Revolutions in 20th Century Latin America

DESCRIPTION

This course examines the history of revolutions in twentieth century history of Latin American and the Caribbean history. We will examine seven revolutionary moments in five countries. There is no way we can cover all of the revolutionary governments, conjunctures, movements or “moments” in Latin America, there are simply too many. The cases examined here are more similar than dissimilar as they took place within the closer orbit of US Empire.

In order to study these narratives you will have to become familiar with certain analytical and descriptive concepts and learn how to use them with precision. You will also have to become familiar with the geography and chronology of the countries we are covering.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

This is an advanced course and you will need to read and process about 100 pages of reading per week. The readings and supplementary assignments (documents, etc.) will change somewhat as we advance through the semester. The readings and lectures will be the basis for your work. You need to do all the readings and bring notes and questions to each discussion session. Usually, I will lecture every Monday and we’ll have a more student directed and open discussion of the readings on Wed. I will reply to emails within 24 hours. You are expected to check your email regularly and learn how to use the SAKAI system.

• Determination of Grade:
  • Attendance and class participation (20%)
  • Four Readings-based analysis assignments (15% each)
  • Fact-based final exam (20%)
  • Final grades will be calculated according to the Department’s current grade policy:
    A (93-100) / B+ (89-92)/ B (81-88) / C+ (77-80) / C (70-76) / D (65-69) / F (64 and Below)
• Attendance and participation:
  • Attendance to all class sessions and consistent and effective participation in class discussions are required. Students frequently drop a whole grade in their final grades because of lack of participation and poor attendance.
• Assignments and exam:
  • You will have to hand in a one-page discussion or outline of the readings nearly every Wed.
  • You will have four short discussion papers based on the class readings, two small research projects, and one comprehensive fact-based exam.
  • You are strongly encouraged to discuss your papers with me in office hours (before and after handing them in).

Plagiarism is a serious breach of university policies. Make sure you know what it is. Papers copied from work done by others or cut and pasted from other sources will lead to an F and result in disciplinary action. Students often string notes taken from the readings word-by-word into their papers. This is also plagiarism.

This is a history course. Dates, places, names, concepts, individuals will matter to us greatly. Pay attention to these details as we go along. They will form the basis for the final exam.

 

COURSE ORGANIZATION AND SCHEDULE

Week one (Jan 20): Requirements and Goals; Geography and Demographics

• Maps, chronologies, “racial” demographics,
• Basic concepts of social historical analysis
• Basic concepts in Latin American history, 1900-1990
• What is revolution?
• Plate tectonics

Week Two (Jan 25, 27): Mexico 1910-1940

• Gonzales. The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940. Chaps 1-3.
• Map of Mexico

Week Three (Feb 1, 3): Mexico 1910-1940

• Gonzales. The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940. Chaps 4-6.

Week Four (Feb 8, 10): Mexico 1910-1940

• Gonzales. The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940. Chaps 7-9, Conclusion.
• First short research discussion due

Week Five (Feb 15, 17): El Salvador 1932

• Aldo Lauria Santiago and Jeffrey Gould. To Rise in Darkness. Chaps 3,5,6.
  • Read chapter 4 if you really want the whole story
• http://lhcs.rutgers.edu/lauria/revoltrevolution/salvador%20municipal%20west%20map.jpg

Week Six (Feb 22, 24): Cuba 1933

• Carr. “Identity, Class, and Nation: Black Immigrant Workers, Cuban Communism and the Sugar Insurgency, 1925-1934,” Hispanic American Historical Review. Vol. 78, No. 1. (Feb., 1998), pp. 83-116.
• Carr. Mill Occupations and Soviets: The Mobilization of Sugar Workers in Cuba 1917-1933.” Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1. (Feb., 1996), pp. 129-158
• Perez. Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution. Chap. 9.

Week Seven (Feb 29, Mar 2): Guatemala 1945

• Cindy Forster. The Time of Freedom: Campesino Workers in Guatemala’s October Revolution. Chaps. 4 & 5
• Gleijeses. Agrarian reform.
• Optional but highly recommended:
  • Grandin. State Decomposition.
  • Forster. Reforging National Revolution.
• Second short discussion due Mar 10 or thereabouts
• May 3 Credits Special Program: Journalism and Democracy study trip to Guatemala:
  • http://globaleducation.rutgers.edu/_customtags/ct_FileRetrieve.cfm?File_ID=03037475744F05737702707D760B1C730A080714747C05736E00087370730071010601740670020006
  • https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/directory/rmarchi/index.html
• Film Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb7XaF1rs1E
• Film Clip 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbd5CTQCXto

Week Eight (Mar 7, 9): Cuba 1959

• Perez. Between Reform and Revolution. Chap. 10.
• Dominguez. Batista as Sultan (or some similar silly orientalist name…)

Spring Break! (Mar 12-20)

Week Nine (Mar 21, 23): Cuba 1959

• Chomsky. A History of the Cuban Revolution. Chaps. 1-4.
• Pick a speech from the Castro Speech Database (1959 to 1963): http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/cuba/castro.html
• Take a look at History Will Absolve Me, see any connections to 1933? https://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1953/10/16.htm

Week Ten (Mar 28, 30): Cuba 1959

• Chomsky. A History of the Cuban Revolution. Chaps. 5-8, conclusion.

Week Eleven (Apr. 4, 6): Cuba 1959

• Pick four of the readings in the Resources folder. There are lots of themes in there!
• Be prepared to do short presentations on your chosen readings during both Monday and Wed. Summaries, critiques, responses….
• Third short discussion due April 10

Week Twelve (Apr 11, 13): Nicaragua 1979-190

• Zimmerman. The Nicaraguan Revolution. A Brief History.

Week Thirteen: (Apr 18, 20): Nicaragua 1979-1990

• Find Readings about the Nicaraguan Revolution (two articles)
• Review of Research Methods

Week Thirteen: (Apr 25, 27): El Salvador 1979-1992

• Required:
  • William Stanley, The Protection Racket State: Elite Politics, Military Extortion and Civil War in El Salvador, pgs. 58-106. chap. 4.
  • Chavez. Chapter.
• Pick two or three:
  • Binford. The El Mozote Massacre. Chaps 6-7.
  • Elisabeth Wood. Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador. Chaps 3-5, 7.
  • Binford. Morazan.
  • When States Kill.
  • Stolk. Negotiated Transition
  • Vieterna. Explaining women’s…
  • Williams and Walter. The Military and Democratization
  • Wood. Insurgent Collective Action…
  • Salvador Air Force

Week Fourteen (May 2): El Salvador 1979-1992

• Fourth short discussion due