Century World Affairs Essay Example for Free

ascorbic acid World Affairs EssayThe Caribbean Island of Cuba became a republic after its firing from Spain at the hands of the USA. American presence, both in military, financial and diplomatic terms however continued as a means of providing stability and solvency to the island nation. The Cuban chairwomans were incompetent and unpopular with the general rabble, thus, producing revolt. From 1925 onwards, although technically still a democratic republic, the country became an elite dictatorship with an army officer named Fulgencio Batista, having seized manoeuver of the Cuban army, pulling the strings from behind the curtains. The judicature remained corrupt and incompetent with a rising sense of resentment amongst the general population on their invoke of affairs. Following 1940, he was the official President of the country until his departure from office in 1944. In 1952, he seized power again and ruled by ordination until 1955 when he was elected President in an electio n with only himself as the candidate. To mark his victory, the new President issued an amnesty for political prisoners and opponents.One of the prisoners was Fidel Castro, who had been jailed for his cont turn of events in the 26th of July incident in 1953, whereby he had led a column of men to ambush the Cuban military installations at the Moncada Barracks. Castro wasted no time in resuming his new activities and in 1956, accompanied by Argentine Ernesto Che Guevara, launched an violation of Cuba, setting sail with his followers from the coast of Mexico.Initially, the rebels were crushed by Batistas forces but the well organized defense of the guerilla headquarters in the Sierra Maestra Mountains sent the wrong signals to Batistas forces. Fledging support for the rebels also made matters worsened with constant guerilla attacks against Cuban army installations and personnel leading to a fall in moral within the Cuban military ranks. With a demoralise army, Batista panicked as th e prospect of a full fledged genteel war became imminent and fled the country, allowing Castro to march easily into Havana and form government.America was late aligned with Batistas government all along the way as American businesses had deep rooted interests in the island nation. There is evidence that Castros invasion of Cuba in 1956 could have been funded by the CIA, although these claims remain unsubstantiated. However, given the fact that Batistas increasingly authoritarian actions were a cause of much embarrassment for democratic Washington, it could be believed that there might have been funding with an attempt to tame Batista and soften his dictatorial style.Major American involvement came in 1961, when Cuban exiles trained by the American CIA launched an invasion of Cuba to topple Castros government but were defeated at the hands of the Castros army within three days. This event came to be known as the bay of pigs invasion. The revolution survives till today having succee ded in the provision of idealistic hearty development targets, although the economy remains lesser and largely dependent on sugar cane exports. BOLIVIAAfter centuries of Spanish colonial rule, Bolivia gained independence and became an autonomous republic in 1825, having had to fight a blooming(a) war with colonial Spain. While great leaps were made in socio stinting development, the indigenous population remained poor and following the Chaco War (1932-1935) where the country suffered a humiliate defeat at the hands of Paraguay, resentment against the traditional ruling class grew further as the loss of life and territory was humungous. Following the Chaco war, The Revolutionary nationalistic Movement (MNR) was created.It represented the middle-class and had a bolshy approach modified for a nationalist and socialist agenda. The party was part of the military civilian government of Gualberto Villarroel from 1943 to 1946 but was soon expelled from the country by opponent forces. The MNR then staged a brief and bloody civil war in 1949 against the Bolivian government but failed to groom any breakthrough. It was in the elections of 1951, that the MNR finally hit jack pot. Having won the elections, it was denied the right to Presidency by the Opposition parties who claimed that the elections were rigged.Following months of protests, agitation and civil unrest, not to mention the various attempts by the MNR leadershiphip to stage a coup, events took a new turn when MNR revolutionaries together with the La Paz police force took go of La Paz, the de facto capital of the country. What followed was a bloody, half hearted battle on the side of the Bolivian army. Mass deflections and poor moral gave the MNR a victory and a calamity to form government. During its 12 years in power, the MNR was responsible for bringing universal adult suffrage to Bolivia, put land reforms into practice and promot rural education.The largest tin mines were nationalized in 1952. How ever, the most remarkable feat of the revolution was the fact that it incorporated the indigeneos population into the normal way of life. US policy remained largely neutral in Bolivias case. The US had war in the Korean Penensuila to deal with at that time. However, the overthrow of the MNR by the Bolivian army in 1964 is sometimes refered to as a CIA endorse initiative, suggesting that American policy was largely anti MNR, even if neutral from the outset. CHILE cayenne pepper gained independence from colonial Spain in 1810, when it was established as an autonomus republic. It was in 1970 that Chile made history of sorts when it elected by a narrow margin a redness government under President Salvador