Download Nationalism


Nationalism: a political philosophy based on common cultural characteristics that unites a
population and often produces a policy of national independence or separatism. Many Latin
American leaders adopted this idea as way to incite patriotism in their citizens and undo the
influence of European and American imperialism.

Populism: A political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their
struggle against the privileged elite. (not communist, more socialist) This philosophy was
often used by nationalist leaders to gain the support of the working classes through the use of
mass rallies, radio and media Propaganda.

Marxism/Communism: A theoretical (utopian) economic system characterized by the
collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage
of all members. In reality the government plans and controls the economy and a single, often
authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in
which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Anarchist: a person who seeks to overthrow, usually by violent means, all organized forms
and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system
of order. Anarchism became popular among the industrial workers of the 1920’s and 1930’s as a
way to use terrorism to accomplish their goals.

Fascism: An ultra reactionary system of government characterized by centralization of
authority under a dictator, strict socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition
through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of aggressive nationalism and racism.
Latin American dictators in the 1930’s sometimes modeled their governments based on Benito
Mussolini’s Fascist Italy and Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party (Nazi) in Germany.

Uruguay: In 1903 Jose Batlle Ordóñez was elected president of Uruguay by a narrow margin
that produced anger with the opposition party and led to a civil war in 1904. Ordóñez and his
followers were victorious in 1905. He held honest presidential and legislative elections in 1905,
which he and his party won. Ordonez introduced the ideas of civic and economic nationalism
and socialism to Uruguay. He lowered the voting age to 18, gave women the right to vote and
literacy (ability to read) was no longer a requirement either. Many other Latin American
nations followed his example in regards to voting reforms.

These reforms were called “Batllismo” and created a government controlled welfare state.
The government nationalized(took back from Britain) foreign factories and railroads, banks,
tourist hotels and plantations. Ordonez introduced a minimum wage, labor regulations, paid
vacations, accident insurance, free public education and opened universities to women. All of
these programs were paid for by the government. (through high taxes) He separated church
and state and tried to rule by a council rather than by a traditional presidency. His regime
instilled a sense of pride in being a citizen of Uruguay and limited foreign imperialist
influence.

After a tour of Europe, Ordóñez was re-elected president in 1911 and continued the reforms he
had started earlier. During his two terms in office, Ordóñez instituted labor reforms, limited
the profits of foreign-owned businesses, encouraged migration, nationalized and developed
public works, ended the death penalty, and protected illegitimate children. He was nicknamed
the “Civil Caudillo” for all his reforms but strong, stubborn personality.

Peru: In 1923 Víctor Mánuel Haya de la Torre was exiled from Peru for protesting a U.S.
backed dictatorship. In 1924 while hiding in Mexico, he created the Popular American
Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The political party believed in anti-imperialism and
social/economic nationalism. Torre used populism as a way to spread the ideas of his new
party and it quickly gained favor with the lower classes of Peru.

Torre believed that term “Latin” should not be used in regards to South America as it
connected them to Spain and Europe in a negative way. He preferred the term “IndoAmerica” and created a secondary movement called “Indigenismo” which used nationalism
to emphasize the indigenous people of each nation. He used the ancient Incan society for
inspiration and mixed it with Marxist socialism to try and create a form of indigenous
socialism. Unfortunately the plan didn’t take hold due to the numerous ethnicities in Peru that
did not get along.

The APRA did not succeed as as a national party either. The conservatives, who were backed by
the Catholic Church and the United States, were scared by it and used their power to crush the
movement. Despite mass rallies and radio campaigns by Torre, the APRA lost every election it
entered and the eventual rebellion against corrupt voting practices was crushed by the
government. The party was banned from 1931 to 1956 (despite underground popularity).

Torre returned to Peru in 1956 and ran for president. Despite winning a majority of the vote,
the military government did not let him take power. Torre worked hard for the next 20 years to
affect liberal change in Peru and in 1979 he helped draft a democratic constitution for the
nation.
Jose Batlle Ordóñez
Victor Manuel Haya de la Torre
 Argentina: From 1916 to 1922, Hipólito Yrigoyen, was the liberal, socialist president of
Argentina. His party the Radical Civic Union, promised a “revolution of the ballot box”
(honest elections), middle class and lower class reforms, and used nationalism to inspire the
lower classes into supporting a stronger, less corrupt Argentina.

