latin american revolutions assignment

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12.4: Latin America Revolutions

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Simon Bolivar Central Park NYC Source: Wikipedia

The Independence of Latin America

The American and French Revolutions stirred independence movements in other parts of the world. A growing spirit of nationalism and the French ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity inspired many Latin Americans to rise up against their French, Spanish, and Portuguese masters. Though mostly successful, these movements would also bring an increase in poverty, and the dream of a united Latin America would quickly fall apart.

Social Structure in Latin America Source: Moore Public Schools

Latin American Society

The term Latin America applies to the lands south of the United States where Spanish, Portuguese, and French are spoken. All these languages developed from Latin. Generally, the region includes Mexico, Central America, South America, and islands of the Caribbean. On the surface, the Latin American revolutions of the early 1800s appear similar to the American Revolution. In every case, revolutionaries overthrew a government controlled by a European country. Then, the leaders of the revolution set up a new national government.

However, there were important differences between conditions in Latin America and in the United States. In Latin America, colonial society was sharply divided into classes based on birth. Struggles among these classes played an important part in the revolutions.

• At the top of Latin American society were the peninsulares , people who had been born in Spain or Portugal. They held the most important positions in colonial government and in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Creoles ranked next, and were born in Latin America but whose ancestors came from Europe. This class included many wealthy landowners and lesser government officials. The peninsulares and the creoles formed an aristocracy in Latin American society. Together, they made up less than one-fifth of the population.
• The common people had few political rights and little share in the region’s wealth. This group included mestizos, mulattoes, blacks, and Indians. Mestizos were people of mixed European and Indian ancestry. Mulattoes were of European and African ancestry. Some mestizos and mulattoes owned small farms or businesses, others rented small farms from landlords. Most blacks worked as slaves on large plantations, although there were free blacks in many towns. Millions of Indians were legally free, but they were usually treated no better than slaves.

A Revolution in Haiti

The first colony to free itself from European rule was the French colony of Saint Domingue on the island of Hispaniola. Almost all of the people who lived in the colony were slaves of African origin. In 1791, about 100,000 rose in revolt. Toussaint L’Ouverture , an ex-slave, soon emerged as a leader. By 1801, he had moved to the eastern part of the island and freed the slaves there. In 1804, the former colony declared itself the independent country of Haiti .

South American Independence

Elsewhere in Latin America, creoles took the lead in the battle for independence. Peninsulares held almost all the high government offices in Spain’s Latin American lands and kept tight control over the economy of its colonies. Merchants in Spanish colonies could trade only with Spain. Likewise, all their goods could only be sent on Spanish ships. In addition, the valuable mines of Mexico and Peru were under direct Spanish control, which the creoles resented.

However, the direct cause of the Latin American revolts was Napoleon’s conquest of Spain in 1808, and placing his brother, Joseph, as the king of Spain. Many creoles might have remained loyal to a Spanish king, but they felt no loyalty at all to a Frenchman placed on the Spanish throne by force.

Fighting broke out in 1810 in several parts of Latin America. Loyalties were divided. The viceroys and their armies remained loyal to Spain, as did some creoles. Indians and mestizos fought on both sides, often forced into armies against their will.

Two leaders emerged. Simon Bolivar was a writer, fighter, and political thinker. He survived defeats and exile to win independence for Venezuela in 1821. Jose de San Martin helped win independence for Argentina in 1816 and Chile in 1818. Bolivar led their combined armies to a great victory in 1824 that gave independence to all the former Spanish colonies.

Bolivar declared Venezuela’s independence from Spain in 1811, but the struggle seesawed back and forth. Bolivar built up an army from many sources. He promised to end slavery, winning many black volunteers. He also recruited Europeans. In January 1819, Bolivar led his 2,500 soldiers on a daring march through the towering Andes into what is now Columbia. Coming from this unexpected direction, he took the Spanish army completely by surprise in Bogota and defeated them. Bolivar went on to free Venezuela in 1821. Next, he marched into Ecuador.

