Ch. 19 sec 1 DemocracyI. Democracy as a Goal

A. Four Common Practices1. Free elections: Having more than 1 political party; all adults can vote

2. Citizen Participation: High levels of education, economic security, & freedom of speech, press, and assembly

3. Majority rule & minority rights: Citizens equal before law, protection of individual rights, representatives elected by citizens to carry out their will

4. Constitutional Govt.: no one is above the law, clearly formed laws in which govt. is based on, education about how govt. works

II. Dictators and DemocracyA. Kubitschek’s Ambitious Program

1. After gaining independence from Portugal Brazil ruled by a monarch and then a dictator named Getulio Vargas (1930’s-1950’s)

2. Kubitschek was elected president in 1956 and he tried to rebuild Brazil with foreign investment & construction of the interior of Brazil

3. He tried to install a land reform which meant giving land to the peasants

4. The wealthy did not want this and let the military seize power in a military coup

B. Military Dictators1. For two decades military dictators ruled and established economic

growth through foreign investment and development projects in the Amazons

2. The boom had a downside-govt. froze wages and cut back on social programs

3. This caused a decline in the standard of living-level of material comfort

4. Citizens protested and the govt. responded with jail, torture and murder

C. The Road to Democracy1. 4. Fernando Henrique Cardoso had the most success in

tackling the economic & political problems

2. He also attempted to close the gap between the rich and the poor

D. The 2002 Presidential Election1. Cardoso’s handpicked successor, Jose Serra, lost his bid to the

Workers Party Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

2. Lula da Silva has proved a moderate president who continues on the path of democracy

III. One Party RuleA. Beginnings of One Party Domination

1. From 1920-34 Mexico elected generals as presidents who actually created a ruling party called the National Revolutionary Party

2. Using various names this party dominated for the rest of the 20th century

3. 1934-40 President Lazaro Cardenas tried to improve peasant and worker lives with land reform and labor rights

4. He nationalized the oil industry and removed foreign oil companies

B. The Party becomes PRI1. In 1946 the main political party changed its name to Institutional

Revolutionary Party or PRI

2. It was an imperfect democracy because of corruption and tainted elections

3. Even as Mexico’s economy developed the people suffered economic hardships

4. October 2, 1968 students and workers were protesting at an ancient Aztec site and were massacred by hidden soldiers

5. Oil prices bottomed out in the early 80’s causing another economic crisis

I. Political and Economic DisorderA. Peron Rules Argentina

1. Juan Peron, an Argentine general, won the presidency and created a dictatorship with the help of his wife Eva (known as Evita).

2. The two created a welfare state that offered social programs but did limit individual freedoms.

3. When Evita died, Juan Peron began to lose popularity and was eventually removed from office and driven into exile

B. Repression in Argentina

1. In 1976, Argentine generals flexed their power and began an era of repression seldom seen.

2. By 1980, thousands of citizens who opposed the military dictatorship simply disappeared. It was a terrible era in Argentina.

Memorial set up for the missing.

B. Democracy and the Economy1. The military dictatorship ended after losing an embarrassing war vs. the

British.

2. Raul Alfonsin, began to rebuild the Argentina’s democracy and economy by stabilizing its currency and private industry.

3. Unfortunately economic struggles re-emerged in the 1990’s

C. A Growing Crisis1. By 2002, Argentina had an unemployment rate of 24% and had defaulted

on 132 billion dollar debt which devalued its currency.

2. Currently, Argentina is still dealing with debt and is potentially going to default on their loan again which would cause problems for their economy.