Deck 3: Latin America: Regionalism and First Attempts at State Formation

Question 1

Factors encouraging the strength of regionalism in Latin America included all of the following EXCEPT

A) Local historical experiences and cultural particularities such as diet.
B) Geographical barriers such as mountain ranges.
C) Religious differences between Christian denominations.
D) The emergence of political caudillos with local and regional power bases.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Federation of the Andes was a less ambitious scheme than Bolívar's Gran Colombia.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Factors weakening Gran Colombia included all of the following EXCEPT

A) Britain's refusal to offer a much-needed loan.
B) The effect of free trade on domestic cloth manufacturers.
C) The costs of maintaining a large and expensive army.
D) The regional political ambitions of José Antonio Páez and Juan José Flores.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

After Bolívar's death in 1830

A) Would-be builders of supra-states fought wars across South America into the 1860s.
B) The dream of a South American federation died with him.
C) His failures discredited his vision in the eyes of his former lieutenants.
D) Gamarra and Santa Cruz put aside their rivalry to honor the Liberator's memory.

Question 5

Iturbide's Mexican Empire

A) Did away with the internal administrative boundaries of the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain.
B) Pleased conservatives by retaining monarchy as a unifying principle, but disappointed them by elevating a criollo rather than a European prince to the throne.
C) Effectively maintained civilian control over the military through generous pay and promotions for officers.
D) Discredited the principle of monarchy in Mexico after Iturbide's demise.

Question 6

Upon Iturbide's demise, Texas, California, and Chiapas joined the Central American provinces in declaring independence.

Question 7

Which of the following was NOT a source of financial problems for Mexico's government in the 1820s and 1830s?

A) The fact that state governments rather than the central government controlled much of the tax revenue.
B) The tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church.
C) The difficulty of obtaining foreign loans and investment after the global Panic of 1825.
D) The costs of compensating slaveowners for their human property when slavery was abolished.

Question 8

In Central America from the colonial period through the Mexican Empire and into the founding of the United Provinces, the provincial or regional political elites retained considerable control over day-to-day affairs, regardless of where central authority nominally resided.

Question 9

Texas existed as a republic independent from both Mexico and the US for nearly a decade in the 1830s-1840s.

Question 10

Which of the following was NOT a cause of the US-Mexican War?

A) The disputed boundaries of Texas.
B) The refusal of Mexico's government to sell upper California to the US.
C) The abolition of slavery in Texas as a condition of its annexation to the US.
D) The prevailing ideology of Manifest Destiny in the United States.

Question 11

As a result of the US-Mexican War, Mexico ceded roughly half of its territory to the United States.

Question 12

The Ragamuffin (Farroupilha) Revolt

A) Demonstrated that republicanism and economic modernization were incompatible with slaveholding.
B) Took its name from the lower-class origins of the rebel leaders.
C) Saw African-born Muslims rebel against slavery and white supremacy.
D) Combined economic grievances with regionalist and anti-monarchical sentiments.

Question 13

Which of the following was NOT a vital component of the Argentine economy in this period?

A) The raising of livestock on the vast grasslands.
B) The flow of silver down the Río de la Plata.
C) The influx of foreign, especially British, investment.
D) The leasing or sale of frontier lands taken from indigenous peoples.

Question 14

In contrast to the other Central American states and provinces, Costa Rica

A) Had relatively small populations of indigenous and African descent.
B) Effectively built on an indigenous tradition of monarchy to preserve the unity of the state.
C) Had an economy that relied almost totally on forced labor on plantations.
D) Had extensive overland and maritime links to the rest of the region.

Question 15

Which of the following is FALSE about the caudillo phenomenon of nineteenth-century Spanish America?

A) Caudillos had often made important military contributions in the wars for independence.
B) Caudillos could contribute to political stability, as well as division and violence.
C) Uncouth provincial caudillos of questionable backgrounds like José Antonio Páez faced insurmountable social barriers to entering the highest levels of political life.
D) Their followers benefited from their deeds through material rewards and a sense of local or regional pride.