Lesson 21: US Intervention in Central America Part 2

November 10, 2022

Review:

• Election
• Nicaragua

Presentation:

• Intro to Harvest of Empire (03:00-4:10)
  • Premise: US interventions in Latin America have resulted in increased levels of emigration/immigration
  • Historic Northern Border of Mexico = Arkansas River https://www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/borderlands
• Nicaragua (1:06:20-1:06:50)
• El Salvador (1:06:50-1:09:00; 1:10:00-1:16:45)
  • Salvadoran Military
    • Assassinated Bishop Óscar Romero (recently canonized)
    • Raped and murdered 4 American nuns
    • Slaughtered entire villages
    • Many leaders trained by the US Military, in the US (School of the Americas)
    • Backed and financed by the US govt
  • MS-13
    • Started in LA in the 1980s by Salvadorans who fled civil war
• Guatemala (11:40-18:30)
  • Post-WWII had progressive government enacting land reform
  • United Fruit opposed the land reforms
  • Eisenhower-Nixon Administration
    • John Foster Dulles – Sec of State
    • Allen Dulles – Head of CIA
    • Former attorneys representing United Fruit
  • CIA campaign
    • opposition to President Arbenz
    • infiltration and overthrow of government
  • Civil War
    • Brutal repression of political opponents and indigenous population
    • Over 200,000 killed and 50,000 missing during decades of turmoil
    • Majority of victims were indigenous Mayan
      • Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu
    • Documented evidence that death squads were supported and trained by CIA

Discussion:

• Did these interventions contribute to today’s instability in the region?
• Does the US have any legal/moral obligation to accept immigrants from the region?

Assignment:

• Have a good weekend