US-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS, 1898-2000

UNIVERSIDAD DEL PACFICO

CUBAN REVOLUTION AND USA-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS

Meaning

Worst American political defeat in Latin America (LA)

A

model of anti-imperialist resistance and national reaffirmation Guerrilla warfare: foco guerrillero
A successful

example of social and political change through violence

Cuban

support for guerrilla movements

Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, etc.

Guatemala,

Alternative economic model

Socialism

as a tool for economic development and independence Agrarian reform, nationalization of foreign and national private properties
Taking

back natural resources

Soviet

economic, scientific, political, and military support

Alternative program of economic, social, and political organization

Economic

justice (redistribution of wealth), education (literacy campaign), public health and housing, cultural programs, etc.

Fidel Castros huge popularity in Cuba and Latin America

The

giant who defeated the USA

To Fidel Pablo Neruda Cancin de gesta, 1960

And they support you because you represent the collective honor of our long struggle, and if Cuba were to fall we would all fall, and we would come to lift her, and if she blooms with flowers she will flourish with our won nectar. And if they dare touch Cubas forehead, by your hands liberated, they will find peoples fists, we will take out our buried weapons: blood and pride will come to rescue, to defend our beloved Cuba.

International impact

Before the Revolution, Latin America played a secondary role in the Cold War Changed international balance of power Escalation of Cold War
Almost

cause a world war: missile crisis Caribbean decolonization: Jamaica, Trinidad y Tobago, Grenada, Barbados, Guyana, etc..
Sympathy

and admiration A model to follow

Cuban

support to radical movements

Caused a boom of a revolutionary counterculture in Latin America

Change

in the cultural repertoire of collective action in Latin America

Revolution

through armed struggle (guerrilla warfare) became an acceptable solution to Latin American historical problems (poverty, inequality, nondemocratic governments, etc.)

Impact

on young (educated) Latin Americans

Violence

as a valid mean to achieve social, political, and economic change

The only mean?

American reaction

However, the Revolution did not change American hegemonic position in LA Revision of American strategies and priorities
LA

became a priority for the first time since the GNP American main goal: stop the Cuban infection at any cost

American strategies

Cuban isolation
Expulsion from the OAS (1962) Economic, political, and cultural blockade (embargo)

Economic assistance (loans, Alliance for Progress) Military assistance (counterinsurgency, School of the Americas, Green Berets) Support to coup d'tat, military governments, and dictatorships Military interventions Cover operations

The Blockade, 1962-2012

Penalties for violating the embargo: up to ten years in prison, $1 million in corporate fines, and $250,000 in individual fines. Civil penalties up to $55,000.

Military assistance
Counterinsurgency

, anti-guerrilla warfare, School of the Americas, military advisors (Green Berets) American military presence in the Caribbean: bases in Puerto Rico and Cuba (Guantnamo)

Alliance for Progress (AFP)

Economic assistance

John F. Kennedys (JFK) answer to the Cuban Revolutions challenges and threats Objective: to end the socioeconomic conditions that could cause revolutions in LA: underdevelopment, poverty, inequality, etc.
Progress

and prosperity as anti-communist

tools

American economic assistance to 22 LA countries

A ten years plan to promote economic growth, social development, and democracy in LA
Diversification

of trade, industrialization, and expansion of employment Agrarian reform Literacy campaign

Speed up of LA economic development

$20 billions in assistance for LA

$10

billions from the US government $10 billions from private investors

Latin American

investors

American economic assistance: annual average of $1.4 billions between1962 to1967

$22.3

billions in a ten years period

Was the AFP a success?

The 1960s was a period of economic growth for LA: 2.4 annual average vs. AFPs goal of 2.5 Agrarian reform: a failure Social reforms: illiteracy and poverty were not defeated
Resistance

from the local elites and middle

classes
AFP

proposed reforms were against their class interests

They dont want share their wealth and social and political privileges

Not enough economic assistance Not enough local support Weakness of local reformist forces

Cold
Big

War repression
contradiction of American foreign policy

JFK was killed in November 1963

Political development

Six coup d'tat between1962 and 1963

Argentina,

March1962 Peru, July 1962 Guatemala, March 1963 Ecuador, July 1963 Dominican Republic, September 1963 Honduras, October 1963

Brazil, April 1964 Argentina, June 1966

1968: military governments in Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, all Central America, Bolivia, and Ecuador

General Juan Velasco Alvarado

Brazil, 1964
Military

coup d'tat against nationalist President Joo Goulart

Strong

Joo Goulart

anticommunism USA government support Military dictatorship for 21 years

Brazil, 1964
Military coup d'tat

Repblica Dominicana, 1965

Dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (19301961)

Mario Vargas Llosa, The Feast of the Goat (2000) Unrest and political instability

Killed in1961

Democratic elections in1962

Juan

Boschs victory

Constitution of 1963 Agrarian reform, social reforms, etc. Coup d'tat in 1963

Nixon and Trujillo

1965 popular rebellion in support of the 1963 constitution and the return of Bosch; threat of a civil war American invasion with the support of the OAS (Brazil)

Stop another Cuba

 Norberto Barreto Velzquez, PhD nbarreto@pucp.edu.pe norbertobarreto.wordpress.com

3/9/2013

Despus de la Revolucin