C H. 6 S E C T I O N 4

NATION BUILDING IN LATIN AMERICA

CONTINUED

DIFFICULTIES OF NATION BUILDING

• Caudillos (Strong leaders) gained control after independence and ruled by military force• Some built roads, canals, ports, and schools

• American settlers in Texas revolted and won independence from Mexico in 1836• Became a US state in 1845

• Benito Juarez was a good caudillo who brought many reforms to Mexico like education reform and distributing land to the poor

A NEW IMPERIALISM

• Britain took over Latin American economy by sending British merchants over and investing• Exports included wheat, tobacco, wool, sugar,

coffee, and hides• Finished consumer goods were imported such as

textiles

THE US IN LATIN AMERICA

• After the Spanish-American war, Cuba became a protectorate and Puerto Rico was annexed• 1903 the US supported a rebellion that freed

Panama from Colombia• Was granted a 10mile wide strip of land where they built

the Panama Canal

• US began to send military forces all over Latin America to protect its interests

REVOLT IN MEXICO

• Wealthy landowners owned most of Mexico• Emiliano Zapata lead landless peasants to sieze

estates of wealthy landowners. • Did this when dictatorship was weak• Caused great damage to the Mexican economy

• Called the Mexican Revolution- led to a new constitution in 1917

ECONOMIC CHANGE

• After 1870 Latin America entered an age of prosperity because of the export of specialty goods• Coffee from Brazil, Wheat and beef from Argentina, etc

• Increased industrialization- building factories• The middle classes (lawyers, merchants) began to

grow