Allende. Whereas all previous communist governments in the world had emerged from chaos and upheavel, the population of Chile legally elected their communist government. The government, however, comprised various left wing groups and Allende suffered from his inability to bring stake holder conflict resolution.Allendes problems intensified as he went along. His nationalization of major industries sc ared away private investment and created dissent amonsgt portions of the population. His problems were further aggravated by capitalist plots and US hostility, esp by the CIA. Allende still took matters at the forefront and continued reforms to the economy and the social sector, demanding international aid and recognition to help him implement his plan for the social and economical development of Chile along socialist lines.While he had many supporters, his opposition was also plenty. While Allende struggled to keep the pieces together in the give of internal coalition bickering, resent amongst portions of the population and US hostility, the opposition and the army merely hoped that Allende would lose the 1973 election and allow for a more centrist President to take power. However, this was not to be as Allendes government survived the 1973 election, with millions amongst the population voting for Allende a second time.Following a constitutional crisis and widespread economic woes and allegations that Allende would soon turn the country towards dictatorship, the military intervened and overthrew his government on September 11, 1973. As a woman Revolutionary As a woman revolutionary in the Cuban revolution, one of the things I would have done differently would have been to secure closer ties with America for economic reasons, instead of becoming a tool in the cold war. Closer relations with America would not imply a compromise on Marxist principles.It would rather imply an act of logical sense as America is geograpgically close to Cuba and its products are in high demand there. Closer ties with the USSR and the East European Communist bloc make less sense as these countries were geographically distant. In a way, closer economic ties with the USSR have a higher opportunity cost. Appeal of Marxist judgement in Latin America Marxist model has had a profound effect on Latin American politics. As early as the 1920s, Marxist movements were springing up in various countries. The reasons are simple.Rising poverty, deplorable conditions of the indigenous Indian population at the hands of the ruling class (of Spanish descent), economic and social backwardness and corrupt and/or incompetent governments forced people to seek alternative ways at addressing the issues at hand. It was these conditions that fueled Marxist thought in Latin America. For many countries, the concept of equality appealed further then ever as they saw the present system merely as an reference work of the colonial system, with the capitalist mindset at play.Equality of income, rights and stature in society was a totally new concept and presented a welcome flip-flop from capitalist individualism. Lack of freedom under strict military governments and persecution at the hands of intelligence agencies as a result of political motivations made matters worse. F urthermore, Marxist ideology to seize the opportunity and to fight for ones right further fueled anger amongst an already resentful population. Revolution provided an opportunity for the hard pressed populace to vent their anger at incompetent governments. Another important factor at play was hostility to the USA.The USA was seen as a powerhouse of capitalist economy and US business interests in Latin America were no secret to the local population. The USA had done little to support the population against their incompetent leaders and the perception of the USA was thus that of a Capitalist agent bent on world dominance. The success of Marxism in the USSR esp. its powerful transition from a petty backward country to a world economic and military super power standing eye to eye with the USA provided much intellectual nourishment for thought. With the exception of Cuba, communism never really found its deep roots in any country in Latin America.True the Allende Presidency in Chile, th e MNR regime of Bolivia from 1952-1964 and the present day regime of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela are near examples, it is worth mentioning that these have been mere off shoots of Marxist speculation, aiming to bring changes to the original theory and apply them in a more local context. Thus, generally, Marxist thought has provoked a more centre left approach amongst the population of Latin America. It is also worth mentioning that the impact of Marxist thought on Latin America has been so profound that many of the leading figures that the theory is synonymous with are derived from this region.Fidel Castro became a symbol of defiance for the Capitalist West. Allende is renowned for his foray into democracy through democratic elections, bring communism to a country through calm means Similarly, Che Guevara is today not only a symbol of communist ideals of using force to attain their goals but is also recognized as the unquestioned founder of modern Guerrilla warfare, a tactic, still u tilized by communists and non communists alike to this day in their fight against imperialism, capitalism and injustice.Works CitedWatson, Jack. Success in 20th Century World Affairs. London John Murray, 1991. Adam Hart -Davis. World History A visual guide. London Longman , 2007. Smith, Alison. Mastering 20th Century World Affairs. London Longman, 1991. Selected Readings from The History Channel Website www. Historychannel. com