Meanwhile the other great hero of the independence movement, Jose de San Martin was freeing the south. After declaring Argentina’s independence in 1816, his army freed Chile in 1817 after a grueling march across the Andes. Next, San Martin took his soldiers north by sea to Lima, Peru, in 1821. The Spanish army retreated into the mountains of Peru. To drive them out, San Martin needed a much larger force. Otherwise, the Spaniards would remain a threat to all of independent South America. Thus, the need for San Martin and Bolivar to meet at Guayaquil, Ecuador.

No one knows how the two men reached an agreement. But San Martin left his army for Bolivar to command. Soon after, San Martin sailed for Europe, dying almost forgotten on French soil in 1850. Bolivar followed the Spaniards into the heights of the Andes. His forces defeated the Spanish army at the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824, which was the last major battle of the war for independence.

In Brazil, independence took a different turn. When Napoleon’s armies entered Portugal in 1807, the royal family escaped to Brazil, its largest colony. For the next 14 years, it would be the center of the Portuguese empire. By the time Napoleon was defeated, the people of Brazil wanted their independence. In 1822, 8,000 creoles signed a paper asking the son of Portugal’s king to rule an independent Brazil. He agreed, and Brazil became free through a bloodless revolt.

Mexican Independence

In Mexico, ethnic and racial groups mixed more freely. Unlike the other Latin American revolutionary movements, Indians and mestizos played the leading role. Also, whereas in most countries the revolution began in the cities, in Mexico it began in the countryside.

On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo , a priest from the mountain village of Dolores, called on Indian peasants of his parish to rebel against their Spanish masters. Today, that call is known as the grito de Dolores (the cry of Dolores). This group began a 200 mile march toward Mexico City, armed with sickles, stones, and clubs, picking up thousands of new recruits and weapons along the way. Creole landlords fled for their lives. Soon, Hidalgo had a force of 60,000 men behind him. He declared an end to slavery and called for other reforms.

In Mexico City, the main Spanish army and the creoles joined forces against Hidalgo’s army. Hidalgo was betrayed by one of his officers, captured, and executed by a firing squad.

The rebels found another strong leader in Jose Maria Morelos, who proved to be a far better general than Hidalgo had been. His goals were to set up a democratic government, tax the wealthy, and distribute lands to the peasants. By 1813, his army controlled all of Mexico except for the largest cities. In that same year, Mexico was declared an independent republic by its congress.

Many creoles supported the idea of independence, but they were not willing to accept Morelos’ social reforms. A creole officer, Augustin de Iturbide, captured and executed Morelos in 1815. A few scattered groups of rebels fought on as guerrillas.

Suddenly, events took a new turn. In 1820, a revolution in Spain put a new group in power. Mexico’s creoles feared that this Spanish government would take away their privileges. At once, the creoles united in support of independence. Iturbide made peace with the last guerrilla leader, proclaimed Mexico independent in 1821, and eventually made himself emperor. Not long afterward, he was ousted from power. When he tried to return to power in 1824, he was shot.

Caudillos Dominate Governments

By 1830, Latin America was home to 16 independent countries, but many citizens had few political freedoms. All the countries were dominated by a small group of wealthy Creole aristocrats. Army leaders had come to power during the long struggle with Spain, and they continued to control Latin America after independence. Indeed, nearly all the countries of Latin America were run by caudillos . (Caudillos were political strongmen, usually army officers, who ruled as dictators.) Many caudillos cared only for their own power and wealth, and did little to improve the lives of the common people. Changes of government most often took place at bayonet-point, as one caudillo was forced to give way to another.

Throughout Latin America, independence actually brought an increase in poverty, as turmoil continued in the region. The wars had disrupted trade and devastated cities and the countryside. After all the destruction, the dream of a united Latin America quickly fell apart. In South America, Bolivar’s united Gran Colombia divided into Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela in early 1830. And by 1841, the United Provinces of Central America had split into the republics of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The Monroe Doctrine

In one way, Lain America was luckier than other nonindustrial parts of the world. Despite the political confusion, Latin America was never again carved into colonies as Africa and Asia were in the late 1800s. Having won independence, Latin America succeeded in keeping it.