Yrigoyen was extremely popular with the common people because he lived in a simple house
and believed in a more socialist, middle class lifestyle. He was hated by the wealthy elites and
foreign investors who he tried to suppress as much as possible. Yrigoyen even kept Argentina
out of World War I despite heavy pressure from Britain and the United States to join the allies.

The Tragic Week: (January 1919) Despite Yrigoyen’s socialist reforms, labor strikes led by
Russian Communists and Italian anarchists broke out in 1918 and 1919. The immigrants
wanted better working conditions and benefits but the economy could not support these
reforms. A riot broke out and reactionary conservatives began hunting down any foreign
immigrants, anarchists and socialists and beating and killing them. The result was 700 dead,
4,000 injuries, and the arrest of tens of thousands. The event discredited Yrigoyen as a socialist
as he had harshly suppressed the workers.

Re-elected in 1928, an old and senile Yrigoyen lost his grip on affairs. Corruption within his
administration cost him much support, which went over to the opposition formed by his longtime conservative enemies. The Great Depression in the United States that began in 1929
further weakened his position, and in a conservative military coup in 1930 he was pushed from
power ending his career.

From 1930 to 1943, Argentina went through a chaotic period known as the “Infamous
Decade” in which 6 presidents were pushed out of power in military Coup d'états. This era
was known for electoral fraud, persecution of political opposition and extreme government
corruption. The Great Depression and economic crisis it created forced many farmers and
other countryside workers to relocate to the outskirts of the larger cities, resulting in the
creation of the first villas miseria (shanty towns). In 1943, the nationalist faction of the army,
called the Grupo de Oficiales Unidos(GOU) opposed both to corruption and to the
Liberals, overthrew the liberal government in a coup. The party was ultra conservative and
were sympathizers of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

In 1945 colonel Juan Domingo Perón (a member of the GOU) was gaining extreme
popularity among the working class due to his populist beliefs. He was removed from his
position in the GOU because they feared his power. In 1946, Peron ran for office and was
elected President of Argentina. He unionized all of the factories and cut the power of the
landowning elite immensely. He made many enemies in the conservatives because of his
policies. Peron nationalized Argentina’s utility companies, British owned railroads and U.S.
owned meat packing plants. He expanded social services and welfare and tried to keep the
church out of state affairs. He became a man of the people to many working class supporters.

His wife Eva “Evita” Peron became wildly popular among the lower classes due to her beauty
and charity work. She had grown up poor and moved to the city to become a radio star. She
served as an example to the poor that they could rise through hard work. Juan Peron used her
as a “pop” icon to gain more popularity. When she died of cancer in 1952 the entire nation
mourned her loss. In 1955 Juan Peron was pushed out of power by a conservative military coup
d'état. He remained popular with the people despite this set back and returned in the 1970’s
and was elected president again.
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Peron
Eva “Evita” Peron
Nationalists attempted to take power in Colombia, Venezuela and Chile as well. However,
much like Peru, the Catholic Church and the United States backed more conservative political
parties run by dictators. The examples set in these countries showed liberals that more radical
forms of government like communism would be necessary to affect change. It also showed
conservatives that a hardline form of government like fascism could be useful in repressing
liberal ideas.
 Brazil: In 1930 Getúlio Vargas became President of Brazil after a successful revolution against
the oligarchy(ruled by a ministry) based government. He had the support of the military and
for the next few decades would he would hold dictatorial power. Vargas was a socialist but held
power using the conservatives. His loyalties switched often and because of this many radical
movements began to challenge him.
 The frustrated liberals or “Tenentes” began to form a powerful communist party in Brazil. At
the same time a conservative/nationalist group who hated the liberals formed the
“Integralists” or Brazilian fascist party. The two groups began to protest against Vargas and
violently clash with each other as well. To survive Vargas learned to play the multiple political
factions of Brazil off one another. He used the media to discredit both sides as terrorists or
revolutionaries. In 1937 Vargas created the Estado Novo or “New State” in Brazil. The new
constitution gave him total control of the country and he used this power to fight the fascists
and communists.
 The new authoritarian State banned both political parties and dissolved the legislature. Vargas
also censored and controlled the media and press. His police and military forces were ordered
to keep the peace with whatever force was required of them. Vargas was also a master of using
nationalism to maintain his popularity. He kept the urban lower classes happy by
nationalizing all the foreign owned companies and giving them an equal share of the profits
while granting them fair hours and benefits. He kept the conservatives happy by giving them
high positions in the government and controlling the immigrant population in the cities. After
World War II Vargas was thrown out of power for being too authoritarian.

