Deck 53: Latin America in the Twentieth Century

Question 1

For Latin America, the most important social issue is

A) easing social stratification.
B) controlling population growth.
C) improving the labor situation.
D) improving the lives of slum dwellers.
E) alleviating religious disagreements.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Describe and discuss the major causes of social discontent and political division in modern Latin America. How does the situation compare with that of Latin America in the 19^th century?

Answer 2

Answer not provided.

Question 3

The event that caused the most economic concern in the United States during the mid-20^th century was

A) Juan Perón's presidency in Argentina.
B) the establishment of the Batista government in Cuba.
C) terrorist activity that began in Argentina.
D) the rise to power of Fidel Castro in Cuba.
E) the nationalizing of American holdings in Mexico.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The descamisados were a strong element among the supporters of

A) Perón.
B) Arbenz.
C) Batista.
D) Castro.
E) Allende.

Question 5

The Panama Canal became the property of Panama in

A) 1914.
B) 1978.
C) 2000.
D) 1997.
E) 1963.

Question 6

Under President Cárdenas, the Mexican government

A) supported Juan Perón in Argentina.
B) took over American oil firms but finally offered remuneration.
C) dramatically improved the lives of the lower classes.
D) became more heavily industrialized.
E) made a great deal of progress in improving the country's economy.

Question 7

Under FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, the United States

A) relinquished colonies held in Latin America.
B) urged Britain and France to free their Western hemisphere colonies.
C) treated Latin countries more like sovereign countries than like colonies.
D) sent massive amounts of financial aid to the Southern hemisphere.
E) pledged to protect South American countries from foreign intervention.

Question 8

U)S. intervention in Latin American affairs became more frequent after

A) war with Mexico in the 1840s.
B) the Civil War.
C) the Spanish American War.
D) the War of 1812.
E) World War I.

Question 9

The military dictators in Argentina were forced to step down in later years as a result of

A) losing the Falkland Islands War to Britain.
B) general strikes across the country.
C) rampant inflation.
D) Archbishop Romero's murder.
E) their inability to stabilize the economy.

Question 10

Most of the social conflicts in 20^th century Latin America derived from

A) racial discrimination.
B) unequal distribution of wealth.
C) anti-clericalism.
D) secret police terrorism.
E) illicit drug manufacturing and distribution.

Question 11

The most popular reform movements during the 20^th century in Latin America were in

A) Argentina and Peru.
B) Mexico and Cuba.
C) Argentina and Mexico.
D) Peru and Chile.
E) Chile and Argentina.

Question 12

Perón's fall in 1955 was accelerated by his attacks on

A) labor unions.
B) public charities.
C) the Catholic Church.
D) the United Fruit Company.
E) Chile.

Question 13

Analyze and assess the impact of Castro's rule in Cuba on U.S. policies. Describe the incremental changes in Cuba and other parts of Latin America since 1959.

Question 14

To what degree is neo-colonialism still prevalent in modern Latin America? In what ways does persistent dependence impact the area?

Question 15

It can most accurately be said of Latin America that

A) the situation exactly parallels that of Asia and Africa.
B) the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished is greater there than elsewhere.
C) there is not much wealth differentiation outside the major cities.
D) there has recently been a gradual improvement in lower-class living standards.
E) its people have been increasingly successful in installing democratic governments.

Question 16

What are the problems facing democracy in early 20^th century Latin America? How has the democratic ideal faced up to these challenges? Evaluate the fate of democracy in the region: success or failure?

Question 17

The Alliance for Progress and similar programs have had the most success in Latin America in the area of

A) lowering population rates.
B) improving crop yields.
C) improving the environment.
D) establishing better communications networks.
E) laying rail lines.

Question 18

The South American country with considerable oil reserves is

A) Peru.
B) Argentina.
C) Brazil.
D) Chile.
E) Venezuela.

Question 19

Describe the course and content of the Mexican Revolution as carried on by the PRI. How radical were these reforms?

Question 20

As outsiders came in to exploit the natural resources of Latin America, the result was most often

A) improvements in the local infrastructure.
B) enough profits for all to benefit.
C) profits for the foreign investors and hardly anyone else.
D) rebellions in local areas.
E) investment from outside interests that put foreigners in control.

Question 21

The military in ____________________ ____________________ stepped down in the 1980s after foolishly provoking a war with ____________________ over the Falkland Islands.

Question 22

It is a virtual certainty that the United States will never again resort to "____________________ ____________________" in Latin America as it did before 1930.

Question 23

Much of the social tension in Latin America during the 20^th century stemmed from

A) women who were trying to gain suffrage in a male dominated society.
B) the subdivision of land into smaller and smaller units to make room for immigrants.
C) the concentration of mineral wealth in the hands of a few, mainly foreign, hands.
D) liberal loan policies that made it easy for farmers to get in debt to the point that they lost their land.
E) the inability of recent immigrants to find suitable work, with the result that they often chose to picket in protest of favoritism for native workers.

