DEPT OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS TEST 1
ANSWER ANY ONE OF THE FOUR QUESTIONS USING EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS WHERE NECESSARY.
Latin America essay:
1. Until the 1930s, Latin America had often been feudal and medieval in its thinking, but then education increased, literacy expanded, and radio and television brought new ideas to even the most isolated areas. To what extent have the old fatalism and passivity faded? How have people become mobilized, and have new and challenging ideas of democracy and socialism arisen? Explain using examples.
2. Have Latin American countries shifted away somewhat from the state control and mercantilism of the past toward a system of open markets, freer trade, and greater efficiency, and have more modern businesses, industries, and services replaced the subsistence and plantation agriculture of the past? Discuss.
3. Is the old landed oligarchy which originated during colonialism giving way to a more diverse panoply of business, industrial, commercial, banking, and other elites? Explain using examples.
4. What factors shape public policy responses? How effective are the region’s governments in addressing their most pressing problems? Discuss.
