Political Effects of Colonization

Political Systems Case Studies

Intro

• Write three sentences addressing the following prompt:

How would school be different if all the principals and teachers left after noon today and never came back.

• Your sentences must include one economic, one political, and one social sentence.

• Political Instability – when violence and revolutions don’t allow a government to work normally.

Nicaragua, 1988

Political EffectsPolitical Effects• Political Instability –

after the Europeans leave many Latin Americans fight for control of their country.

• Europeans did not set up governments for the Latin Americans.

• Bad government = bad police, corruption, crime, no jobs, poor living conditions

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• Political instability occurs when a government is weak

• Often results in a coup• Coup = government is overthrown by a small

group of people

Haiti Clip – Part 11. How does this clip demonstrate political

instability?

Haiti Clip – Part 22. Create a caption that could describe this clip.

Copy clip questions only

Effects of Colonization

Economic1. Slave Trade

2. Plantations (Haciendas)

Political

1. Political Instability

2. Non-democratic governments

Social1. Cultural Mixing

2. Social Inequality

Non-Democratic Governments

Type Explanation Analysis

1. Oligarchy – government run by a few rich people

Analysis: Spanish colonists controlled the government and did not provide anything for the people

led to socialist governments that have been elected recently

Example: El Salvador• In the late 1800s El Salvador was a one commodity country based

on coffee. Because of the enormous profits in the coffee industry, land became concentrated in the hands of an oligarchy of a few families. The families were the descendants of Spanish colonists. The development of infrastructure (railroads and port facilities) was primarily in support of the coffee trade. The oligarchs worked to eliminate the communal land policies and increase coffee production. They also passed anti-vagrancy laws to ensure that displaced campesinos and other rural residents provided sufficient labor for the coffee plantations. They also created a rural police force that later became the national guard.

• Anti-Vagrancy Laws = laws against wandering from place to place with a home or regular employment.

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Oligarchy TaskTask: 1. Click on the link on the headline above. 2. Use it to answer the questions below:

A. Explain Oligarchy in your own words. B. Who are oligarchies good for? C. Who are oligarchies bad for? D. Create a fictional oligarchy. - Pretend an oligarchy has started in your neighborhood.- Who would serve on the oligarchy? - Give an example of an issue that would be decided by the oligarchy. - Explain the oligarchy’s decision related to the issue.

2. Junta – government run by the military

ANALYSIS: What symbols are present in this cartoon that represent the characteristics of a junta?

The United Fruit Company (UFC), formed in 1899, was a major U.S. corporation that grew and exported bananas (and pineapples) in Latin American plantations to sell in North America and Europe.

The UFC was a monopoly that had huge economic and political influence on these Latin American countries. They were known as El Pulpo, or “The Octopus” because of their influence in all aspects of their lives. By 1930, the Company had absorbed more than 20 rival businesses, becoming the largest employer in Central America.

CORRUPTION – allowing an American company to control land ownership was a sign of corrupt government officials. This led to the term “banana republic”, a small country that is dependent on limited agriculture such as bananas and has a corrupt government.

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3. Caudillo – dictator supported by the military and rich people (landowners)

Examples: The caudillo's power resided in his landholdings, the local militia that he often controlled, and loyalty from the lower classes who depended on him for work and protection. Within the United Provinces of Argentina, the federalist leaders, with their belief in local autonomy over centralized power, came to exemplify the Argentine caudillo.

Juan Manuel Rosas Task – Summarize the caption above. Add it to your chart under the Analysis section.

Summary

• Oligarchy = government run by a small group of people– Group = Spanish people who colonized the region– Censored the media, no free speech, persecution

• Junta = government run by the military– Top generals took command if the nation was too unstable

• Caudillo = dictator– Supported by military, rich people

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Task: LA Political Systems ComparisonComplete the following in your notebook, or on a separate sheet of paper that you

can take home

1. Sketch a picture demonstrating each of the 3 LA political systems

2. Label each picture

3. Put a brief caption underneath each picture explaining the political system.

4. Answer the question below in the middle of your paper.

Why was it difficult for Latin American countries to establish democratic governments?

Help: - See the template on the next slide for an idea of how to start- Use your notes you just took, the yellow paper, and p. 249-250

Junta

Caudillo Oligarchy

Why Democracy was unable to develop until recently?