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