Deck 50: Latin America in the Twentieth Century

Question 1

In Latin America, what was the most successful aspect of the Alliance for Progress begun during the Kennedy administration?

A)Birth control.
B)Improved communications.
C)Improved rail lines.
D)Improving crop yields.
E)Environmental protection.

Answer 1

Improving crop yields.

Question 2

What event in the 1980s led to the military dictators giving way to a civil rule in Argentina?

A)The establishment of the South American Community of Nations (CSN).
B)The bankruptcy of Argentina by the policies of Peronismo.
C)The end of the Good Neighbor Policy with the U.S.
D)The Argentines lost the Falkland Islands War in 1982.
E)The election of Ronald Reagan in the U.S. in 1980.

Answer 2

The Argentines lost the Falkland Islands War in 1982.

Question 3

The Alliance for Progress and similar programs have had the most success in Latin America in the area of

A)lowering population rates.
B)improving crop yields.
C)improving the environment.
D)establishing better communications networks.
E)laying rail lines.

Answer 3

improving crop yields.

Question 4

Most of Latin America's peasants

A)remain illiterate but have developed a keen interest in regional politics.
B)continue to have little or no interest in politics expecting the very small elite to continue to make all the rules and laws.
C)have voiced an interest in moving to the cities, if they could only be sure they could find jobs.
D)still have the specter of slavery haunting them, since they often still work on the same farms and plantations as their ancestors.
E)strongly resent those who live in the cities and view them with condescension.

Question 5

Which country and leader had a strong element of support from the descamisados, or the "shirtless ones"?

A)Franklin D. Roosevelt in the U.S.
B)Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico.
C)Juan Peron in Argentina.
D)Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
E)Raul Castro in Cuba.

Question 6

Much of the social tension in Latin America during the 20^th century stemmed from

A)women who were trying to gain suffrage in a male dominated society.
B)the subdivision of land into smaller and smaller units to make room for immigrants.
C)the concentration of mineral wealth in the hands of a few, mainly foreign, hands.
D)liberal loan policies that made it easy for farmers to get in debt to the point that they lost their land.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 7

What was one of Mexican President Cardenas's successes that helped the Amerindians and peasants?

A)Alliances with the USSR.
B)Starting the Green Revolution.
C)The overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
D)Land redistribution.
E)Ending inflation.

Question 8

A recent phenomenon and major turnabout by the Catholic Church in Latin America is its recent actions in

A)becoming strongly anti-American.
B)taking the lead as a voice for the poor.
C)calling for population control as a means of improving society.
D)becoming sympathetic to Castro's Marxism.
E)giving its blessing to right-wing military rule.

Question 9

When did the U.S. first begin to pay close attention to Latin America?

A)During the American Civil War (1861-1865).
B)When Fidel Castro took control of Cuba (1959).
C)During the War of 1812 (1812-1815).
D)During the Spanish-American War (1898-1900).
E)Just before implementation of the Good Neighbor Policy.

Question 10

In 1954, Juan Peron made the mistake of attacking a firmly established institution that had, up to that time, been mildly favorable toward him.  What was that institution?

A)Evangelical Christians.
B)The World Bank.
C)The Catholic Church.
D)The Organization of American States.
E)The Argentine labor unions.

Question 11

The event that caused the most economic concern in the United States during the mid-20^th century was

A)Juan Peron's presidency in Argentina.
B)the establishment of the Batista government in Cuba.
C)terrorist activity that began in Argentina.
D)the rise to power of Fidel Castro in Cuba.
E)the nationalizing of American holdings in Mexico.

Question 12

The migration of large numbers of people into Latin America's cities has contributed to

A)recent improvements in industrialization as the labor pool has grown.
B)a clearer demarcation between those who remain in the isolated countryside and those who have moved to the cities.
C)a scarcity of farm workers that makes it difficult to raise enough food to feed everyone, including those who have migrated to urban areas.
D)alienation among formerly close family units, as young people become exposed to life in the large cities and can no longer relate to their families back on the farms.
E)a growing middle class that craves the latest technological gadgets.

Question 13

The Panama Canal became the property of Panama in

A)1914.
B)1978.
C)2000.
D)1997.
E)1963.

Question 14

What mid-20th Century event in Latin America caused the most economic and political concern for the United States?

A)Juan Peron becoming president of Argentina.
B)The founding of the Organization of American States (OAS).
C)The establishment of the North American Free Trade Association. (NAFTA)
D)The end of the regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba.
E)The rise to power of the communist leader Fidel Castro in Cuba.

Question 15

Under FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, the United States

A)relinquished colonies held in Latin America.
B)urged Britain and France to free their Western hemisphere colonies.
C)treated Latin countries more like sovereign countries than like colonies.
D)sent massive amounts of financial aid to the Southern hemisphere.
E)pledged to protect South American countries from foreign intervention.

Question 16

Who is probably the most widely recognized female in recent Latin American history?

A)Evita Peron.
B)Carmen Miranda.
C)Lina Bartolome.
D)Analyne Criste.
E)Rigoberta Menchu.