Spain had not given up hope of winning back its colonies. In addition, France saw a chance to take over land in Latin America. However, both Britain and the United States were determined not to allow such a development.

In 1823, U.S. President James Monroe announced “the American continents …. Are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.” This statement is known as the Monroe Doctrine . Some questioned if the United States was strong enough to enforce the Monroe Doctrine.

Great Britain wanted to protect Latin American independence for economic reasons. During the wars for independence, many Latin American countries began trading with Britain rather than with Spain. British banks and businesses invested heavily in South America, especially in Argentina and Brazil.

In the end, both countries were happy with the economic advantages they gained from Latin American independence.

Attribution: Material taken and modified from CK-12 7.3 Latin American Independence

Latin American Revolutions Research Project: Home

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• Latin American Revolutions Research Project
• Latin American Revolutions Case Analysis

Constructing Your Narrative

Your group’s narrative must include the following information….

Inspiration

• Who were the leaders of the revolution?
• What conditions in the colonies led people to demand revolution?
• What ideas inspired revolutionary leaders in your case study?
• How did those revolutionary leaders inspire their followers?
• How did individuals assert their desired independence? (writing, speeches, protests, violence?)
• Between what groups did conflict arise?
• What conflict existed among the revolutionaries?
• How was that conflict expressed? (violence, politics, etc.?)
• How was the conflict resolved?
• Did the revolutionaries attain their initial goal of going from subject to citizen?
• Once independence was gained, what system of government did the new countries establish?
• Who held power?
• Who became marginalized?
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World History Project - 1750 to the Present

Course: world history project - 1750 to the present   >   unit 2.

• READ: The Atlantic Revolutions
• READ: West Africa in the Age of Revolutions
• BEFORE YOU WATCH: The Haitian Revolution
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• WATCH: Tea, Taxes, and The American Revolution
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Video transcript

“In this part of the world the possibility is almost totally gone for there to be a peaceful transition to socialism.” - Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1963)

Description

This course fulfills the research requirement in the history major through a critical comparative analysis of twentieth-century revolutionary theories and movements in Latin America. It culminates with each student writing an article-length research paper based primarily on primary sources and subject to rigorous scholarly and professional standards.

The course is divided into the 3 tasks common to history research projects: reading deeply in the secondary literature, research into primary document sources on a chosen topic, and then writing about what you have learned from your reading and research. The class will culminate with presentations on your research findings.

See the syllabus addendums on Blackboard for additional class policies.

Readings There is one assigned text for this class:

Becker, Marc. Contemporary Latin American Revolutions . 2d edition. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022. ISBN: 9781538163733

Assignments and grades

Assignment                                                                                          Points Daily discussion posts (1pt each)                                           10 Participation (1pt each)                                                          10 Secondary source analysis                                                      10 Annotated bibliography/ Zotero                                             5 Primary sources (3pts each)                                                   15 Peer review                                                                             10 Final paper                                                                              40

You can check your grade progress on the class Blackboard web page. Grades are calculated out of a total of 100 possible points, and not the percentage of completed assignments as displayed in Blackboard. At least 90 points are necessary for an A, 80 for a B, 70 for a C, and 60 for a D. Fewer than 60 points is an F. Successful completion of all assignments is required to receive credit for this class.

Discussion posts : By 9a.m. for each daily reading during the first part of the class, post one question or discussion topic related to the readings to the discussion board on Blackboard. 1pt each, 10pts total.

Discussion leaders : Each student will briefly present on one case study of a Latin American revolution (see below) and lead discussion of that topic. This will include organizing the responses to the reading on the blackboard discussion board into a logical flow and leading the discussion of the chapter in class. Another student moderate discussion (run stack—we will give more instructions in class, so don’t worry about this right now) and mark off student contributions on the participation spreadsheet.

Participation : Participate substantively to class discussion during the first reading in the secondary literature part of the class. 1pt each, 10pts total.

