Chapter 8 C E N T R A L A M E R I C A A N D T H E C A R I B B E A N

Transcription

1 Chapter 8 C E N T R A L A M E R I C A A N D T H E C A R I B B E A N

2 Dictator A ruler who has complete power over the government Communist In a communist economy the government owns all large businesses and most of the land Exile A person who leaves their homeland for another country because of political problems Illiterate Unable to read or write

3 Cuba was a Spanish Colony. In 1898, the US defeated Spain in the Spanish- American War and Cuba won its independence. (with limits) For many years Cuba was the richest country in the Caribbean.

4 In the 1950 s Batista was Cuba s leader and dictator. Fidel Castro led a small rebel group to try and overthrow Batista. He gained supporters and on his third attempt Batista left the country. Castro took control of Cuba and still has control today.

5 Under Castro the government took over private business and land. He also said that all books and newspapers could only print information supporting his government. Basically they went communist! Anyone who disagreed with government policy was put in jail. Many fled the island.

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9 Cuba became friendly with the USSR or the Soviet Union (the most powerful communist nation at the time). The USSR sent money and supplies to Cuba. At the time the USSR and US were not friendly with each other. (cold war) Cuba s relationship with the US became tense.

10 When the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba had problems with their economy. They continue to struggle today because many countries in the free world refuse to do business with a communist dictator especially the US.

11 Section 1 The Cultures of Mexico and Central America Diversity Variety Indigenous Descendants of the first people who lived in a region Injustice The unfair treatment of people Maquiladora Border factories owned by American companies Emigrate To move from one country to another Immigrant A person who has moved from one country to another

12 Many of the citizens in Mexico and Central America speak Spanish and are Catholic. The seven countries of Central America all speak Spanish except Belize which speaks English. Most of the citizens are Mestizo or Native American. Some are direct Spanish descendants. Is any of this a surprise based upon what we know about this regions history?

13 Looking for work Many of Central Americans citizens are Campesinos. Many of them are moving to the cities in look for work. There are also several of Mexico and Central America s people s moving to the US for the same reasons. Many US companies are moving to Mexico in search of cheap labor. These plants are built on the border with the US and are called Maquiladoras. Look at the graph on page 65. Many of these people move to the city for schools

14 Section 2 The cultures of the Caribbean Ethnic Group A group of people who share race, language, religion, or cultural traditions. Carnival The huge party thrown before Lent

15 The first inhabitants of the Caribbean were the Ciboney, Arawaks, and Caribs for which the islands were named. They all died out from over work and disease brought by the Europeans. Few Caribs still live on Dominica. Dutch, French, Spanish, and English travelers started claiming these lands as territories and created large plantations where they brought slaves over to work. Many of the islands are now inhabited by their descendants.

16 Look at the chart on Page 69 The area has great ethnic variety because of the history. There are several languages spoke and religions practiced. Hispaniola is the island that contains Dominican Republic on the East and Haiti on the West. Two different cultures have evolved on the same island. Food, Music, Art, and Fun on page 71.

17 As a result of the rapid decline in the Native population, Slaves were imported form Africa. Indentured laborers from East Asia, China, and Japan would later be a source of labor.

18 As a result of this racial diversity, the mixing of races occurred. This did not exclude the Europeans. As a result of the shortage of European women that were available in the new world, European men often married Indian and/or Black women.