Episode 27: Latin America During the Cold War

In this episode we will look at the impact that US imperialism and the Cold War had on Latin America, focusing especially on the short and long-term effects of US interventionist foreign policy in the region.

• Despite the fact that most of Latin America had been independent of colonial rule since the early 19th century, why did it still see much of the same anti-western Marxist agitation that would characterize post-colonial Africa and Asia in the years after WWII?

• Why was Marxism a potentially disastrous political model to follow in the years after WWII? Was there anything inherently volatile about Marxism or were there external factors at play?

• How can the example of the United Fruit Company be used to explain much of the political volatility in Latin America, especially since WWII?

• How was Cuba’s post-revolution economy sustainable?

• Why did Latin American military officers see themselves as necessary alternatives to the political status quo?

• Why did the end of the Cold War foster some movements towards democracy throughout Latin America?

• What was a “banana republic”, and what does it have to do with the United States?

• In what ways is the movement of peoples north from Latin America a legacy of 19th century and Cold War US foreign and economic policy?

00:00:00 Chapter 27 Question 1

00:01:40 Chapter 27 Question 2

00:02:50 Question 3

00:07:10 Question 4

00:08:14 Question 5

00:09:47 Question 6

00:11:04 Question 7

00:11:53 Question 8