History Commons^™

Evangelizing Neoliberalism Through Megachurches In Latin America And The United States, William O. Collazo

Dissertations and Theses

The most prominent and influential feature of worldwide Evangelicalism, is the megachurch. In Latin America megachurches have proliferated and grown in political influence when they first came into contact with neoliberalism during Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. As Latin America's poor first migrated out of rural areas into Latin American cities, then north, to the United States, they have brought with them their religion. Increasingly, this religion is Protestant, evangelical, and for many, it is Pentecostalism. Misunderstood by the early literature on Pentecostalism, is the strain of neoliberalism that has become infused in the religion's most powerful institution - the megachurch. …

Evangelical Dictatorship Driving The Guatemalan Civil War: Reconsidering Ríos Montt, The “Savior Of La Nueva Guatemala”, Miho Egoshi

Dissertations and Theses

The devastating earthquake that hit Guatemala in 1976 was used as a pretext for American born Protestant evangelicalism—mainly Pentecostalism—to gain entry in the Guatemalan society. A major consequence of the earthquake relief efforts by American evangelicals, is that their meddling also intensified the Mayan genocide during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-96). This thesis explores the complicit relationship of religion and politics in the Guatemalan Civil War, focusing on the evangelical dictator Efraín Ríos Montt’s regime (1982-83). Firstly, it examines how Christian evangelicalism played a pivotal role for conservative Republican candidate Ronald Reagan and, later through his administration, for Ríos Montt’s …

Post-Revolutionary Mexican Education In Durango And Jalisco: Regional Differences, Cultures Of Violence, Teaching, And Folk Catholicism, Lindsey Ellison Collins

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explored a regional comparison of education in post-revolutionary Mexico. It involved a micro-look into the relationship between violence, education, religion, and politics in the states of Durango and Jalisco. Research methods included primary sources and microfilms from the National Archives State Department records related to education from the internal affairs of Mexico from 1930-1939 from collection file M1370. It also utilized G-2 United States Military Intelligence reports as well as records from the British National Archives dealing with church and state relations in Mexico from 1920-1939.

Anti - clericalism in the 1920’s led to violent backlash in rural …

Toward A Discourse Of Mestizaje: The Role Of The Patagonian Frontier In The Construction Of Argentine National Identity, Daniela V. L. Senderowicz

Dissertations and Theses

This essay will explore the notion of mestizaje in the Republic of Argentina. Specifically, it will use the Argentine Patagonia as a point of departure for this analysis, an area in which conquest resulted in a community of mixed-race and mixed culture individuals. The juxtaposition of the struggle between white settlers and Mapuche-Tehuelche Indians of the region demonstrates a continuity in discrimination in the nation's history. For this very reason, the area represents a general pattern present throughout the country, and, hence, I use it as a prototype to draw conclusions about race relations in the nation as a whole. …

God, Union And Liberty : The Military As The Key Player In Costa Rica, 1820-1824, Aaron Arguedas

Dissertations and Theses

In Costa Rica at the time of independence a central government did not exist, and even after its organization, it remained very weak. Due to this fact military officers stepped forward to control and govern each town. After controlling each town military officers fought for political control of the country. During these years to become a military officer was the best professional career to follow. Military officers were looked upon with respect, fear and power. As a result military culture became the social realm which controlled towns and guided state formation in the 1820s.

Before and after independence in Costa …

Ornamental Nationalism: Indigenous Images In Porfirian Mexico, 1876-1911, Seonaid Valiant

Dissertations and Theses

When General Porfirio Dfaz became president of Mexico the country was unstable. During his years of leadership, 1876-1911 he managed an uneven stability. One method he used to promote nationalism was the use of symbols. This thesis derives from the theory introduced by the historian of Mexican economy, Barbara Tenenbaum, that the Porfirian administrators attempted to establish themselves as the legitimate rulers of the Mexican nation by forging a line of succession from the ancient Aztecs to themselves through association with indigenous symbols and territory. The intention of this thesis is to demonstrate that the Mexican government manipulated images of …

Oregon's Cuban-American Community : From Revolution To Assimilation, Richard Dellenback

Dissertations and Theses

The adjustment and assimilation achieved by Cuban-Americans who arrived in Oregon during the 1960s was notable for its rapidity. Little contact existed between the state and the island prior to the resettlement efforts begun by the Charities Division of the Portland Catholic Archdiocese, where a group of concerned administrators meshed their activities with a nation-wide program created and encouraged by the united States government and private agencies.

El Sindicato De Las Costureras 19 De Septiembre: The Impact Of The 1985 Mexico City Earthquake On Social Process, Margaret Mccrea

Dissertations and Theses

The paper traces out the relationships between three sets of actors--workers, factory owners, and government--before, during and after the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and places those relationships in the broader context of Mexico's political and economic development, as well as the spatial structure of Mexico City and the garment district. The paper concludes that although victims respond to the crisis by attempting to restore and repair previous social and physical conditions, as social theory predicts, disasters have different effects on different classes of people, who respond according to their needs, vulnerabilities, perceptions, values, and their socially prescribed powers. Where there …

An Analysis Of The Six Military-Dominated Political Cycles In El Salvador Between 1931 And 1979, Thomas Ramon Rookard

Dissertations and Theses

A comparative study of the cycles of military-political power in El Salvador between 1931 and 1979 indicates that the country was convulsed six times by political struggle. A pattern emerged wherein the military asserted itself as maintainer of the status quo each time that repression of, or concession to, the masses threatened the economic and political balance.

Germany, Mexico, And The United States, 1911-1917, John Joseph Leffler

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis focuses on Germany's Mexican policies from 1911 to 1917, with particular attention given to the connection of these policies to political relations between the United States and Germany and between the United States and Mexico. The paper also attempts to place German activities in Mexico within the context of Germany's desire to promote its political and economic interests on a worldwide scale. Although some unpublished sources were consulted, the account relies mostly on published documents, memoirs, and secondary sources for its factual basis.

The Paraguayan War And The Platine Balance Of Power, Robert H. Schaefer

Dissertations and Theses

Utilizing both primary and secondary literature, this study attempts to illustrate that the origins of one of Latin America’s most significant wars, the Paraguayan War (1864-70), are understandable only when viewed within the context of the historical development of the Rio de la Plata as a region. Adopting the framework provided by Robert N. Burr in his pioneering work on the South American continental balance of power system. “By Reason or Force: Chile and the Balancing of Power in South America, 1830-1905” (Berkely, 1965), this thesis examines one particular outgrowth of the historical process in the Rio de Plata: The …

Hipólito Irigoyen's Second Administration: A Study In Administrative Collapse, Herman John Hobi

Dissertations and Theses

In 1928 Hipo´lito lrigoyen was the most popular President that the Argentine people had elected. Two years later his popularity had evaporated and a few hundred military cadets ousted the government. The reasons go beyond this two-year period. Argentina, contrary to popular belief, did not have a democratic tradition. The nation had been ruled by the dominant economic interests up to 1916. In 1916, Hipo´lito Irigoyen was elected to his first term. The people expected him to provide them with a decent and honorable life. But in choosing the legal path of elections instead of revolution Irigoyen pre-empted any revolutionary …