How did the cold War affect Latin America? Why did the United States get involved?

The Latin American countries were told to pick a side, whether communist or not. If they said they were
communist they sided with the Soviets, if they were not then the US was behind them. The US did,
however, get involved in a few communist countries like Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Chile.

What is the difference between left and right wing? And why is it confusing?
The left wing means that it is a larger government where people have more of a say. Sort of like a
democracy. A right wing is a smaller more conservative government where fewer people make decisions
and sometimes only one person makes decisions. Neither is better than the other.

Why did the United States get involved in Cuba?

The United States was involved in the economy there. The sugar production was the main crop and the
US completely controlled it. Much of Cubas money was coming to the US or to the corrupt government.
Castro is the leader today, he is a communist leader and the US does not want anything to do with him
or Cuba anymore.

Whats a banana republic?

When a company has most of the power in a country. For example, in Guatemala the UFC controlled
much of the land there, they grew bananas. The United States and Europe expected bananas to be the
cheapest fruit in the world. Government officials do whatever the UFC tells them to do, without
question.

How did the CIA get involved in Guatemala?

Guatemala was under a dictatorship where the dictator enforced land reforms that were communist in
nature. The US helped the Guatemalans overthrow him, but there has been many years of violence
since. Many people in Guatemala blame the US for creating the violence.

What is the other infamous September 11th?

Socialist leader Salvador Allende took control of Chile in 1970. Augusto Pinochet overthrew the
government in a coup on September 11th, 1973. People under his rule suffered human rights violations.
Thousands were tortured or killed. Pinochet died before he faced any charges.

Who were the disappeared in Argentina?

After World War II, Juan Peron took power along with his popular wife Eva Peron. Eva brought Juan
much support. Behind the scenes, Juan had over 30,000 killed for opposing the government. People
were taken by secret police and never heard from again, they were called the disappeared.

Why was it controversial when the United States intervened in Nicaragua?

The Somoza family held the power until 1979. That year, the Sandinistas revolted against the
government, they were communist. The US, being an anti-communist supporter, began supplying
weapons to an anti-communist group called the Contras, who fought against the Sandinistas. In 1983
congress said that we had to stop helping the Contras, so we sent our weapons to Iran who then sent
them to the Contras.

What violence occurred in Brazil and El Salvador?

In Brazil, after the great depression, they turned to a dictator, Getulio Vargas. HE eventually turned
Brazil into a fascist state and let the poor suffer. In 1945 he was overthrown and Brazil was able to
slowly return to a democratic rule.
In El Salvador a civil war broke out between the left and right wings. The right wing fighters had the US
support. Over 75,000 people were killed and in 1992 the two sides signed a peace treaty.

If democracy is a goal of the L.A. nations, what does a nation have to have in order to achieve this
goal?
The LA nations need to have peace within their countries. They need to make sure that their people
believe in the government and dont have any doubts about schemes going on behind the scenes. If the
LA nations want democracy, they need to unite and try to make everything better and fair for everyone.