Caribbean South American History

After conquering the Aztec empire in Mexico, the Spanish arrived in South America and settled the on the Columbian coast. There they founded Bogota. The Spanish forced Native Americans to work in mines and on plantations. – Many Natives died because of disease and mistreatment. – To replace them, The Spanish imported slaves from Africa.

Colonists were unhappy with Spanish rule. There weren’t any elected officials so colonists found a great leader in Simon Bolivar Bolivar believed in freedom for all, including slaves. Because of this, people called him “The Liberator” He led many revolts which resulted in a 14 year war which gained independence for Northern South America.

After gaining independence, there was a lot of instability with the new nations. Many caudillos, or dictators, took control. The economies were very weak because they depended on a few exports. In 1910, oil was discovered in Venezuela which led to an economic boom. – The govt. used their wealth to build roads and fund programs and welfare While the oil did bring wealth, much of the region was still very poor.

South America Today Today Latin America is used to describe the areas in South America that are influenced by the French, Spain or Portugal cultures. The main language spoken in northern South American is Spanish and the religion is Catholic.

Environmental Problems Deforestation is a major problem – Because of the many destructive insects in tropical regions, farmers use large amounts of pesticides which contaminate soil and water. Pollution caused by the oil industry. – Drilling has caused oils spills – Subsidence is the sinking of the ground caused from draining underground oilfields. This causes severe flooding The Organic Law of the Environment was passed by Venezuela to protect water, soils, and forests. Restoration has restricted logging and plants new trees.

Government Columbia- executive, legislative, and judicial branches. – It is bicameral ( 2 houses) senate and house of representatives Venezuela has a representative democracy where people elect representatives to make the nations laws. – The people use referenda, or voting to make or change laws. Guyana is a democracy with a president and national party. Suriname has a president and an elected national assembly. Its political parties are divided.

Tensions There is a lot of tension and fighting in South America. – There is warfare between South Asian and African groups in Suriname – Columbia has had many civil wars against rebels or insurgents for years. – In Venezuela there is a lot of tension caused from the gap between the rich and the poor.