Secondary source analysis : Analyze a scholarly book included in the list of sources for one of chapters from the Contemporary Latin American Revolutions text for which you have signed up to lead discussion (see above). Write a 3-page essay summarizing the book’s contents and critiquing the author’s assumptions. The essay must be typed, double-spaced, and include citations and page numbers. This paper should be typed, double-spaced, and about 3 pages long, and include citations a bibliography, and page numbers. Briefly present your findings from the book at the beginning of the class period during which we discuss that revolutionary movement. 10 pts.

Research paper proposal : Draft a research paper proposal, including a paragraph describing your project, the research questions you seek to address with the project, and a hypothesis of what you expect to find (the thesis statement of your research paper). Present the proposal to the class on Wednesday, February 9. The proposal is required to continue with the class.

Annotated bibliography : Using Zotero, prepare an annotated bibliography for your paper (details and instructions to follow). 5pts.

Primary source analysis : Select 3 primary sources related to your research topic, write an analysis of each one, and present your findings to the class. One source should be from a newspaper (due Mon, Feb 14), a second should be from either the U.S. or a Latin American government (due Wed, Feb 16), and a third should represent the perspective of a revolutionary movement (due Fri, Feb 18). At least one of the sources must come from the microfilm collection (http://library.truman.edu/microforms/subject_list.htm#Latin%20American%20History). 5pts each, 15pts total.

Outline: Write a first introduction and an outline to your paper. In the tentative introduction, state the paper’s topic, the problem that it addresses, its relation to existing work, and its argument. Outline in a manner you find efficient. Prepare a brief presentation about the progress of your research to the class.

Peer Review: Finish and turn in a final draft of your paper along with one for each of two peers. This full draft should, with the exception of an occasional flaw in structure and slip in formulation, read and look like a finished paper. Peer review two papers (one for content and the other for grammar). 10pts.

Oral presentations : In your presentation, tell us what questions you addressed in your research project, what you expected to find (your thesis), a summary of your actual findings, and your conclusions.

Final paper : The final paper should be at about 20 pages in length. The paper should rest on primary sources and be framed in terms of the historiography on the topic (typically presented at the beginning of the paper). The essay must include footnotes or endnotes and bibliography and the style must conform to that found in Turabian/Rampolla/Chicago Manual of Style. Papers submitted without page numbers will be docked half a letter grade. Due in class at the time of the final exam on Monday, May 2, 11:30.

Class Schedule

Reading Jan 19: Intro Jan 12: Theory             Read : Becker, ch. 1 (“Theories of Revolution”) Jan 14: Mexico             Read : Becker, ch. 2 (“Mexican Revolution, 1910–1920”)

Jan 19: Guatemala             Read : Becker, ch. 3 (“Guatemalan Spring, 1944–1954”) Jan 21: Bolivia             Read : Becker, ch. 4 (“Bolivia’s Nationalist Revolution, 1952–1964”)

Jan 24: Cuba             Read : Becker, ch. 5 (“Cuban Revolution, 1959–”) Jan 26: Chile             Read : Becker, ch. 6 (“Chilean Road to Socialism, 1970–1973”) Jan 28: Nicaragua             Read : Becker, ch. 7 (“Sandinistas in Nicaragua, 1979–1990”)

Jan 31: Guerrillas             Read : Becker, ch. 8 (“Guerrilla Warfare”) Feb 2: Venezuela             Read : Becker, ch. 9 (“Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution, 1999–”) Feb 4: Pink Tides             Read : Becker, ch. 10 (“Socialisms of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries”)

Research Feb 7: Library intro/Zotero (meet in PML 103) Feb 9: Proposals Feb 11: Microfilm (meet in PML 103)

Feb 14: Newspaper primary source Feb 16: Government primary source Feb 18: Movement primary source

Writing Individual meetings for research paper (dates to be set)

We will also schedule class meetings to discuss the outlines, peer reviews, and oral presentations.

Final exam : Monday, May 2, 11:30-12:20

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Latin American Revolutions

Primary Source Essay

Primary source analysis: the mexican revolution.

In this short (750-1000 word) essay, you will hone your skills as a historian analyzing a revolutionary leader’s description of the political and social climate in Mexico, and their plan to improve the nation.  What does your chosen leader say about conditions in Mexico and how revolutionary action will address them?  You will also argue how you think your chosen primary source should be understood in light of another scholar’s research.

