Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, The United States, and - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, The United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism

By Greg Grandin

12th grade U.S.-Latin American Relations (History/Political Science)

Laura KirkTESL 421Winter 2012Slide2

Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, The United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism

What does the title tell us?What will the author’s argument be?Key words:

EmpireImperialismConservativeLiberalNeoconservativeNeoliberal

Communism

Socialism

Democracy

Dictatorship

Free markets

Capitalism

GlobalizationSlide3

Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, The United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism

Introduction: The Camel Not in the KoranCh 1: How Latin America Saved the United States from Itself

Ch 2: The Most Important Place in the World: Toward a New ImperialismCh 3: Going Primitive: The Violence of the New ImperialismCh 4: Bringing It All Back Home: The Politics of the New ImperialismCh 5: The Third Conquest of Latin America: The Economics of the New ImperialismCh 6: Globalization’s Showpiece: The Failure of the New Imperialism

Conclusion: Iraq Is Not Arabic for Latin AmericaSlide4

Chapter 5: The Third Conquest of Latin America: The Economics of the New Imperialism

Warm up:The New Right (neoconservatives, the Religious Right, free-

marketeers, and militarists)Bretton Woods Institutions (The World Bank, IMF)NeoconservativesNeoliberals

Military coups/golpes de estadoDictatorships?Slide5

Argentina: A Case Study

La Guerra Sucia (The Dirty War) 1976-1983Slide6

La Guerra Sucia

Pg 59. “In 1976, Argentina fell to a military junta, bringing the cycle of South American coups to completion. The entire Southern Cone and most of the continent were now ruled by anti-Communist dictatorships. Kissinger, who continued as secretary of state in the Ford administration after Nixon’s resignation, gave the Argentine coup his blessing: “We have followed events in Argentina closely, we wish the new government well,” he said to its plotters, “we wish it will succeed. We will do what we can to help it succeed.” … Kissinger advised the junta that “if there are things that have to be done, you should do them quickly.” Slide7

Why would the U.S. support ($) a dictatorship in Argentina?

Cold War tensionFear of Communism and Socialism

CapitalismNeoliberal policies (eliminated/lowered tariffs, tax cuts for the rich/corporate, limited union organization, unlimited repatriation of profits for multinational corporations, laid off public-sector employees, privatized state industries)Cooperating Argentine EliteWho were the military junta?Slide8

Acts of the military junta

Proceso de Reorganización Nacional

(National Reorganization Process)Closed Congress, removed members of the Supreme Court, banned political parties and student unionsIntensified measures against the ERP (Ejército Revolucionario Popular/People’s Revolutionary Army) and

MontonerosSlide9

Acts of the military junta

Los desaparecidos: the torture, forced disappearance, or exile of 30,000 leftist individuals—students, union organizers, architects, psychoanalysts, journalists, professors, and other intellectuals

La Guerra de las Malvinas (Falkland Islands War)Slide10

Quick write!What did the military hope to accomplish with the

golpe de estado de 1976? Explain 3 reasons how their motives fit into the frame of “neoliberal.” Disagree? Explain!

I think _____ can be considered ____ because…By definition, ______ means ________In my understanding, _____ shows that _____Slide11

La Historia Oficial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmFkSpUZ6YE&feature=relatedSlide12

Think-Pair-Share

What effects do you think the dictatorship had on the Argentine people?What civil or human rights were violated?What would you have done if you lived during this time?How did the military’s actions benefit the U.S.?

What were some motives for the U.S. to support the junta?What are some differences between living in a dictatorship and a democracy?Slide13

Activity

You are an Argentine citizen living during the Dirty War in 1976. Choose your personality—for example, you can be a student, a teacher, an activist, a guerrilla, a child, or a military officer.You will write a letter or a diary entry explaining how you feel in your daily life.

Question the policies implemented and offer solutions. One pageSlide14

Wrap-up (write in journals)What did I learn?

What am I still confused by?What do I want to know more about?Slide15

Argentina: A Case Study

Warm-up/Key concepts:PrivatizationNationalistLaw of Convertibility

InflationEl corralito financieroUnemploymentSlide16

Argentina: A Case Study

The Return to DemocracyNeoliberal ideals continue1983: “The Argentine military faces a humiliating defeat by the British in an unsuccessful attempt to take control of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Corruption and scandal in the military regime leads to public protests and a gradual transition toward democratic rule. This new democracy is weighed down by a $45 billion national debt, more than five times what the debt was when the military took over in

1976” (Klein, 2004).Slide17

MenemismoCarlos Menem

Elected in 1989Responsible for the privatization of ArgentinaSlide18

Menemismo

“Carlos Menem wins the 1989 presidential elections on a traditional Peronist platform of rebuilding national industry. Once in power, he takes a hard right turn, imposing what he call “surgery without

anaesthetic”. Menem’s policies turn Argentina into the model pupil of the IMF and the World Bank. Almost all national assets are privatized, currency markets are deregulated, and the peso is pegged to the U.S. dollar at one-to-one. While Argentina’s GDP almost doubles, the unemployment rate soars from 6% to 18% as hundreds of thousands of workers are downsized in privatizations. The public debt soars, corruption scandals erupt on a monthly basis, but the IMF and the World Bank continue to lend Argentina tens of billions of dollars” (Klein, 2004). Slide19

The TakeDVDSlide20

Post-Menem

1999 - Fernando de La Rua is elected president on an anti-corruption platform. During his short term in office, he does little to alter the economic policies of the Menem government.

