Influential Latin American Social Movements

Why This Matters

Latin American social movements aren't just historical events to memorize—they're windows into the core tensions that have shaped the entire region since independence. You're being tested on your ability to recognize patterns: why movements emerge, how they challenge existing power structures, and what legacies they leave behind. These movements illustrate fundamental concepts like dependency theory, import substitution industrialization's failures, Cold War proxy conflicts, and the ongoing struggle between state power and civil society.

When you encounter these movements on the exam, think about what each one reveals about broader forces: colonial legacies, land inequality, U.S. intervention, indigenous marginalization, and the tension between economic development and social justice. Don't just memorize dates and leaders—know what concept each movement best illustrates. A strong FRQ response connects specific movements to these larger patterns, showing you understand why Latin America's social landscape looks the way it does.

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Revolutionary Movements Against Colonial and Authoritarian Rule

These movements directly confronted entrenched power structures—whether colonial empires, dictatorships, or authoritarian regimes. The common thread is the use of armed struggle to fundamentally restructure political and economic systems.

Haitian Revolution (1791–1804)

• First successful slave revolt in history—established Haiti as the first independent Black republic and only nation born from a slave uprising
• Challenged Enlightenment hypocrisy by forcing European powers to confront the contradiction between liberty rhetoric and slavery practice
• Triggered regional fear among slaveholding elites, influencing both independence movements and efforts to preserve racial hierarchies elsewhere

Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)

• First major social revolution of the 20th century—predating the Russian Revolution and establishing a model for agrarian reform movements
• Land redistribution through Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution challenged hacienda systems that concentrated wealth among elites
• Ejido system created communal landholding that persisted until NAFTA-era reforms, showing how revolutionary gains can be later reversed

Cuban Revolution (1953–1959)

• Overthrew U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship—became the defining Cold War flashpoint in Latin America
• Socialist transformation included nationalizing industries and implementing universal healthcare and education
• Symbol of anti-imperialism that inspired guerrilla movements across the region and provocation of U.S. interventionist policies

Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua (1979–1990)

• Overthrew the Somoza dynasty—a family dictatorship that had ruled with U.S. support since the 1930s
• Literacy campaigns reduced illiteracy from 50% to 13% in five months, demonstrating revolutionary social program capacity
• U.S.-backed Contra war exemplifies Cold War intervention and the Reagan Doctrine's impact on Central America

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Land Reform and Agrarian Justice Movements

Land inequality—rooted in colonial encomienda and hacienda systems—remains one of Latin America's most persistent structural problems. These movements target the concentration of agricultural land among elites while rural majorities remain landless.

Landless Workers' Movement (MST) in Brazil (1984–present)

• Largest social movement in Latin America—with an estimated 1.5 million members organizing for agrarian reform
• Land occupation strategy directly challenges Brazil's extreme land concentration, where 1% of landowners control nearly half of agricultural land
• Sustainable agriculture advocacy connects land reform to environmental justice and food sovereignty

Zapatista Movement in Mexico (1994–present)

• Launched on January 1, 1994—the day NAFTA took effect, explicitly linking indigenous rights to anti-globalization critique
• Autonomous governance model in Chiapas operates outside state structures with rotating leadership and community assemblies
• Article 27 reforms that ended ejido protections directly motivated the uprising, showing how neoliberal policies can trigger resistance

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Cold War–Era Resistance and Human Rights Movements

Military dictatorships backed by the United States dominated much of Latin America from the 1960s through the 1980s. These movements emerged in response to state terror, disappearances, and the suppression of democratic participation.

