Deck 12: The Late Cold War in Latin America, 1970s to 1990

Question 1

The call for "two, three, many Vietnams"

A) Was made by Che Guevara, who hoped to see leftist guerrilla movements erupt all over the world.
B) Was made by Ho Chi Minh, who hoped to see leftist guerrilla movements erupt all over the world.
C) Was made by Augusto Pinochet, who hoped to see counterinsurgency wars suppress Communism all over the world.
D) Was made by a US military commander, who hoped to see counterinsurgency wars suppress Communism all over the world.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following initiatives did NOT originate in the administration of John F. Kennedy?

A) Peace Corps
B) Alliance for Progress
C) US Agency for International Development
D) Operation Pan-America

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Both the Marshall Plan and the Alliance for Progress made US funds available mostly through interest-bearing loans repayable over a long term.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following statements about National Security Doctrine in Latin America is FALSE?

A) It defined communism as a unique and existential threat to national survival.
B) It held that the military should stay out of economic and other affairs that distracted from its core mission of defending the nation.
C) It produced a new, more bureaucratic kind of military regime less dependent on the personal rule of one commander.
D) It justified state violence and the massive violation of citizens' civil and human rights in order to defend the nation.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about Guatemala's "death squads" is FALSE?

A) Their identities were unknown to the government.
B) They provided the model for similar paramilitary counterinsurgency forces throughout Latin America.
C) They were made up of largely civilians but usually had support and participation from official military or police forces.
D) They specialized in extrajudicial assassination of suspected insurgents and in public acts of terror and intimidation to intimidate and control the general population.

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of "bureaucratic authoritarianism" in Brazil?

A) The proliferation of cabinet ministers.
B) The continued, if only nominal, adherence to the rule of law.
C) The use of military-appointed inspectors to stamp out government corruption.
D) Censorship of the press and the suspension or tight control over the legislature.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about the Trans-Amazonian Highway project is FALSE?

A) It was intended to help the impoverished farmers of Brazil's north-east.
B) It was part of a larger land-distribution scheme by the military government.
C) Horrified by the environmental degradation caused by deforestation, the military government eventually declared a moratorium on new settlements in the region accessible by the highway.
D) It typified the economic and social ambitions of the military regime's technocrats.

Question 8

The most violent of the South American military regimes, in terms of the absolute number of people killed and disappeared, was

A) Chile
B) Brazil
C) Paraguay
D) Argentina

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the relationship of the Catholic Church to the Argentine military dictatorship is FALSE?

A) The Argentine Council of Bishops supported the military coup and was reluctant to criticize the regime's abuses.
B) The Church played the leading role in organizing for justice and accountability for the disappearances and breakup of families.
C) Jesuit priests were among those arrested and tortured by the regime.
D) The head of the Jesuit order in Argentina during the dirty war later went on to become Pope.

Question 10

Seven years into his dictatorship, Pinochet promulgated a constitution and won approval for an eight-year term as president in a referendum.

Question 11

Pinochet's economic policies included all of the following EXCEPT

A) Selling off state-owned businesses and slashing the government's payroll.
B) Using tariff protection to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce imports.
C) Reversing Allende's land-redistribution program and privatizing land ownership.
D) Lifting price controls on food and cutting subsidies for transportation and housing.

Question 12

The advantages of incumbency, patronage, and state control of key economic sectors meant that Mexico's PRI seldom had to resort to electoral fraud or outright repression to maintain its hold on power.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about labor politics in postwar Mexico is FALSE?

A) Organized labor was a vitally important pillar of support for the PRI.
B) The national labor federation (CTM) had the same leadership for nearly fifty years.
C) The national labor federation (CTM) held down workers' wages in order to help Mexican manufacturers keep the costs of their products low.
D) Frequent strikes helped labor win benefits in the areas of healthcare, housing, pensions, and job security.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about the Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico is FALSE?

A) The massacre was a severe blow to the PRI's legitimacy among Mexicans, and particularly alienated Mexican youth culture.
B) During the buildup to the massacre, rioters burned hundreds of buses and destroyed other public property.
C) A rogue faction of soldiers operating outside the official chain of command opened fire on student demonstrators.
D) The roots of the incident lay in a student movement calling for greater state support for vocational education and more student participation in institutional governance.

Question 15

Which of the following was NOT an advantage that Costa Rica enjoyed in protecting its natural environment?

A) The relatively small environmental impact of its principal nineteenth- and twentieth-century export product.
B) The abundant wealth available to its government from the prosperous mining industry.
C) The unparalleled biodiversity found on its territory.
D) The receptiveness and dedication of its political leaders to environmental protection.