Latin American Culture

Enrique Tams, Ph.D.

The idea of development
After the Second World War the world was divided into two
ideological poles, one represented by the United States and
the other by the Soviet Union.
The tension between these two countries originated many
regional conflicts where one ideology intended to be
imposed on the other.
This period, known as the Cold
War, determined the political
relations of other countries that
played the role of satellite states for
either one of the two great powers.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the
bipolar world, new relationships and new phenomena such as
security and development, environment, dependency, integration,
Third World countries, etc. emerged.
Latin America for a long period of time was dependent
on U.S. interests, until the Cuban Revolution.
security
development
environment
dependency
Third World
countries
Today, the main
concern of capitalism
is the industrialization
of surrounding
regions in order to
form competitive
economic blocs.
The idea of global
integration surged as an
initiative to achieve
international
commercialization
without regional
protectionism.
Examples of regional commerce and integration
The Uruguay
Round.
The General
Agreement on
Tariffs and
Trade.
The Economic
Commission
for Latin
America and
the Caribbean.
The Treaty of
Managua.
The Latin
American Free
Trade
Association.
The idea of development
The reasons why Latin America has not achieved higher
levels of development:
Redistribution
of wealth
Relationship
with the
United
States
Lack of
democratic
maturity
Lack of rule
of law
Lack of
education
The late 1980s
The late 80s set a new opportunity for Latin America: social
stability was achieved thanks to the signing of treaties
between the government and the guerrillas, especially in
Central America; renegotiation of foreign debt and the end
of dictatorships that led to democratic processes.
Consequence:
the region became attractive for foreign
investment and capital flows.
Negative consequences of development
The traffic from the countryside
to the cities began to increase
and this led to the deterioration
of agriculture and livestock;
over-population in urban centers
leading to social problems;
environmental pollution, both
soil and air; service delivery
problems; the emergence of
massive slums; and high urban
unemployment.
Chile
Chile is considered to be the most stable country in
terms of economics but has faced issues within its
political structures.
Chile had the advantage
of having a relatively low
debt, which gave this
country the opportunity
to invest in technology.
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Monterrey, N.L. C.P. 64849. Monterrey, N.L., Mxico, 2014.
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