Nationalism during the Great depression and World II: During the 1930’s the economic
collapse of the Great Depression weakened the hold of foreign powers in Latin American
affairs. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to keep relations between the U.S. and
Latin America friendly with the “Good Neighbor Policy”. The policy stated that the U.S.
would no longer intervene in Latin American affairs using the Monroe Doctrine unless they
were asked for aid. Cuba and Panama would no longer be U.S. protectorates and U.S.
companies would sell off shares to local Latin American interests. This policy would change
when World War II began in 1939.
 Every Latin American nation joined the United States as allies during WWII. Argentina was
somewhat neutral because of large populations of German and Italian immigrants. The U.S.
used the war and economic needs of Latin nations to regain influence and power in the region.
Roosevelt supports Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and Fulgencio Batista in
Cuba. (both turn out to be a ruthless dictators who commit many atrocities to their people)
Brazil was the best ally in WWII and provided troops and naval/airbases for the U.S. and
Britain. Latin American industry booms because the U.S. and Britain were producing war
materials rather than consumer goods.
 The “good times” in Latin America would not last however. Once the war ends in 1945 the U.S.
begins to push its influence on Latin America again in response to the new threat of Soviet
Communism.
 Results of Nationalism: Most nations are unchanged by nationalism, the conservative elite
still controlled industry and government. Central American countries are still neocolonialist
“banana republics”. The ideas of populism never truly took hold and the U.S. still dominated
industry and technology and opposed nationalism after WWII. The rural areas saw very little
reform and native racism was still in place. Urbanization had created shantytowns or Favelas
of poor, unemployed city workers.

Getulio Vargas
Favelas
Rafael Trujillo
Fulgencio Batista
The Cold War and Nationalism: After WWII the United States was one of two world
powers.(the other being the Soviet Union) A “Cold War” between the United States and the
Soviet Union began after WWII. (a war of economics, indirect military action and spying)
Communism became the enemy of the United States and capitalism. Americans were going
through an economic boom and industrialization began to grow rapidly. Latin American
factories were no longer needed so U.S. support was cut. Latin American economies began to
fall apart and groups tried to nationalize their industries but were opposed by U.S. supported
dictators. The Marshall Plan (1947) gave economic aid to European countries after the war to
stop the spread of communism. Latin American nations believed they would receive a similar
aid package but it never happened.
 The United States didn’t see Latin America as strategically important anymore and focused on
Europe and Asia. Latin nations felt betrayed and isolated despite their help during the war.
Meanwhile, the population of the United States was growing during the “Baby Boom” and
there was a need for more agricultural goods. U.S. farms modernized and Latin American
farms that had obsolete equipment could not compete with them. U.S. controlled many fruit
and sugar companies in central America and made sure not to let them get control back.
 The United States began a campaign to spread democratic and capitalist ideas around the
world to combat the spread of communism. The idea of Latin American nations nationalizing
American companies went against this so the U.S. crushed nationalism in the Caribbean and
Latin America. Dictators in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua
were put in power by the U.S. and were anti-nationalist. Any person or group that resisted was
labeled a communist and was treated harshly.
 Declaration of Caracas (1954): In 1954 Venezuela and the U.S. announced that Marxism and
communism were “illegal” and would be seen as a foreign invasion. The harsh stance of the
United States against communism would re-ignite the old hatreds of foreign neocolonialism
and imperialism in Latin American revolutionaries.