Question 24

After World War I, American capitalists and financiers turned southward in even larger numbers, with a tremendous amount of investment in Latin America. Which of these descriptions is untrue concerning those "jingoistic" moves?

A) American ingenuity, experience, and money were responsible for the major oil strikes in Venezuela.
B) Probably the most infamous exploitation of Latin America was that practiced by the United Fruit Company.
C) Mexico had Americans on its side of the border, owning or leasing one-fifth of the land surface there, while 80 percent of the country's petroleum fields were overseen by American firms - at least until the president of Mexico nationalized them.
D) One can validly argue that Latin America would never have achieved the little they did achieve without American investment in the early part of the 20^th century.
E) The United States spearheaded the founding of the Organization of American States in part to ensure that democratic, pro-United States governments would be established in the Western hemisphere, but the primary reason for the OAS was to help Americans be more successful in dealing with legal issues and commercial exchanges between them and their neighbors to the south.

Question 25

Though the estimates may not be very accurate at all, it appears that

A) as many as one of every three adults in Latin American cities does not have a steady job.
B) income distribution may be evening out, if extremely slowly.
C) the number of professionals, landowners, and business owners is growing, with more of them coming from within the country than was the case in earlier years.
D) unskilled urban workers are earning a great deal more than they ever have before.
E) industrial workers in most countries have begun to participate actively in local politics, with some even being elected to the legislatures.

Question 26

FDR's ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ treated Latin American countries more as sovereign nations than as ____________________.

Question 27

One result of economic dependency in Latin American countries has been the frequent protests that have often been led by

A) military men.
B) industrial workers.
C) Marxist socialists.
D) reform leaders pushing for implementation of a corporate state a la Marx.
E) revolutionaries eager to toss out the current government and begin a rapid return of the land to its rightful owners.

Question 28

The most influential woman in 20^th century Latin American politics was ____________________ ____________________.

Question 29

Probably the highest-priority long-term social problem in Latin America is controlling ____________________ ____________________.

Question 30

A recent phenomenon and major turnabout by the Catholic Church in Latin America is its recent actions in

A) become strongly anti-American.
B) taking the lead as a voice for the poor.
C) calling for population control as a means of improving society.
D) becoming sympathetic to Castro's Marxism.
E) giving its blessing to right-wing military rule.

Question 31

Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

A) has continued to support revolutionary causes.
B) has become an agglomeration of socialists, liberals, conservatives, labor leaders, and intellectuals, among others.
C) has centered around the dispute over land ownership and redistribution.
D) is filled with corruption to the point that all European business owners have chosen to appeal to the government for protection of property rights.
E) was never that successful at advancing social causes, in part because most of those who joined the party over the years did so for the inevitable payoff for their support rather than because they actually wanted to change their society for the better.

Question 32

During the 1930s and 1940s in many Latin American countries,

A) social democratic parties similar to those in Germany came to power but did not last long.
B) industrial workers began to take a greater interest in politics, with populist politicians drawing them into reform efforts.
C) absentee landlords began to sell off their property, fearing nationalization by governments in need of capital.
D) immigration from Europe decreased, making it somewhat easier for urban dwellers to find jobs.
E) women began to agitate for voting rights, which they did not receive until the 1960s in most places.

Question 33

In 1948, the ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ was established for the purpose of fostering inter-American cooperation and the preservation of democracy.

Question 34

The migration of large numbers of people into Latin America's cities has contributed to

A) recent improvements in industrialization as the labor pool has grown.
B) a clearer demarcation between those who remain in the isolated countryside and those who have moved to the cities.
C) a scarcity of farm workers that makes it difficult to raise enough food to feed everyone, including those who have migrated to urban areas.
D) alienation among formerly close family units, as young people become exposed to life in the large cities and can no longer relate to their families back on the farms.
E) a growing middle class that craves the latest technological gadgets.

Question 35

The most widely recognized female in recent Latin American history was probably

A) St. Theresa.
B) Eva Perón.
C) Carmen Miranda.
D) Madonna.
E) Violeta Chamorro.

Question 36

The growth rate in Latin American countries is just under ____________________ percent.

Question 37

____________________ ____________________ of Mexico stirred up much excitement by successfully nationalizing foreign mineral firms in the 1930s.

Question 38

The real catalyst for U.S. activity in Latin America was the 1959 seizure of power by ____________________ ____________________.

Question 39

The ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ was established in the 1960s to help develop Latin American economies.

Question 40

Most of Latin America's peasants

A) remain illiterate but have developed a keen interest in regional politics.
B) continue to have little or no interest in politics expecting the very small elite to continue to make all the rules and laws.
C) have voiced an interest in moving to the cities, if they could only be sure they could find jobs.
D) still have the specter of slavery haunting them, since they often still work on the same farms and plantations as their ancestors.
E) strongly resent those who live in the cities and view them with condescension.