The strongest projects will be focused in their analysis. They will make a clear argument about how your primary source should be interpreted (considering perspective, rhetorical intent, audience, the creator’s mindset) to answer a thoughtful historical question about the goals and experiences of participants in the Mexican Revolution.

Remember, your project should not be a mere summation of the contents of your source. Critical analysis goes beyond summarizing to a deeper critique of the source’s implications for our course themes.

Approaching the project:

You may choose to analyze any one of the following sources from our The Mexican Revolution: A Brief History with Documents text:

• Document #3. Francisco I. Madero, The Plan of San Luis Potosí , 1910
• Document #4. Emiliano Zapata, The Plan of Ayala , 1911
• Document #5. Francsico “Pancho” Villa, Dreams for a Future Mexico , ca. 1913

OPTIONAL: some of you asked if you could read the documents in their original Spanish.  I’m including links to the Mexican government’s site commemorating the centenary of their 1917 Constitution. 

• Francisco Madero, “ Plan de San Luis “
• Emiliano Zapata, “ Plan de Ayala “
• Francisco “Pancho” Villa, *This one if a manuscript source that the Austrian-Mexican historian Friedrich Katz used in his excellent biography of Villa, so I don’t have access to the original document.*

This exercise will allow you to hone your skills as a historian analyzing a primary source and communicating how you think the source should be viewed in light of other scholars’ research.  I expect you to engage with an argument about how to interpret the wars of independence Mexican Revolution or theorize revolutionary movements from at least one reputable scholarly source .  The outside secondary source can be something we read for class (for example, our readings by James DeFronzo, John Charles Chasteen, Marc Becker, or Mark Wasserman ), or you can pick another scholarly source.

Don’t just use your required scholarly source to glean names and dates for historical events.  Instead, make sure that you are presenting the scholar’s central argument , and using evidence from your primary source to either agree or disagree with the larger scholarly conversation.

Remember, primary sources reveal as much about the lived experiences and cultural expectations of their authors as they do about the historical events they describe.  What are your author’s political priorities?  What aspects of Mexican life are overlooked?

As always, you must correctly cite all information and include a bibliography. See my guidelines on academic integrity .

• In grading this assignment, I will consider the strength of your historical analysis of primary and secondary sources as well as your writing ability. You essay must be well organized, concise, and clearly written. I encourage all of you to take advantage of the Writing Center’s excellent feedback at any stage in the writing process.
• Primary Source Essay Rubric LARev FA19

Essay Format

• The heading on the first page should include your name, the name of our class, the title of the primary source under consideration, the date, and your word count (excluding the heading, footnotes, and works cited).
• Upload your primary source essay to Moodle as a .pdf file before 9am on Friday, September 13. 
• Essays should be 750-1000 words, double spaced, in a 12-point standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.) with 1 inch margins. Stay within the word limit!
• All sources must be correctly cited using Chicago style formatting .

Download Free Curriculum

CKHG Unit 6: Independence for Latin America

Focus: In this unit, students explore the wave of independence movements that led to the liberation of French, Spanish, and Portuguese Latin American colonies beginning in the late 1700s and lasting into the early 1900s. Generally, these colonies had rigid class systems with wealthy landowners controlling large tracts of land with poor workers providing the labor. By 1830, however, most Latin American nations had won their independence from European colonial governments with the help of leaders like Toussaint Louverture in Haiti, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in Mexico, Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, and José de San Martín in Argentina. Students also learn that while many of these revolutions brought about new political and personal freedoms, independence proved easier to achieve than political stability. Almost every Latin American country has experienced the same cycle of government control by caudillos (regional strongmen), revolution, civil war, and violence.

Number of Lessons: 7

Instruction Time: 45 minutes (Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.)

