Can someone help me get started on some Latin American History questions?

Question

Examine the main factors in the historical process in mainland Latin America since 1492 which account for the current incidence of poverty in the region.

and

Examine the historical developments in the Caribbean islands between 1650 & 1900 which explain the large-scale migrations from the region in the twentieth century.

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Spanish colonialism (and also Portugese) focused on the extraction of natural resources--mostly gold and silver. They did nothing to build any sort of infrastructure of any lasting value. When they left, they left a mess. In addition, in Spanish government, the people sent to "rule" the colonies weren't really paid--they made their money through bribes, tributes and blackmail. That tradition lasted throughout history and still exists today (Mexican police are paid very little, leading to corruption).

The end of large-scale sugar plantations meant large numbers of people left the Caribbean nations. Follow Jamaicans (google), as they have thousands of immigrants in the US, particularly in the metro NY area. The US win in the Spanish-American war netted Puerto Rico and there are millions of PRs in the US as well.

Answer 2

The Papal Treaty of Tordesillas was ratified in 1490 and split the world in two. The Atlantic was split down the middle and everything West of the line was Spanish with the exception of Brazil and everything East of the line was Portuguese except the Philippines. The Dutch and Portuguese fought for many years for control of Brazil which resulted in various successes and many failures in trying to colonise or industrialise Brazil. The high mortality rate meant that land traded hands often and the lack of women created imbalance resulting in an unstable country that remained so for many years.

Indentured sevitude created a class system with people having to work for pittance to gain their freedom. Life was cheap and people were replaceable - a mind-set that took a long time to change.