1 / 8

South America

South America. Latin America Day 4 Notes. South America…. Common Characteristics in South America. All countries in South America are democracies. A couple leaders have expressed concerns about the U.S.’s influence in the region, which is as great as ever, including...

maille
Download Presentation

South America

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. South America Latin America Day 4 Notes

  2. South America….

  3. Common Characteristics in South America • All countries in South America are democracies. • A couple leaders have expressed concerns about the U.S.’s influence in the region, which is as great as ever, including... • Bolivia’s president Evo Morales • Especially Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez (now dead) • Most countries have high literacy rates (over 90%) and life expectancies in the 70s.

  4. South America Case Study: Brazil • Brazil’s military has had a huge influence on it’s government. • Beginning around 1965, the military government forced businesses to pay people less and pressured labor union leaders into accepting it. • They also encouraged foreign companies to use the cheap labor for their benefit. • The policy was great for Brazil’s economy as it grew so fast it was called “The Brazilian Miracle.”

  5. Sacrifices for the Brazilian Miracle… • Civil Rights were lost. • Not allowed to criticize leaders or form political parties. • All opposition was outlawed. • Brazil in heavy debt. • By 1980 Brazil had more debt than any other developing nation in the world. • In 1990, Brazil became a representative democracy like the U.S. and gradually paid off their debts. The results have been mostly positive in the last twenty years. • Brazil will host the Olympics in 2016.

  6. Issues in Argentina • Argentina, South America’s second largest country, has had similar ups and downs politically. • Led by the Peron family, including Juan Peron and his wife, celebrity hero Eva “Evita” Peron, Argentina was a military dictatorship after WWII. • When Evita died in 1952, the military was unafraid to overthrow Juan. • Political instability with heavy military influence was in place until the mid 1980s. • Inflation and debt have plagued the country since, but today they have high economic growth despite corruption, poverty, and a large gap between wealthy and poor.

  7. Drug Issues in South America… • Following WWII, Colombia was considered a model for democracy in Latin America. • Drugs have changed their fortunes since. • Marijuana and cocaine cartels have overtaken the country. • In the 1980s the Columbian government tried to fight back, but it led to open warfare on the streets. • By 1995, the Cali cartel controlled about 70 percent of the world trade in cocaine. • U.S. has spent nearly $5 billion to help Colombia fight against drugs, but still no end to the struggles.

  8. Lasting Issues in Latin America • Which lasting issue is most important for many Latin American countries to address to improve the world? • Drugs? • Political corruption? • Economic struggles? • Immigration?

More Related