Additional Search Terms: social studies • nonfiction • informational text • geography • map skills • colonialism • indigenous people • Creoles • mestizos • enslaved people • class system • Saint-Domingue • Hispaniola • Toussaint Louverture • Haitian rebellion • Jean-Jacques Dessalines • Mexico • Querétaro • Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla • Ignacio Allende • José María Morelos • Agustín de Iturbide • General Santa Anna • Benito Juárez • Pancho Villa • Emiliano Zapata • Simón Bolívar • Francisco de Miranda • New Granada • Venezuela • Gran Colombia • Buenos Aires • Río de la Plata • Chile • José de San Martín • Brazil •  King João VI • Pedro I

Individual Resources

CKHG Student Readers offer engagingly written and richly illustrated text on the topics specified for the unit. Each volume includes maps, color illustrations, vocabulary sidebars, and a glossary. In general, the content and presentation in the CKHG units for Grade 6 are appropriate for students in Grade 6 and up.

The Teacher Guide provides detailed lesson plans for each Student Reader chapter, as well as activity page masters, assessments, additional activities (such as virtual field trips, simulations, or literary selections), and civics and arts connections to reinforce the lesson content.

Timeline Cards serve as visual aids to reinforce big ideas, clarify the chronology and context of historical events, and prompt discussion.

The Online Resources support lessons and activities within the Teacher Guide.

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Reform and Revolution in Latin America

File hist3489syllabusreformandrevolutioninlatinamerica.docx

Spring 2019

Dr. Lisa M. Edwards

Office: Dugan 106P

Office hrs: MW 3:15-4:15, F 10-11, and by appointment

Phone: 978-934-4164

Email: [email protected]

This course focuses on reform movements and revolutions in modern Latin America as a way of considering how individuals and groups articulate their needs and demand access to resources, representation, and political change. Calls for land reform, voting rights, environmental protection, indigenous representation, and anti-imperialism are common themes we will consider during the semester. How are these demands similar across the region, and how are they different from each other?

Required readings:

Becker, Marc. Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions . Lanham, MD: Rowman and

Littlefield, 2017.

García-Bryce, Iñigo. Haya de la Torre and the Pursuit of Power in Twentieth-Century Peru and

Latin America . Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2018.

Additional readings of journal articles and book chapters available free through UML libraries or online as noted in syllabus. Please plan to print, take extensive notes, or bring a laptop or tablet to class for discussions.

Course requirements and grading:

Attendance and Participation 10%

5 reading response papers 50% (10% each)

Midterm exam (take-home, due March 8) 15%

Discussion Leader assignment, including mandatory meeting and written preparation and reflection 10%

Final essay (take-home exam, due during finals week) 15%

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to

• Explain major themes and events in Latin American History since the early twentieth century, acknowledging the differences and similarities between nations and regions
• Demonstrate an understanding of the differing experiences of people and groups depending on their racial, ethnic, gender, and/or national identities and socioeconomic status, and how their experiences shape their demands for change
• Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources in Latin American History and cite relevant and appropriate information from multiple sources to make written and oral arguments

Course schedule

Subject to change at the instructor’s discretion due to weather or other unexpected circumstances – check your UML email regularly for course updates

W 1/23            Introduction

F 1/25             Defining & Theorizing Revolution

            Reading (complete before class): Becker, ch. 1/Theorizing Revolution

M 1/28             Calls for Reform and Revolution in Peru

            Reading:  José Carlos Mariátegui, “The Problem of Land,” in Seven Interpretive

Essays on Peruvian Reality , available at https://www.marxists.org/archive/mariateg/works/7-interpretive-essays/essay03.htm

(discussion will include Mariátegui biographical information & document  from previous reading in Becker, pp. 11-15)

W 1/30             Peruvian Reformism in an International Context

            Reading: García-Bryce, Introduction & start ch. 1, pp. 1-25

F 2/1                International Communism in the 1920s

            Reading: García-Bryce, Finish ch. 1, pp. 25-49

M 2/4               Response paper #1 due in class : After reading the introduction and ch. 1 and 2

of García-Bryce, write a 2.5-3 page essay (typed, double-spaced). In your essay, identify the main characteristics of Aprismo and formulate an argument about the international influences that shaped APRA and Haya de la Torre’s ideas.