Guatemala: The government of Guatemala voted against the Caracas declaration and called
for Latin American nations to resist U.S. control and intervention. President Jacobo Arbenz
led the resistance against the United States. He had been against the United Fruit Company
and its policies for years. He nationalized it and many other foreign controlled companies.
Arbenz became more socialist and many of his supporters were communists. The United
States decided to “intervene” using the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Arbenz had the support of the people but only 25% of the military was on his side. The CIA
used this weakness and paid off and trained the rest of the army and brought in mercenaries
to raise their numbers. When Arbenz started his revolution the Guatemalan army (who he
thought would join him) turned on him and he was overthrown. The U.S. installed their own
puppet government (government controlled by another government) and declared it a
victory for democracy. The government that took over was brutal to the people and made
many question if the CIA led counter-revolution was worth it.

Pablo Neruda: was a famous Latin American poet from Chile who was opposed to foreign
intervention in Latin America. He was also a communist and devoted himself to revolutionary
politics. He was very vocal about his opposition to the United States in Guatemala, Cuba and
later in Vietnam. His writing gained him fame all over the world and he was nominated for the
Nobel prize in 1964 (he lost that year, some say the CIA tampered with the vote, but won it in
1971). The CIA considered him an enemy to democracy and monitored him constantly. He was
not allowed to enter the United States due to his communist beliefs and anti-American
writing.
Jacobo Arbenz
Pablo Neruda
Painting representing CIA led revolution in Guatemala
The Cuban Revolution(1953-1958): In 1950’s Latin America the domination of the United
States in industry and politics had created many revolutionary enemies. Most of this
opposition looked to Marxism and Lenin based communism as an answer to the problem.
The United States saw this as an extreme threat as it did not want the Soviet Union to gain a
foot hold in the western hemisphere. Despite U.S. intervention in numerous nations, the
movement grew as many rural and urban workers saw capitalism as the source of their
problems. It was in this atmosphere that an Argentinian medical student and a wealthy sugar
plantation owner would plan a revolution that would eventually lead the world to the brink
of nuclear war.
 Ernesto R. Guevara de la Serna better known as “Che”, was a medical student in Buenos
Aires, Argentina who became a supporter of communism after his travels to numerous Latin
American countries. He had witnessed the cultural, economic and political injustice that
western neocolonialism and imperialism had caused and became determined to fight
against it. After receiving his medical degree, Che traveled to Guatemala to support Jacobo
Arbenz in his fight against the U.S. and the united fruit company. After witnessing the unfair
way the CIA used the military against the socialists he was forced to flee the country.Che ran
to Mexico and became radicalized by what he had seen. He began calling himself “A soldier
of America” and became a Marxist revolutionary. While staying in Mexico Che met another
revolutionary, Fidel Castro.
 Fidel and his brother Raul came from a wealthy family of sugar plantation owners in Cuba.
He had attended expensive private schools but found himself hating the rich lifestyle his
family lived with so much poverty around them. He became an anti-imperialist and
nationalist in the 1940’s. He even attempted to overthrow Trujillo in the Dominican Republic
but failed and returned home. Castro attempted to overthrow Batista in 1953 but failed and
was arrested. After being released in 1955 he fled to Mexico to plan another revolution
against Batista.


After a year of planning and recruiting Che and Castro lead a group of 84 Guerrilla freedom
fighters in an attack on Cuba in 1956. Batista’s forces had been tipped off and attacked the
landing party. Only 12 men including Che, Fidel and Raul survived and escaped into the
mountains. The 12 survivors became folk legends and were compared to the 12 apostles of
Jesus by the local farmers. For the next few years the rebels waged a guerilla war against the
Cuban army. Batista was hated by many of the lower classes and Che used this to recruit and
radicalize new troops for their forces.

