Cold War Influence in Latin America - 1616 Words

Cold War Influence in Latin America The United States and the Soviet Union competed against each other during the Cold War in the second half of the 20th Century like a chess game, with the world as their chessboard and countries as pawns in their game. For the Russians, a critical part of the chessboard was Cuba and Latin America. The Russians believed that if they could align themselves with countries in the western hemisphere, America’s â€Å"backyard†, it would help the Soviet Union counter the strong political influence and military presence America had in Europe, which made the Russians feel threatened. The Soviet Union tried to align itself politically, militarily, and economically with as many Latin American countries as it could. In†¦show more content†¦not supported the overthrow of Arbenz, civil unrest in Guatemala may not have occurred, and Guatemala might have been able to avoid its terrible 30-year long civil war. Cuba is the country best known for being at the center of the Cold Wa r conflict between the U.S. and Russia because of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union’s strategy, and the anticipated U.S. response to the Russian strategy, is described in an October 19, 1962 telegram from Andrei Gromyko, Russia’s Foreign Minister, to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [Virtual Archive]. The Central Committee was the highest organization within communist Russia. Gromyko seems to have written the telegram to inform the Central Committee that the Russian strategy in aligning itself with Cuba seemed to be working. In the telegram Gromyko expressed his belief that â€Å"a USA military adventure against Cuba is almost impossible to imagine† because of â€Å"assurances given to us that the USA has no plans for in Cuba (which undeniably commits them in many respects)† (Gromyko). Instead, Gromyko believed that the U.S. efforts would be to try weakening Cuba by obstructing its economy, thinking that over the l ong term Russia would not be able to continue supporting Cuba with foreign aid in order to offset U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba (Gromyko). Gromyko’s telegram accurately describes U.S. policy regarding Cuba around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.Show MoreRelatedCommunism And The Cold War Essay1127 Words   |  5 Pagesideals of the U.S. since before World War I, throughout the Cold War and is still until this day. When one thinks about communism, you conjure up images of the Red Scare that the Soviet Union induced and of other dictatorships throughout the western hemisphere and one might overlook the Marxist ideals that were being spread throughout our neighboring countries. These western countries were allies that the U.S. could not afford to lose during the Cold War. Latin America, which has many ties to the U.S.Read MoreThe Impact of the Cold War on Developing Nations Essay1175 Words   |  5 PagesThird world countries became the perfect ba ttleground for cold war proxy battles during the early 1940’s to late 1990’s. United States wanted to flex its political muscle and try to curtail the spread of Soviet Communism in the developing nations. Most of the nations in developed world had already made their political and socio-economic stand regarding the form of governance and leadership pursued. Underdeveloped nations in Asia, Latin America and Africa were still vulnerable and easily influencedRead MoreThe Political Affairs Of Latin America925 Words   |  4 PagesThe United-States has always had a major impacting role in the political affairs of Latin America. Since the dawn of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, the U.S. has taken a firm and direct stance when dealing with the continent to ensure that its [United States] interests are always upheld. This being said, the U.S. uses formal and informal manipulation and intervention to ensure that Latin American governments are compatible with U.S. interests. This dates back, as previously said, to the time of theRead MoreStrategic Importance Of Latin America In Cold War And Beyond.1572 Words   |  7 Pages Strategic Importance of Latin America in Cold War and Beyond Background and Introduction The 20th century appears to be most destructive and productive in the history. From revolutions to wars, from colonization’s to independent states, from industrial revolution to Information technology revelation. This century had a lot to offer for historians. This century started with the different revolutions in countries to over throw monarch system, including China, turkey, Russia, and in England which colonizeRead MoreAnalysis Of Belgrade And Cairo : Latin America And The Non Aligned Movement1651 Words   |  7 Pages Belgrade and Cairo: Latin America and the Non-Aligned Movement The Belgrade Conference of 1961 was the first meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement. It brought together 28 countries from four continents, of which 25 were full members, and 3 were observers. In her speech at the opening of the conference, Mrs. Bandaranaike of Ceylon stated that the countries present were â€Å"in Belgrade because it is our firm conviction that the non-aligned nations have a positive contribution to make in the cause ofRead MoreFrom The Dropping Of The Atomic Bombs On Japan In 19451498 Words   |  6 PagesFrom the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the United States of America has pursued a foreign policy of containment to curb the spread of Soviet communism throughout the world. The U.S. spent billions of dollars during the Cold War period on foreign policies of containment, but is criticized that these strategies were ineffective in containing the spread of communism. In 1946, The Long Telegram, put forth by th e father of the containment theoryRead MoreAmerican Intervention, Chile, And Augusto Pinochet1529 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Intervention, Chile, Augusto Pinochet After World War II, the United States emerged as a world power. However, with this new power and hegemony status, came the threat of being overtaken and being replaced as the dominant nation. One threat that the United States faced was the rise of Communism. The US feared the spread of Communism in other nations, even in Latin America. One country where the US intervened to stop the spread of Communism is Chile. In 1970, Salvador Allende, a MarxistRead MoreFour approaches to the political economy development of Latin America1734 Words   |  7 PagesThe study of development in Latin America has been approached from a variety of academic disciplines. International Political Economy scholars have provided a number of different approaches for studying, analyzing and understanding the political and institutional constrains that have shaped the development of Latin American countries. They have also incorporated into the analysis variables such as the influence of international organiza tions and the economic and class history, and its relation withRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union862 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cold War period represented a breaking point for real and potential threats against the US hegemony in Latin America. The US and the Soviet Union had a power struggle for almost all the last half of the twentieth century, and even if the political and military tension was between those two blocks, the poor relationship’s collateral damage reached the rest of countries in the American continent with the anti-communism US foreign policy. From Eisenhower to Reagan, US administrations aimed to maintainRead MoreThe Positive Impacts of Events During the 18th Century747 Words   |  3 Pages In the 18th century a lot happen but major socialist movements such as equal rights for African Americans, womens rights and emancipation, focus on the environment and focus of new culture all began to create positive impact’s for social America at the time. Underdeveloped societies lack modern technology needed to advance further in the future. For example where would we be today without a computer to use everyday, probably still handwriting in cursive our papers and notes for school and work