NYA BRAVE – History 3072, History of Modern Latin America

US Involvement in Latin America’s Cold War

1870-1920s : Latin America experienced large economic growth

Latin America remained free/independent while most of the world at this time was being controlled by United States or European imperialism.

1927: US President Calvin Coolidge sent the marines to Nicaragua to enforce the terms of a peace treaty. Sandino says US armed forces and Nicaraguan affairs date back to 1912. “Sandino viewed Coolidge’s move and the ongoing US intervention as a violation of Nicaraguan self government” (Wood, Chapter 7).

1929: Augusto Sandino formed the Army in defense of the National Sovereignty of Nicaragua to fight the marines and restore self governing. Sandino proposed a Conference be held in Buenos Aires with Latin American Countries’ leaders to form an alliance to combat growing US power.

Beginning in Brazil in 1964 – 1980s the US government declared its support for the temporary suspension of civilian democratic regimes in the region’s hot spots of guerilla conflict.

1990s: After the Cold War, the US government created a very strong alliance with Latin America in order to combat the rising threat of Social Revolution. The US provided money, weapons, special agents, and occasionally ally troops.

After Latin American Cold War (continued): The CIA played a great role in the Cold War and the aftermath of the Cold War. This includes the “Special Group” that approved covert operations alongside Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the years following the Cold War. President Kennedy switched focus to Latin America, particularly Cuba. President Kennedy had to take on many operations when he entered office in 1961 that were started by President Eisenhower. Operations with Cuba involved Fidel Castro but ended during the “Bay of Pigs” after a few months.

US and Latin America formed alliance at times, but also the covert operations done by the CIA to prevent further war and social revolution.

How CIA Covert Operations Were Proposed & Approved During the Cold War

The Freedom of Information Act has allowed archived documents from the Cold War era to understand different aspects of it and what roles the US and politics played in it. The CIA played a great role in the Cold War and the aftermath of the Cold War. This includes the “Special Group” that approved covert operations alongside Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the years following the Cold War. After the Cold War, the US government created an alliance with Latin America in order to combat the threat of social revolution. The United States did this by providing weapons, money, troops, and special agents (Wood, Chapter 9). From 1964 to the 1980s, the United States declared its support for the temporary suspension of civilian democratic regimes for hot spots of guerilla conflict even. The CIA focused on these covert missions including the bugging of the soviet military communications. But later under Kennedy switched focus to Latin America, particularly Cuba. Plausible Deniability was legal and used by US government officials to basically deny these operations. President Kennedy had to take on many operations when he entered office in 1961 that were started by President Eisenhower. Operations with Cuba involved Fidel Castro but ended during the “Bay of Pigs” after a few months. A President had to become involved in these covert operations when the operations carried very high risk, or when they were judged as moderate risk but the high command was divided on whether or not to approve them. The president would have to meet with the Special Group members in the CIA to discuss the proposals, and in this case, President Kennedy had to meet with 5412 members in Cuba (Prados, Jimenez-Bacardi, The High Command of the Secret War). This is how US government officials used the CIA during and mainly the years following the Cold War with Latin America. We see how an alliance was formed, but also the covert operations done by the CIA to prevent further war and social revolution.

“Chapter 9.” Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations, by James A. Wood and Anna Rose Alexander, Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.

Prados, John, and Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi. “Understanding the CIA: How Covert (and Overt) Operations Were Proposed and Approved during the Cold War.” National Security Archive, 5 Mar. 2019, nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2019-03-04/understanding-cia-how-covert-overt-operations-proposed-approved-during-cold-war.

Document link: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/intelligence/2019-03-04/understanding-cia-how-covert-overt-operations-proposed-approved-during-cold-war

Liberalism in Latin America

The photo below is the “Opening of Congress” from Arturo W Boote & Company c.1850-1910. Latin America is infamous for maintaining their sovereignty throughout the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Liberals took power of Latin America in the 1950s. Latin America’s liberal export boom was a really important period of time for Latin America. Liberalism in Latin America had many pros and cons for the nations, as well as the citizens. The “Opening of Congress” image shows opening ceremonies in front of the Casa Rosada in Argentina which we know at this time was completely run by Liberalists. This picture of people gathering around this government facility allows us to analyze what was happening in this time period, how the government was being ran, and how citizens were affected.

Liberalism in Latin America was effective and while Latin American rulers didn’t always have the best interests of its citizens in mind, the nation was greatly impacted, economically. Latin America’s liberal export boom was a period of large and successful economic growth from around the 1870s to 1920s. Liberalists believe in theories of positivism and “freedom”. But in Latin America, the government prioritized modernization, free trade etc rather than freedom for the citizens. One major development during the boom was an increase in railroads, vital for the economic boom. Latin America did a great job of maintaining sovereignty and financial freedom due to their liberal style of governing especially since during this time period, a majority of other nations were being put under US or European imperialism. Latin America’s governing held strong through this.

Though Latin America prospered financially, its citizens got the negative backlash from their prior governing. For example the period of caudillos rule was a very difficult time for the people of Latin America. “The Ribbons and Rituals of Rosismo” by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento tells an excerpt from Sarmiento on caudillo Juan Manuel de Rosas in Argentina, where my chosen photo was also taken. This excerpt gives us insight on the people gathering in this photo, and what they had previously been through. The hope they had outside of the congress building at this time. “Yoked to the coach by cords of red silk are the men who, with criminal impunity, have kept the city in a state of continual alarm since 1833” (Wood,Chapter 4). Rosas’ men had implemented fear in the citizens, forced them to wear red ribbons to prove their loyalty. Blood was shed for many citizens. But worse, they had celebrations for months. Fake celebrations, to manipulate the people’s minds and eventually created a disease in the society that spread without even any action from Rosas and his men. Analyzing this photo is different and more beneficial when we have an insight of what was going on with the people in this photo as well as their past trauma, from the Caudillo Rule that came just before.