ÿþ<html> <head> <title> WHKMLA : History of the Early Cold War : The U.S.A. and Latin America </title> <!-- copyright Alexander Ganse, 2001 --> </head> <body bgcolor = "lightgreen"> <div align = "center"> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../index.html"> <img src = "../../banner.jpg" border = "0"> </A></TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD width = "150" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> Struggle against Apartheid </B></font></TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "apartheidstr.html"> <img src = "../../region/arrowleft.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"> </A></TD> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "xecw.html"> <img src = "../banners/banecw.jpg" border = "0"> </A></TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "un.html"> <img src = "../../region/arrowright.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"></A> </TD> <TD width = "150" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> United Nations </B></font></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><BR><BR><BR> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- function SymError() { return true; } window.onerror = SymError; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-0213752126925919"; google_alternate_color = "FFFFE1"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; google_ad_channel ="4814426207"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_page_url = document.location; google_color_border = "FF3300"; google_color_bg = "FFFFE1"; google_color_link = "0000CC"; google_color_url = "008000"; google_color_text = "6F6F6F"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <BR><BR><BR> </div> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD width = "900" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "6" face = "arial"><B> The US and Latin America </B></font> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <BR><BR> <font size = "4" face = "Times Roman"> The United States had mainfold interests in the Caribbean, Central aud South America, of economic, strategic and political nature. In the MONROE DOCTRINE the US government had declated its intention not to tolerate the establishment of any new European colony in the Americas, thus assuming the role of protectress of the Western Hemisphere. In the SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR the US had fought for Cuban independence; with the opening of the PANAMA CANAL in 1914, the US had strategic interests in the region, as well as military strongholds (the PANAMA CANAL ZONE). <BR> US business, such as the UNITED FRUIT COMPANY, was highly involved in the Central American economy, which was heavily based on MONOCULTURES and the exploitation of CHEAP LABOUR. When Guatemalan president JACOB ARBENZ GUZMAN planned a policy of land reform, the CIA supported an invasion of Guatemalan exiles from neighbouring Honduras (1954). US institutions such as the CIA openly supported political factions in the various independent Central American and Caribbean states which did not interfere with US business interests, no matter if these ruled dictatorially and violated the human rights of their own citizens, such as Nicaraguan dictator ANASTAZIO SOMOZA. <BR><BR> When FIDEL CASTRO in 1959 succeeded in overthrowing the Battista administration and turned CUBA into a communist people's democracy, US foreign policy used the argument of FIGHTING COMMUNISM as an excuse to arm and train the military of Central American countries (dictatorships such as Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua) in order to fight communist insurgents. <BR> In 1965, US forces invaded the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC in order to prevent 'a second Cuba'. <BR> The average CAMPESINO in Central America owned no land, was forced to work the banana or coffee plantations for an income of about a Dollar per day, from which he had to feed and clothe his (usually large) family. Political reform movements were suppressed (most of the countries were dictatorships, with a poor human rights record); those who spoke out accused of being communists, police and the military acted heavy-handedly against rebels or thiose whom they believed to be or to support rebels. Where an attempt was made to tackle the root of the problem - monoculture, the rather inequal distribution of land property, poverty - as in Guatemala in 1954, the CIA acted to prevent it. <BR> Many of the smaller Caribbean islands still had been colonies of European powers; most South American nations were larger in size, better able to hold on to an independent position. Yet, the US was the economic and political hegemon of the continent. <BR><BR><BR> <TABLE border = "3" cellspace="5" cellpadding="5" align="center"> <TR> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/caribbean/domrep194578.html"><B> Dominican Rep. <BR> 1945-1978 </B></A></font></TD> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/centramerica/panama194570.html"><B> Panama </B></A></font></TD> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/centramerica/nica194579.html"><B> Nicaragua <BR> 1945-1979 </B></A></font></TD> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/centramerica/honduras194570.html"><B> Honduras </B></A></font></TD> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/centramerica/guatemala194570.html"><B> Guatemala </B></A></font></TD> <TD width = "120" valign = "top" align = "center" bgcolor="#00FF00"> <font size = "2" color = "#000000"> <A HREF = "../../region/centramerica/elsalvador194570.html"><B> El Salvador </B></A></font></TD> </TR></TABLE><BR><BR> <TABLE border="5" cellspace="10" cellpadding="10" align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><TR> <TD width="480" valign="top" align="center"> <font size = "3" face = "Times Roman" color = "#000000"><i>This page is part of <B>World History at KMLA</b></i></font><BR> <font size = "2" face = "Times Roman" color = "#000000"><i>First posted on July 12th 2001, last revised on November 14th 2004</i></font> <BR><BR> <font size = "2" face = "Times Roman"> Click here to go <A HREF = "../../index.html">Home</A> <BR> Click here to go to <A HREF = "../../about.html">Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster</A> <BR> Click here to go to <A HREF = "../../links.html">Statistics</A><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR><BR><BR> </DIV> <DIV align="center"> <A href="mailto:aganse@hotmail.com"> <IMG src="../../email.gif" border="0"></a><BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <!-- Start of CH Counter --> <script type="text/javascript"> //<!-- // chCounter v2.0.0 // settings: cstatus = "active"; visible = "0"; path_to_counterfile = "http://www.zum.de/whkmla/counter/counter.php"; urlhp = "http://www.zum.de"; //////////////// url = unescape(location.href); file = url.substring(url.lastIndexOf(urlhp) + urlhp.length, url.length); file = (file.charAt(0) != "/") ? 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