October 2001 – The Zanón Ceramics factory in Patagonia is occupied by its laid-off workers.December 18, 2001 - A garment factory in Buenos Aires, the Brukman factory, is abandoned by its owners and taken over by its workers.

(Klein, 2004)Slide21

The 19th and 20th

December 19, 2001 - Argentina explodes. Weeks after the government had closed Argentines out of their bank accounts, food riots break out across the country and in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. President De la Rua announces a curfew and a state of siege. Millions of Argentines disobey, and in the capital, the Plaza de Mayo and the Congress are packed with irate citizens, all chanting “Que

se vayan todos” (All of them out!) Police and military kill more than 25 people throughout the country. (Klein, 2004)Slide22

The 19th and 20th

December 20, 2001 - Fernando de la Rua

resigns. Argentina goes through five presidents in three weeks. The second president, Adolfo Rodriguez Saá defaults on the external debt, and the currency is devalued, losing over two thirds of its value. Once Latin America’s wealthiest country, over 50% Argentines fall below the poverty line. (Klein, 2004)Slide23

Post Dec. 19-20, 2001

There is an explosion of grassroots activism all over the country, but particularly in Buenos Aires. Unemployed workers in the industrial suburbs, who organized themselves in the downsizing of the early 90s, employ the “piquete”

technique of blocking roadways to make demands of the government. Middle class “neighborhood assemblies” in Buenos Aires meet on street corners to discuss national politics and local issues, and practising

direct democracy. Abandoned and/or bankrupt workplaces are occupied by their former workers; banks, bakeries, health clinics, bus lines and schools.Slide24

The Take

March 2, 2003 – The Forja Auto Parts factory is occupied by its former workers. The film crew stays for three days and nights to film the occupation.April 21, 2003

– On a rainy night on the Easter weekend, the Brukman suit factory is evicted by hundreds of police officers, water cannons and dogs.May 14, 2003 - Ex-President Carlos Menem drops out of presidential race. Nestor Kirchner is elected new president of Argentina by default.

September 11, 2003 - The Argentine government reaches a new agreement with the IMF. The accord requires that Argentina maintain a budget surplus equivalent to 3 percent of its GDP to pay off its external debt. Slide25

Recuperated factorySlide26

Analysis- Talk to your partner

What did the IMF hope to achieve?Why did the the IMF’s plan for Argentina fail?What were Menem’s incentives to take such a “hard right turn?” What did the U.S. have to say?What were the consequences for the people?Slide27

Applied Practice

Write a short cause & effect essay explaining how the choices made in the Menem administration led directly to the crisis of 2001, using key vocabulary and concepts I think ___ was caused by ___ because…

The main cause was probably___The most likely cause was ______The effects of ___ were ____The less obvious effects of ____ were ____ ______ lead to ____, which led to _______Slide28

Wrap-up (write in journals)What did I learn?

What am I still confused by?What do I want to know more about?Slide29

Argentina: A Case Study

Crisis a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger: the current economic crisis | a family in crisis | a crisis of

semiliteracy among high school graduates.• a time when a difficult or important decision must be madeRoot word: crecer¡Crisis

causa crecimiento!Slide30

The TakeDVDSlide31

The Crisis of 2001What caused it?

What movements were born because of it?Los cacerolerosLos

piqueterosLos asambleístasWhat do the movements want?Slide32

Los cacerolerosSlide33

Los piqueterosSlide34

Los asambleístasSlide35

Political Left vs. Social Left (Schuster, 2008)

Political Left

Social LeftSocialist Party

Unemployed worker movements (piqueteros)Communist Party

Popular

Assemblies (

asamble

ístas

)

Trotskyist

Party

Movement

of occupied factories

Revolutionary

Nationalist Parties

Militant unions

Maoist Parties

Anti-capitalist globalization

movements

Left or Center-Left sectors

of the traditional political parties

Human rights organizations

Non-Marxist progressive Parties

Progressive or leftist individualsSlide36

Think-Pair-ShareWhat are the differences between the social and political Left?

What are the movements asking for that the parties do not support?How can we see this in The Take?Slide37

Activism!What does it mean to be an activist?

How did the Argentine people take control of their future?Can we do the same?Sí, ¡se

puede!Slide38

Group Project

With your group, you will choose an important issue that needs to be addressed in our society. Think of small goals that could be achieved to make a difference!Present ideas to classWe will develop these ideas and then materials to act uponContact other members of the community

EducateThink-Move-Protest-Resist! Slide39

Wrap-up (write in journals)What did I learn?

What am I still confused by?What do I want to know more about?