THE CHRONOLOGY OF LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY 1450 – 1750
1695 / Gold discovered in Brazil leads to internal settlement of frontier by prospectors1700 / Caribbean islands are main source of sugar; main customer for African slaves
1700 / Indian population falls to five million; cattle, sheep outnumber Indians in most areas
1702 – 1713 / War of Spanish Succession: English obtain right to supply slaves, trade in region
1728 / Spanish crown supports economic development of industry, imports, commerce
1759 – 1788 / New Spanish monarch institutes economic, political, military reforms in colonies
1778 / Spain, Portugal formally delineate boundaries between their colonies, empires
18th Century / French, English control Caribbean; majority of world’s sugar comes from region
18th Century / American crops had spread world wide and influence population growth
1792 / Slave rebellion in Haiti abolishes slavery, led to free black state
1800 / 30,000 peninsulares; 3.5 million creoles; 10 million Indians, blacks, mestizos, mullatos
1808 / Spanish American wars of independence begin with rebellions in Mexico, Venezuela
1819 / Regional liberals seek secular state, free trade, immigration; clash with conservatives
1822 / Brazil independent of Portugal as an empire; population predominately African, slave
1823 / US issues Monroe Doctrine telling Europeans to stay out of American affairs
1840 / Brazilian exports consist of 40% coffee, 80% by 1880; ¼ of population were slaves
1850 / Large Italian, Portuguese immigration to Brazil begin to lessen need for slaves
1850
/ UK accounts for majority of trade, importing raw materials, exporting finished goods1850
/ Railroads, steamships, telegraphs open interior of Brazil; railroads in Argentina, Cuba1850 – 1930
/ Massive European migration to Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay1850 – 1880
/ Peru exports of fertilizer dominate world market; uses wealth to reform society1879 – 1881
/ War of Pacific gives Chile control of copper, nitrates; makes Chile a regional power1886, 1888 / Cuba, Brazil are last states to abolish slavery begun during wars of independence
1890
/ Argentine exports grew five times since 1860; beef, hides, wool, grains exported1890
/ First socialist party founded in Argentina follows growth of industry, rise of workers1914 / US builds, opens Panama Canal after declaring Panama independent of Colombia
1910 / More than 40% industry, wealth owned by US in Mexico, Central America
1914 – 1918 / World War I: countries supply oil, beef, minerals to both sides, loses ships to submarines
1914 – 1918 / Cut off from suppliers, Latin America experiences import substitution, industrialization
1914 – 1933 / 30 US military interventions to protect US investments: Central America, Caribbean
1916 / US intervenes in Mexico after Pancho Villa raids US banks, kills US citizens
1917 / Mexican Constitution is revolutionary: state-owned nationalized industries common
1920s / Growth of industrial, urban work force exerts influence on politics, students radicalize
1920s / US replaces UK as primary source for investment capital: US controls regional exports
1929 / $5 billion invested in Latin America, 1/3 of all US investment abroad
1930s / Foreign investment cease, exports collapse as result of Great Depression
1930s / Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico develop of steel, oil to offset loss of exports
1942 – 1945 / Mexico, Brazil, Panama, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru join Allies in World War II
1945 – 2000 / Industrialization, urbanization transform region; anti-imperialism, social issues critical
1950s – 1970s / Central America, Caribbean economies single commodity exporters subject to prices
1961 / US Alliance for Progress seeks to help development in Latin America through US aid
1970s / 750,000 illegal immigrants to US; 5 million migrants per year in Latin America
1973 – 1989 / Global recession hit region hard; huge foreign debts, prices of exports fall dramatically
1980s / ½ population in Latin America live in cities, 25 cities are larger than 1 million
1980s – 1990s
/ Declining economic opportunities, rise of squatter settlements, environmental destruction1994
/ Free trade associations established: NAFTA, MERCOSUR2000
/ Latin America continues search for economic growth, social justice, political stability