What effect did the Cold War and debt crisis have on Latin America?

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the United States formed alliances with conservative groups and the armed forces in much of Latin America to prevent communism from gaining further ground in the region. The United States financed and armed military dictatorships to suppress any dissent that might lead to communism and to secure U.S. influence in the region. Many elected governments were toppled in military coups that brought right-wing military dictatorships to power with U.S. military and financial support. The United States provided military regimes in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua with everything from economic assistance to training in torture techniques. In South America, U.S. influence was less direct, though Cold War tensions intensified the repression meted out by military regimes in countries like Chile, Argentina, and Brazil.