1. Ch 35:1
Democracy: Latin American
Democracies

2. Democracy
 = government by the people
 Direct Democracy= all
citizens meet to pass laws
 Indirect Democracy
(republics) = citizens elect
representatives to make laws
for them

3. Democracy Animation

4. What is Democracy???

5. Democracy As a Goal
 To make a democracy work…
 People have to participate in the
government
 People need to tools to make
decisions (be able to read and
write)
 A stable economy
 Belief in the rights of the
individuals
 Laws that prevent others from
abusing power
 National identity

7. Case Study: Brazil
 1822- Brazil becomes a
MONARCHY
 1889- Brazil becomes a REPUBLIC
 GETULIO VARGAS= 1930’s,
dictator of Brazil, suppressed
political opposition, promoted
economic growth  Brazil became
a MODERN COUNTRY

8. Kubitcheck’s Ambitious
Program:
 JUSCELINO KUBITCHECK= 1956-1961,
continued to develop economy, encouraged
foreign investment to pay for development
projects (Brasilia)
 2 Reforms:
 1. BRASILIA= new capital to be built in the
country’ interior
 Result Foreign debt soared, inflation
 2. LAND REFORM  give large estates of
land to peasants
 Result 1964, with the help of the wealthy
Brazilians, the army seized power in a military coup

9. Brasilia: A Modern Capital

10. Military Dictators
 Military dictators ruled for 2o years
Positives
Negatives
•Foreign investment
•Development
projects in Amazon
brought in large
amounts of $$$
•Economy boomed
•Cut back on social
issues
•STANDARD of
LIVING( (level of
material comfort)
deceased
•Imposed censorship
•Jailed, tortured and
sometimes killed
government critics

11. Road to Democracy (1/3)
 1980’s- RECESSION (slow down in the economy)
 Result  the generals decided to open up the political
system, allowed direct elections of local, state and national
officials

12. Road to Democracy (2/3)
 1985- JOSE SARNEY- president
 Inherited a country full of problems (foreign debt and inflation)
 Lost support when he couldn’t solve the nation’s problems

13. Road to Democracy (3/3)
 1994-1998- FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO
 Advocate of free markets
 Concerned with the widening gap between rich and poor
 Promoted economic reform

14. 2002 Presidential Election
 2002- JOSE SERRA vs LULA DA SILVA (Silva won)
 2006- DA SILVA won again

15. Changes of Brazil Under Lula

16. Case Study: Mexico
 One-Party Rule
 1917- after the Mexican Revolution, government passed the
Constitution (democracy and promised reformed)

17. Beginnings of One-Party
Domination
 1920-1934- Mexico elected several generals
as presidents
 NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY PARTY=
generals created a ruling party
 1934-1940- President LAZARO CARDENAS
 Tried to improve life for peasants and workers
 Land reforms and labor rights
 Nationalized the Mexican oil industry (kicked
out foreign oil companies)

18. The Party Becomes the PRI
 PRI= Institutional Revolutionary Party, started in 1946,
 Controlled the congress and won every political election
PROBLEMS
Foreign debt
Lacking land and jobs
Suffered economic problem
1. Protestors gathered at
an Aztec market 
soldiers opened fire on
protestors
2. 1980’s- oil discovered in
Mexico
1981- oil prices around
the world fell, cutting
Mexico’s oil revenue in
half

19. Economic & Political Crises
 1988- CARLOS SALINAS won the
presidency
 Salinas signed NAFTA (North
American Free Trade Agreement)
 What did NAFTA do?
 Removed trade barriers between
Mexico, the US and Canada

20. The PRI Loses Control
 After a presidential candidate
was assassinated, many
Mexicans thought there was
no chance of democracy
 1994- ERNESTO ZEDILLO
elected
 2000- Mexican voters ended
71 years of PRI rule

21. New Policies & Programs
 2000-VICENTE FOX
 2006- FELIPE CALDERON
 Both wanted:
 Reformed the police
 Rooting out political corruption
 Free market
 Wanted the US to legalize the
status of millions of illegal
Mexican immigrant workers

22. Modern Mexico

23. Case Study: Argentina (1/2)
 Peron Rules Argentina:
 Major Exports: Grain &
Beef
 Industrial Nation with a
large working class
 1946- Argentine workers
supported an army
officer, JUAN PERONestablished a dictatorship

24. Peron Rules Argentina (2/2)
 EVA PERON- aka EVITA,
supported husband, gave advice
 PERONS- offered social
programs with popular appeal
 After Eva died, Peron’s
popularity declined
 Peron’s enemies- the military
and the Catholic Churchmoved in on him
 Military ousted Peron and
drove him into exile

25. Evita Trailer

26. Evita Peron (1919-1952)

27. Evita: Behind the Scenes

28. Evita: Funeral

29. Evita: A National Icon

30. Repression in Argentina
 For many years, the military controlled Argentine politics
 1973- Peron returned and ruled for 1 year before he died
 1976- Generals seized power again
 1980’s-torture and murder were everyday events

31. Democracy & the Economy
 1982- Argentine government




went to war with Britain over the
nearby Falkland Islands and
suffered a defeat
1983- RAUL ALFONSINpresident in the country’s first
free election in 37 years
1989- CARLOS MENEM
2002- Argentina had an
employment rate of 24%
2006- Argentina repaid debt (to
IMF- International Monetary
Fund)