Submitting Campus
Prescott
Department
Global Security & Intelligence Studies
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
6-2019
Abstract/Description
The Cold War in Latin America had marked consequences for the region’s political and economic evolution. From the origins of US fears of Latin American Communism in the early 20th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, regional actors played central roles in the drama. Seeking to maximize economic benefit while maintaining independence with regard to foreign policy, Latin Americans employed an eclectic combination of liberal and anti-imperialist discourses, balancing frequent calls for anti-Communist hemispheric unity with periodic diplomatic entreaties to the Soviet bloc and the nonaligned Third World. Meanwhile, US Cold War policies toward the region ranged from progressive developmentalism to outright military invasions, and from psychological warfare to covert paramilitary action. Above all, the United States sought to shore up its allies and maintain the Western Hemisphere as a united front against extra-hemispheric ideologies and influence. The Cold War was a bloody, violent period for Latin America, but it was also one marked by heady idealism, courageous political action, and fresh narratives about Latin America’s role in the world, all of which continue to inform regional politics to this day.
Entry DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.013.642.
Publication Title
Oxford Research Encyclopedia, Latin American History
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Required Publisher’s Statement
Original publication statement: PRINTED FROM the OXFORD RESEARCH ENCYCLOPEDIA, LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY (oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory). (c) Oxford University Press USA, 2020. All Rights Reserved. Personal use only; commercial use is strictly prohibited (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). Oxford University Press allows for authors to self-archive works in institutional repositories after 24 months for academic titles. See OUP's Author Reuse and Self-Archiving webpage for details: https://global.oup.com/academic/rights/permissions/autperm/?cc=gb&lang=en.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Field, T. (2019). US and the Cold War in Latin America. Oxford Research Encyclopedia, Latin American History, (). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/publication/1404
Included in
American Politics Commons, Defense and Security Studies Commons, Growth and Development Commons, International Relations Commons, Latin American History Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Military and Veterans Studies Commons, Military History Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Political Economy Commons, Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons, United States History Commons