Question 17

For Latin America, the most important social issue is

A)easing social stratification.
B)controlling population growth.
C)improving the labor situation.
D)improving the lives of slum dwellers.
E)alleviating religious disagreements.

Question 18

It can most accurately be said of Latin America that

A)the situation exactly parallels that of Asia and Africa.
B)the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished is greater there than elsewhere.
C)there is not much wealth differentiation outside the major cities.
D)there has recently been a gradual improvement in lower-class living standards.
E)its people have been increasingly successful in installing democratic governments.

Question 19

During the 1930s and 1940s in many Latin American countries,

A)social democratic parties similar to those in Germany came to power but did not last long.
B)industrial workers began to take a greater interest in politics, with populist politicians drawing them into reform efforts.
C)absentee landlords began to sell off their property, fearing nationalization by governments in need of capital.
D)immigration from Europe decreased, making it somewhat easier for urban dwellers to find jobs.
E)women began to agitate for voting rights, which they did not receive until the 1960s in most places.

Question 20

In the 20th century, where did the most popular reform movements occur in Latin America?

A)Peru and Mexico.
B)Argentina and Brazil.
C)Cuba and Venezuela.
D)Chile and Bolivia.
E)Mexico and Argentina.

Question 21

Evita Peron understood that to appeal to the masses one must focus on

A)political ideals.
B)party politics.
C)European advantages.
D)a sense of passion and understanding.
E)All of the options are correct.

Question 22

The unusual combination of Marxist social theory and Catholic humanitarianism in Latin America was known as ____________________.

Question 23

President Cardenas instituted which of the following reforms?

A)Land redistribution to peasants.
B)Invitation to US oil companies to drill.
C)Instituting a policy forbidding official recognition of the Maya as a people.
D)Official rejection of the PRI.
E)All of the options are correct.

Question 24

Term for identification: PRI

Question 25

It is a virtual certainty that the United States will never again resort to "____________________" in Latin America as it did before 1930.

Question 26

Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

A)has continued to support revolutionary causes.
B)has become an agglomeration of socialists, liberals, conservatives, labor leaders, and intellectuals, among others.
C)has centered around the dispute over land ownership and redistribution.
D)is filled with corruption to the point that all European business owners have chosen to appeal to the government for protection of property rights.
E)was never that successful at advancing social causes, in part because most of those who joined the party over the years did so for the inevitable payoff for their support rather than because they actually wanted to change their society for the better.

Question 27

The ____________________ was established in the 1960s to help develop Latin American economies.

Question 28

FDR's ____________________ treated Latin American countries more as sovereign nations than as ____________________.

Question 29

Term for identification: Lazaro Cardenas

Question 30

Though the estimates may not be very accurate at all, it appears that

A)as many as one of every three adults in Latin American cities does not have a steady job.
B)income distribution may be evening out, if extremely slowly.
C)the number of professionals, landowners, and business owners is growing, with more of them coming from within the country than was the case in earlier years.
D)unskilled urban workers are earning a great deal more than they ever have before.
E)industrial workers in most countries have begun to participate actively in local politics, with some even being elected to the legislatures.

Question 31

The ___________________ has had much more success in alleviating hunger in Latin America than in Africa.

Question 32

Term for identification: Juan Perón

Question 33

In the 1920s a common trend in the "banana republics" was

A)a rejection of American investment.
B)an outpouring of support from European humanitarians.
C)economic imperialism by the U.S.
D)a severance of ties with Europe.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 34

Currently in Mexico

A)everything is stable, industry, government, and the economy.
B)the national economy is still far from achieving its productive potential.
C)drug cartels are no longer a problem.
D)the gap between the rich and poor has become very small.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 35

Venezuela's president ____________________ is the most recent example of a Latin American populist caudillo.

Question 36

Probably the highest-priority long-term social problem in Latin America is controlling ____________________.

Question 37

One result of economic dependency in Latin American countries has been the frequent protests that have often been led by

A)military men.
B)industrial workers.
C)Marxist socialists.
D)reform leaders pushing for implementation of a corporate state a la Marx.
E)revolutionaries eager to toss out the current government and begin a rapid return of the land to its rightful owners.

Question 38

The real catalyst for U.S. activity in Latin America was the 1959 seizure of power by ____________________.

Question 39

The military in ____________________ stepped down in the 1980s after foolishly provoking a war with ____________________ over the Falkland Islands.

Question 40

Term for identification: ABC countries

Question 41

Term for identification: Good Neighbor Policy

Question 42

Term for identification: Peronismo

Question 43

Term for identification: descamisados

Question 44

Term for identification: United Fruit Company

Question 45

What are the economic and social issues facing twentieth-century Latin America?

Question 46

In reference to Latin America in the Twentieth Century, what does your text mean by "persistent dependency"?

Question 47

Evaluate the impact of Europe and the U.S. in Latin America.

Question 48

What are the economic and social issues facing 20th century Latin America?

Question 49

Discuss the role of the United States in Latin America.

Question 50

Term for identification: Salvador Allende

Question 51

Discuss the role of the United States in Latin America.

Question 52

Term for identification: banana republic