Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America

The success of the Cuban Revolution brought the Cold War to Latin America. It motivated others to follow suit and terrified others to resist. Many Marxists in Latin America believed the USSR would support them, but Soviets had little interest in the region: “There simply were no Soviet proxy guerilla forces in Latin America equivalent to those created by the US government” (298). The US supported militaries throughout the region to help quell any communist organization. It was done under the guise of a “nation security doctrine” (299). Marxism did indeed become a dominant philosophy among artists, intellectuals, and students in the 1960s and 1970s. The result was a string of violent and harsh military dictatorships throughout Latin America that targeted anyone who might support communism, particularly communist guerillas, which also sprung up in many Latin American nations. This led to kidnapping, torture, and murder at the hands of the military.

A military dictatorship took control of Brazil in 1964. They amended laws with which they did not agree and that gave them tighter control of the country. They crushed any communist sympathizers. They engaged in industrial growth, which expanded the economy but came at a great cost to the rural poor.