Castro set up a rebel government in the mountains and started to educate the locals on
communism and promised them land reforms if they supported him. Media coverage,
especially articles in The New York Times, made Che and Castro look like rebel heroes
fighting an unjust dictator to free the Cuban people(which was mostly true). This turned
popular support against Batista and many of his own men defected to the rebels. In 1958
Castro and Che left the mountains with their entire army and began to attack Batista’s forces.
After numerous losses Batista was forced to flee the country in 1959. Castro and Che had
won and became heroes in the eyes of many Cubans. The conservative elite and the middle
class however saw them as a danger and many of them fled to the United States and settled
in Florida.

At first the United States viewed Che and Castro’s win as just another Latin Revolution that
could be controlled. The Americans didn’t see Castro as a threat because he had not declared
himself a communist. Once the rebels entered Havana, they captured, tortured and executed
anyone connected to the old Batista government. All of the rebels had beards and smoked
cigars, it became a symbol of their anti-capitalist beliefs. Castro used television to make long
speeches that told the people what the revolution was trying to accomplish. He began to
reform the distribution of land and wealth along communist lines. (Equally to all)

During this time, Castro repeatedly denied being a Communist, but to many Americans, his
policies looked like Soviet-style control of the economy and government. In April 1959, Castro
visited the United States and made anti-imperialism speeches. Once the U.S government
discovered Castro’s true intentions, American officials sent him a message warning him not to
declare Cuba a communist nation. Castro refuses to listen to American protests and declared
himself prime minister in 1959. Meanwhile Che Guevara was put in charge of military
intelligence and used the La Cabaña Fortress prison to execute between 300 and 550
“undesirables” without a trial while Castro’s brother Raul ran execution squads in the cities.

As U.S. and Cuban relations began to break down, Castro began to look for economic aid from
the Soviet Union in 1960. The USSR sent Spanish-speaking advisers to help organize Cuba's
defense committee. In February 1960, Cuba signed a trade agreement to buy oil from the
Soviet Union and established diplomatic relations. U.S.-owned refineries in Cuba refused to
process the oil, so Castro nationalized the refineries along with other U.S. owned companies
and property. The United States reacted by cutting Cuba's import quota on sugar. This began a
decades-long embargo of Cuban goods by the United States.

With Soviet support, Castro radicalized his revolution and began to model the Cuban
government along Soviet lines. He censored the media and press and eliminated anyone who
spoke out against his regime. The year 1961 proved to be important to Castro's relationship
with the United States. On January 3, 1961, president Dwight Eisenhower broke off diplomatic
relations with the Cuban government. On April 16, Castro formally declared Cuba a socialist
state.

The Bay of Pigs(1961): President Eisenhower's had approved a secret CIA campaign to train
and equip a guerilla army of 1,400 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and start a revolution against
Castro. It was a risky plan because if it came out that the U.S. had supported the attack, the
Soviets could have seen it as an act of war. Although the invasion began during the
Eisenhower administration, it was inherited by President John F. Kennedy, who reluctantly
approved its action but refused to give Cuban exiles air support in order to hide any U.S.
involvement.

The invasion ended in disaster; hundreds of the insurgents were killed and nearly 1,000 were
captured. Though the United States denied any involvement, it was revealed that the Cuban
exiles were trained by the Central Intelligence Agency and armed with U.S. weapons.
Castro this victory to consolidate his power and further promote his agenda. He announced an
end to democratic elections in Cuba and denounced American imperialism. Fidel Castro
finally declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and announced the Cuban government was allying
itself with the Soviet Union. On February 7, 1962, the United States responded by imposing a
full economic embargo on Cuba. (still active today!)

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Relations between the two superpowers of the United
States and Soviet Union during the Cold War took a turn for the worse when the pilot of an
American U-2 spy plane made a high-altitude pass over Cuba in 1962 and photographed
Soviet Nuclear ballistic missiles being assembled for installation. U.S. officials were alarmed
that the Soviets had placed nuclear weapons within 90 miles of the U.S. coastline. The Soviet
Premier Nikita Khrushchev put the missiles in Cuba in response to U.S. missiles in Western
Europe and Turkey. President Kennedy decided that the situation was unacceptable but had to
proceed with caution as the outcome of this crisis could have led to a nuclear holocaust.

