Deck 51: Latin America in the Twentieth Century

Question 1

What is economic nationalism and how was it applied in Mexico and Argentina?

Answer 1

Answers would include a discussion of Cardenas and Peron and their reform efforts,specifically addressing taking back land and resources for the people of their countries.

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

losing the Falkland Islands War to Britain.

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

the Spanish American War.

Question 4

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 5

What are the economic and social issues facing 20?? century Latin America?

Question 6

Evaluate the impact of Europe and the U.S.in Latin America.

Question 7

The descamisados were a strong element among the supporters of

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

Question 8

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 9

The most popular reform movements during the 20?? 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 10

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 11

The South American country with considerable oil reserves is

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

Question 12

What does your text mean by "persistent dependency"?

Question 13

Discuss the role of the United States in Latin America.

Question 14

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.

Question 15

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

A) Juan Peron'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.

Question 16

Most of the social conflicts in 20?? 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 17

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?? century?

Question 18

The Panama Canal became the property of Panama in

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

Question 19

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 20

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 21

In the 1920s a common trend in the "banana republics" was

A) a rejection of American investment.
B) an outpouring of support from European humanitarians.
C) economic imperialism by the U.S.
D) a severance of ties with Europe.
E) None of the options are correct.

Question 22

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 23

President Cardenas instituted which of the following reforms?

A) Land redistribution to peasants.
B) Invitation to US oil companies to drill.
C) Instituting a policy forbidding official recognition of the Maya as a people.
D) Official rejection of the PRI.
E) All of the options are correct.

Question 24

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 25

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 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

A) becoming 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 30

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

Question 31

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 32

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

Question 33

Currently in Mexico

A) everything is stable, industry, government, and the economy.
B) the national economy is still far from achieving its productive potential.
C) drug cartels are no longer a problem.
D) the gap between the rich and poor has become very small.
E) None of the options are correct.

Question 34

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

Question 35

Evita Peron understood that to appeal to the masses one must focus on

A) political ideals.
B) party politics.
C) European advantages.
D) a sense of passion and understanding.
E) All of the options are correct.

Question 36

Much of the social tension in Latin America during the 20?? 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) None of the options are correct.

Question 37

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 38

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.

Question 39

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 40

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 41

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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