Anti-Dictatorship Movements (1960s–1990s)

• Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina became iconic symbols of resistance, demanding information about los desaparecidos (the disappeared)
• Operation Condor coordination among Southern Cone dictatorships meant activists faced transnational repression
• Democratic transitions in the 1980s–90s resulted from sustained pressure, though many perpetrators received amnesty

Liberation Theology Movement (1960s–present)

• "Preferential option for the poor" reinterpreted Catholic doctrine to justify social activism and critique capitalism
• Base communities (comunidades de base) organized grassroots political participation among marginalized populations
• Vatican opposition and state violence—Archbishop Óscar Romero's 1980 assassination in El Salvador shows the movement's threat to established powers

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Populist and Nationalist Reform Movements

These movements used state power to redistribute wealth and challenge foreign economic dominance. They represent attempts to address inequality through government programs rather than revolutionary overthrow.

Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela (1999–present)

• Hugo Chávez's "21st-century socialism" used oil revenues to fund misiones (social programs) targeting poverty, illiteracy, and healthcare access
• Anti-U.S. rhetoric and regional alliances through ALBA challenged neoliberal consensus and U.S. hegemony
• Economic collapse after 2014 oil price crash demonstrates the vulnerability of commodity-dependent development models

Piquetero Movement in Argentina (late 1990s–early 2000s)

• Emerged from 2001 economic crisis—when Argentina defaulted on debt and unemployment exceeded 20%
• Roadblock tactics (piquetes) disrupted commerce to demand government response to unemployment
• Working-class mobilization challenged neoliberal austerity policies imposed by the IMF

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Identity-Based Rights Movements

These contemporary movements organize around specific identities—indigenous, gender, sexuality—to demand recognition, rights, and structural change. They reflect the limitations of earlier movements that often subordinated identity-based concerns to class struggle.

Indigenous Rights Movements (ongoing)

• CONAIE in Ecuador led uprisings in the 1990s–2000s that toppled presidents and blocked privatization policies
• Evo Morales's 2006 election in Bolivia marked the first indigenous president, demonstrating electoral success of indigenous mobilization
• Land and resource conflicts intensify as extraction industries expand into indigenous territories, connecting rights struggles to environmental justice

Women's Rights Movements (ongoing)

• "Ni Una Menos" (Not One Less) began in Argentina in 2015, spreading across the region to protest femicide
• Reproductive rights campaigns achieved abortion legalization in Argentina (2020) and decriminalization in Mexico and Colombia
• Intersectional frameworks address how gender oppression compounds with race, class, and indigeneity

LGBTQ+ Rights Movements (ongoing)

• Argentina's 2010 same-sex marriage law made it the first Latin American country to legalize marriage equality nationwide
• Gender identity laws in Argentina (2012) became global models for transgender rights recognition
• Regional variation remains stark—some countries have advanced protections while others criminalize LGBTQ+ identities

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Youth and Environmental Activism

Student and environmental movements often catalyze broader political change by mobilizing populations typically excluded from formal politics. These movements highlight generational tensions and the conflict between development and sustainability.

Student Movements (ongoing)

• Chilean student protests (2011, 2019) challenged privatized education inherited from the Pinochet dictatorship
• Tlatelolco massacre (1968) in Mexico killed hundreds of students, becoming a symbol of state repression
• Catalyst role—student movements frequently spark broader uprisings, as seen in Chile's 2019 social explosion

Environmental Movements (ongoing)

• Amazon protection activism challenges deforestation driven by cattle ranching, soy production, and mining
• Berta Cáceres's assassination (2016) in Honduras highlighted the deadly risks facing environmental defenders
• Climate justice framing connects local struggles to global environmental crisis and indigenous land rights

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two movements most directly illustrate the connection between neoliberal economic policies and social resistance? What specific policies triggered each?

2. Compare the Haitian Revolution and the Cuban Revolution: How did external powers respond to each, and what does this reveal about geopolitical context?

3. Identify three movements that address land inequality. What different strategies do they use—revolutionary, reformist, or autonomous?

4. How does Liberation Theology differ from secular anti-dictatorship movements in its approach to challenging authoritarian rule? Why might the Vatican have opposed it?

5. An FRQ asks you to analyze how identity-based movements (indigenous, women's, LGBTQ+) represent both continuity with and departure from earlier revolutionary movements. Which movements would you use, and what argument would you make?