President Kennedy ordered the United States Navy to blockade the island of Cuba and stop
the delivery of the Soviet Missiles. In a television broadcast on October 22, 1962, the president
told U.S. citizens about the missiles and the possibility of war with the Soviet Union.
Following this announcement people around the world nervously waited for the Soviet
response. A panic set in and many Americans ran for bomb shelters and hoarded food, water
and gasoline.

A crucial moment in the crisis happened on October 24, when the Soviet fleet bound for
Cuba approached the U.S. Naval blockade. If the Soviets had attempted to breach the
blockade it would have sparked a military confrontation that could have quickly escalated to
a nuclear attck. But the Soviet ships stopped short of the blockade. An extremely tense
standoff between the superpowers continued through the week, and on October 27, an
American spy plane was shot down over Cuba, and a U.S. invasion force was prepared in
Florida.

Meanwhile, the Americans and Soviets had exchanged letters and other communications,
and on October 26, Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the
Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise by U.S. leaders not to invade Cuba. The following
day, the Soviet leader sent a letter proposing that the USSR would dismantle its missiles in
Cuba if the Americans removed their missile installations in Turkey.

Kennedy decided to accept the terms and agreed to withdraw their nation's missiles from
Turkey. Both nations had barely avoided a nuclear war and it had frightened officials on both
sides. A direct "hot line" communication link was installed between Washington and
Moscow to help stop similar situations in the future, and the superpowers signed two treaties
that controlled and limited the use of nuclear weapons.

Legacy of the Cuban Revolution: Cuba became more and more isolated after the Cuban
Missile crisis and was dependant on Soviet Aid. Castro and Guevara used Cuba as a training
ground for future Latin American revolutions. The Soviet Union did not sponsor or support
any of these revolutionary plans. Che began to be disillusioned by the Soviet Union and felt
betrayed by their lack of aid. Guevara believed that revolutions could be created in any Latin
American country because of the effects of imperialism and neocolonialism.

Che became frustrated with Castro and Cuba as well. He did not want to be a government
minister and was tired of the Soviet Union ignoring their requests for military aid. After a
disagreement over economic and political policies in Cuba, Che quit his post and left to start
new revolutions in Africa and Latin America in 1965.

After making anti-imperialist speeches in Algiers and denouncing the Soviet Union as
“betraying Marxism”, Che began training Guerilla troops in the Congo then he decided to
start a Marxist revolution in Bolivia. Castro became tired of Guevara’s criticism of Cuba and
the Soviet Union and no longer supported him.

In Bolivia, Che failed to gain any support from the locals. He used brutal tactics against his
enemies and was seen as reckless by his allies. The CIA also sent advisors in to help the
Bolivian government fight his guerilla tactics. In 1966 Che Guevara was captured by the
Bolivian army and after being interrogated(he kept silent the whole time) was executed. Che
became a symbol of revolution against capitalism and imperialism to many while others felt
he was a brutal man who used violence to affect change.

Castro’s Cuba became a symbol of resistance to the United States in Latin America. Despite
their isolation, Cubans were given better schools, medical care and social classes and racism
were outlawed. However, Castro became a harsh dictator who censored the press and did not
tolerate opposition to his rule. Cubans were not allowed to leave the country.
Fidel Castro
Che Guevara
 “I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating...
because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.”
-Fidel Castro
 “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to
make it fall.”
-Che Guevara
 “I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and
keeps on shooting.”
-Che Guevara
 “I know you are here to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going
to kill a man.”
-Che Guevara’s last words
Aftermath of the Bay of pigs invasion
The reality of communism in pop culture
 What is populism? How did Nationalist Latin American leaders use it to take
power?
 Compare and contrast fascism and communism. Which countries had
governments that were influenced by these ideologies?
 How did World War II and the cold war influence Nationalism in Latin
America?
 What was the CIA’s role in Guatemala and Cuba?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2004/09/the_cult_of_che.html

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-10-09/news/0710080411_1_cuban-doctorscuban-revolution-bolivian-president-evo-morales

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuban-rebels/matthews.htm

Compare and contrast the three articles above. How do they portray Che Guevara? Was
he a rebel hero or a violent megalomaniac? What is your opinion?