead to the collapse of both the Cali and the Medellin

Throughout the 1800s Latin America was trying to catch up with the rest of the Western world, progressing with increased exports, manufacturing, and industrialization. These advances did not stop the internal problems of most Latin nations. With these changes, as in the rest of the world, there was a growth in urban populations and in the middle class, adding another layer in the social structure; which in turn is just another group that will vie for power, and benefits from the government (180-90). This period is characterized with a large amount of wealth being concentrated in the hands of a few, which on paper shows great economic progress in the form of a GDP number, but there was still great wealth disparity. The switch, in Latin America, from conservatives in the early part of the 1800s, to liberals for the latter half, eventually turned to authoritarian governance; the democratic goals liberals set out to achieve were trashed for power and economic benefits, in keeping with previous generations (191).

The rise of the middle class had a potent impact on Latin America. The middle class consisted of “a high percentage of the intellectuals, authors, teachers, and journalists” and also they had the most influential voice in the late 19th century (Charlip & Burns, 177). One of the most important points about the middle class was that they were not only the true nationalists in Latin America but also they regarded the United States as their model, thus they tried to learn something beneficial from the United Sates for their nation’s prosperity and citizens. For example, the middle class was impressed by the high North American literacy rate and also considered the high literacy rate “seemed to provide the proper preparation for an industrial society”

Early 19th century marked the end of colonization in Latin America; the countries in the region began to form their own governments, while under threat from each other. Oligarchy was a common form of government in the Latin American region, and was led by the privileged. With the years that followed, the region was thrown into political chaos, and the government was often to blame.

Did you know that 70% of Latin America’s total income comes from the labor force, yet poverty is still such a big issue in this region. How does Latin America, a place full of productive people, not give their citizens basic living necessities? How does poverty negatively affect some Latin American people? Poverty is defined as the state of being extremely poor. Poverty forces some latino/a’s to make difficult decisions that people should not have to make such as abandoning their families. The issue with poverty has to be made better, and it is the government's job to ensure that their people are living under the best possible conditions. Poverty is the root of many problems; it has to be combated, and in doing so many other issues will be

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.

During this time, the levels of violence were lower than many European and American Countries. Colombia has gained international fame as one of the major centers in the world for drug trafficking. Anytime a country has a problem with drug trafficking, crime is always high.

According to James Painter in his BBC News article “Latin America faces year of change”, Latin America suffers from social violence, kidnapping, drug trafficking, child pornography, lack of women’s rights, and little accountability over the region’s law makers and authorities which can lead to government corruption (para. 12). Government corruption can be defined as political power used by government leaders for private gain and to maintain their power as a government official. Most of the times these corrupt politicians in Latin America say they are accomplishing apprehension of criminals to the best of their abilities when, in reality, they commit the same multitude of crimes. Politicians are able to maintain their power as a result of

Crime, death, and destruction is a big problem in Latin America. People are getting severely harmed and killed by many things, such as gangs drug, trafficking, human trafficking, not only those things but many others. A lot of people in the world are trying to help the people that are causing major problems to the world’s economy and the people living in it. Sadly, it doesn’t or won’t stop because people think they can do what they want and get away with anything they want without thinking that it’s bad enough not to go to jail. Although, the crime rate in Latin America is higher in some countries, like for instance Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Murders and violence are a big problem that need to be controlled and solved by not only government officials but the people themselves.