APRA’s Role in Peruvian Politics

            Reading: García-Bryce, ch. 2, pp. 50-89

W 2/6               APRA, Pan-Americanism, and the United States

            Reading: García-Bryce, ch. 3, pp. 91-124

F 2/8                 APRA Leadership & Structure

            Reading: García-Bryce, Start ch. 4, pp. 125-145

M 2/11            APRA and Spaces for Women in Politics

            Reading: García-Bryce, Finish ch. 4 & start ch. 5, pp. 145-179

W 2/13             Concluding Discussion of APRA and Haya de la Torre

            Reading: Finish García-Bryce, pp. 179-205

F 2/15               Mexico: The Porfiriato & The Beginnings of Revolution

                        Documentary & Discussion in class

M 2/18 ***Presidents’ Day – UML Closed***

Tuesday 2/19 ***Monday class schedule***

                        Revolutionary Priorities & The Constitution of 1917

            Reading: Becker, ch. 2, pp. 35-55

W 2/20             Revolutionary Paths & Legacies

            Reading: Stephanie Mitchell and Patience A. Schell, eds., The Women’s Revolution in

Mexico , Introduction and Ch. 1 (pp. 9-41), available as an ebook through UML Libraries

F 2/22               The Guatemalan Spring

            Reading: Becker, ch. 3, pp. 57-79

M 2/25             Response paper 2 due in class : In 2.5-3 pages, write a coherent essay about

agrarian reform, why it was undertaken in Guatemala, and how it was successful or unsuccessful. How did Guatemalans and American investors and policymakers respond to Decree 900?

Agrarian Reform and US-Latin American Relations

            Reading: Jim Handy. “ ‘The Most Precious Fruit of the Revolution’: The Guatemalan

Agrarian Reform, 1952-54.” Hispanic American Historical Review 68, 4 (Nov. 1988): 675-705 (available free through JSTOR)

W 2/27            No class meeting – work on reading analysis assignment due in class Friday 3/1

            Reading: Becker, ch. 4, pp. 81-105

F 3/1                Bolivia: The Miners’ Experience

            Reading: Domitila Barrios de Chungara. Let Me Speak . New York: Monthly

Review Press, 1978. Pp. 19-44 (available online through library website)

M 3/4              The Bolivian Revolution’s Impact and Legacy

            Reading: James Dunkerley, “The Bolivian Revolution at 60: Politics and

Historiography.” Journal of Latin American Studies 45, 2 (2013): 325-350. (available free through JSTOR)

W 3/6               Taking Stock: Latin American Revolutions in the Early Twentieth Century

F 3/8  Take-home midterm exam due via email no later than 5 pm

M 3/11-F 3/15 Spring Break

M 3/18             Overview: Pre-Revolutionary Cuba

            Reading: Julia Sweig, Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2009), “Cuba Before 1959,” pp. 1-35. (ebook

through UML Libraries)

W 3/20             The Revolution Begins

            Reading: Becker, ch. 5, pp. 107-133

F 3/22               Images of Revolution

            (No reading)

M 3/25             Cuban Socialism

            Reading: Aviva Chomsky, A History of the Cuban Revolution , ch. 2 “Experiments with

Socialism” (pp. 36-53) (ebook through UML Libraries)

W 3/27             The US Responds to Revolution

            Reading: Chomsky, A History of the Cuban Revolution , ch. 3 “Relations with the US”

(pp. 54-74)

F 3/29               The Chilean Road to Socialism

            Reading: Becker, ch. 6 (pp. 135-157)

M 4/1               Response paper 3 due in class: In 2.5-3 pages, write an essay in which you formulate an argument about the Chilean and international factors that shaped Allende’s government (and, if you wish, to its fall). What was most important? How did Cuban and US foreign policy contribute to the Chilean road to socialism?

