Step 4: Put It All Together

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

Click here to download the exercise for Step 4 in MS Word.

NEW NATIONS AND THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY

  • What role did political liberalism play in Latin American independence movements?
  • How did the various new nations of the Americas deal with the issue of slavery? How would you explain the differences you note?
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ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

  • Why did so many Latin American nations develop economies focused on the export of commodities? What were the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach to economic growth?
  • What forces drew new immigrants to the Americas in the second half of the nineteenth century?
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A NEW AMERICAN EMPIRE

  • Why did so many Americans look to Latin America for new opportunities at the end of the nineteenth century?
  • What policies and practices did the United States use to control the governments and economies of its Latin American neighbors?
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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

  • How did the process of nation building in the Americas differ from the nation building in Italy and Germany (see Chapter 24) that occurred in roughly the same time period?
  • What new opportunities and challenges might the devastation of old nations of Europe in World War I have created for the new nations covered in this chapter?
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