Modern Latin America, 1808-Present: Revolution, Dictatorship, Democracy

Exams

Final Exam

1. Identifications (2 points each, 10 points total)

   Identify FIVE of the following seven terms with a few sentences or a brief paragraph.

   • Demetrio Macías
   • Mario Villani
   • La Casa Rosada
   • The Cosmic Race
   • Alliance for Progress
   • Francisco Madero
   • The Epic of American Civilization

2. Chronology (2 points each, 10 points total)

   Place the following events in proper chronological sequence. Put a “1” by the event which occurred first, a “2” by the next event, etc.

   • The overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba
   • The overthrow of Porfirio Díaz in Mexico
   • The overthrow of Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua
   • The overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile
   • The PRI loses a presidential election in Mexico

3. Visual Analysis (10 points)

   The political cartoon reproduced below was first published in 1962. In a paragraph, explain the intentions of the cartoonist.

   (See cartoon: “He’s Not the Biggest Threat to This Hemisphere, Señor!” Richard Q. Yardley, Baltimore Sun, 1962.)

4. Essay (50 points)

   Write an essay in response to ONE of the following two questions.

   • Latin America’s many political, economic, and social woes in the twentieth century made observers despair that non-violent, institutional reform would never succeed in resolving the region’s problems. In at least three instances, in Mexico from 1910 to 1920, in Cuba in 1959, and in Nicaragua in 1979, socialist revolutionary approaches to political corruption, unequal distribution of wealth, and social inequality were attempted. Evaluate the successes (and/or failures) of these three revolutions in addressing long-term Latin American problems.

   • How viable has the nation-state been in Latin America during the twentieth century? In many places throughout the world in this period, the nation-state has promised to provide physical security for its people and their property, political rights for its citizens, and economic prosperity for all its residents. The nation-states of Latin America, however, have had notable problems in keeping these pledges. Discuss the reasons for their difficulties by looking at three of the following four examples: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, or Mexico.

Map Quiz

The map quiz for this class will take place on Lecture 2. You will be asked to identify the following countries, cities, and rivers on a blank map of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Consult the map in Skidmore and Smith, page 4, in preparation for the quiz.

1. Countries

   Draw in the current boundaries of the following countries and identify them with the corresponding letter.

   A. Argentina
   B. Belize
   C. Bolivia
   D. Brasil
   E. Chile
   F. Colombia
   G. Costa Rica
   H. Cuba
   I. Dominican Republic
   J. Ecuador
   K. El Salvador
   L. French Guiana
   M. Guatemala
   N. Guyana
   O. Haiti
   P. Honduras
   Q. Mexico
   R. Nicaragua
   S. Panamá
   T. Paraguay
   U. Perú
   V. Puerto Rico
   W. Suriname
   X. Uruguay
   Y. Venezuela

2. Cities

   Indicate the locations of the following cities with the corresponding number.

   1. Bogotá
   2. Brasília
   3. Buenos Aires
   4. Caracas
   5. La Paz
   6. Lima
   7. Mexico City
   8. Montevideo
   9. Quito
   10. Rio de Janeiro
   11. Santiago
   12. São Paolo

3. Rivers

   Label the following rivers on the map with their names.

   1. Amazon River
   2. Oronoco River
   3. La Plata / Paraguay / Paraná River system