Cuban Internationalism and Chile

            Reading: Tanya Harmer, Allende’s Chile and the Inter-American Cold War , ch. 1

“Ideals: Castro, Allende, Nixon, and the Inter-American Cold War” (pp. 20-48). (ebook through UML Libraries)

W 4/3               Ending the Chilean Revolution: The Coup

            Reading: Peter Winn, “The Other 9/11: My Coup Diary,” ReVista: Harvard Review of

Latin America Spring 2004, available at https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/other-911

                        Alan Angell, “The Coup in Chile: Reflections on the international reaction,”

ReVista , Spring 2004, available at https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/coup-chile

F 4/5                 The Left, The Right, and the Memories

            Reading: Katherine Hite, “Chile’s National Stadium, As Monument, As Memorial,”

ReVista , Spring 2004, available at https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/chiles-national-stadium

Katherine Hite, “Resurrecting Allende,” NACLA Report on the Americas 37, 1 (July-Aug 2003): 19-24, available at http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=28a60625-d0a1-46a8-bbdb-8bdd3dd1848c%40sessionmgr102

                        Peter Kornbluh, “Opening Up the Files: Chile Declassified,” NACLA Report on

the Americas 37, 1 (July-Aug 2003): 25-31, available at http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=28a60625-d0a1-46a8-bbdb-8bdd3dd1848c%40sessionmgr102

M 4/8             Nicaragua and the Sandinistas: The Legacy of US Intervention and Anti-

Americanism

            Reading: Becker, ch. 7, pp. 159-183

W 4/10            Response paper 4 due in class: In a coherent, 2.5-3 page essay with an

argument, answer the following questions: What is liberation theology? How did it develop? To what individuals or groups is it appealing? Does it qualify as a call for reform or revolution in the context of this course? Why or why not?

Religion and Reform and Revolution

Reading: Robert Sean Mackin, “Liberation Theology: The Radicalization of Social

Catholic Movements,” Politics, Religion & Ideology 13, 3 (Sept. 2012): 333-351. Available online through UML Libraries

F 4/12               The Sandinistas and the Cuban Revolution

            Reading: K. Cheasty Anderson, “Doctors Within Borders: Cuban Medical Diplomacy to

Sandinista Nicaragua, 1979-1990,” in Virginia Garrard-Burnett, Mark Atwood Lawrence, and Julio El Moreno, eds., Beyond the Eagle’s Shadow: New Histories of Latin America’s Cold War (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2013): pp. 200-225. (ebook through UML Libraries)

M 4/15 *** Patriot’s Day – UML Closed***

W 4/17            Guerrilla Warfare

            Reading: Becker, ch. 8, pp. 185-208

F 4/19               Demanding Change in Mexico: The Zapatistas

            Reading: Thomas Benjamin, “A Time of Reconquest: History, the Maya Revival, and

the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas,” American Historical Review 105, 2 (April 2000): 417-450 (available through UML Libraries)

M 4/22             Response paper 5 due in class: According to Subcomandante Marcos and the

EZLN’s “Sixth Declaration,” what are (were) the goals of the EZLN? Are these reminiscent of other revolutionary groups we’ve studied this semester? How does your analysis of these documents reinforce or change your understanding of the Zapatistas as described by Thomas Benjamin last week?

Zapatista Goals, In Their Own Words

            Reading: Marta Durán de Huerta, “An interview with Subcomandante Insurgente

Marcos, spokesperson and military commander of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN),” International Affairs 75, 2 (April 1999): 269-279. (available through UML Libraries)

EZLN, “Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona (2005),” in Iván Márquez, ed., Contemporary Latin American Social and Political Thought (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008), pp. 309-327 (ebook through UML Libraries)

W 4/24             Venezuela

            Reading: Becker, ch. 9, pp. 209-222

F 4/26               In the People’s Words

Reading: Carlos Martinez, Michael Fox, and JoJo Farrell, eds., Venezuela Speaks!

(Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2009), Introduction (NOT Introductory history) AND one narrative of your choice

M 4/29             Latin America’s Left Turn

            Reading: Becker, ch. 10, pp. 223-238

W 5/1               Balancing Act in Bolivia: Evo Morales’s Government

            Reading: Nancy Postero, “Morales’s MAS Government: Building Indigenous Popular

Hegemony in Bolivia,” Latin American Perspectives 37, 3 (May 2010): 18-34 (available online through UML Libraries)

F 5/3               Reform and Revolution: New Thoughts about Critical Ideas

Take-home final exam due during finals week