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Revolution and Counterrevolution
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14th April 2019
Revolution and Counterrevolution
Revolutions and counterrevolutions were a major part of Latin American history in the 20th century. It allowed the development of liberalism and expression of political opinions that were previously impossible. Most of the time, revolutionaries involved people that been oppressed by an oppressive government or system. A lot of the leaders at the time in South America practiced authoritative leadership that mistreated anybody that did not support the government in power. Dissenting opinions were met with brute violence and imprisonment. Revolutionaries involved individuals that wanted to witness social change and improvement in living conditions. Counterrevolutionaries enjoyed the status quo and were against any changes in the ruling system. In terms of the ruling power, they were the majority and had a higher stake in the government. The main agenda that revolutionaries had was stimulating political or cultural transformation. The concepts were legitimized through social actions such as protests and guerilla warfare, which created public attention and caused enough damage to remove oppressive governments. Those that were against reform aimed to ensure social control that kept masses from rebelling by instilling fear through imprisonment and controlling freedom of speech. Unlike counterrevolutionaries, revolutionaries had the desire to create positive social and political change and positive agendas which changed the shape of Latin American history.
The cycles of revolutions and counterrevolutions changed Latin American history as it made leaders accountable for their actions. Before revolutionary movements became active, leaders were not answerable to anyone else. Heads of state symbolized the ultimate authority and had the power to implement decisions in a dictatorial approach. Local people were negatively affected by the lack of freedom of expression, and they had no option but to withstand one oppressive regime after the other. Revolutions caused a massive impact since people learned that the government had the responsibility of being accountable for its policies and actions. Politicians could no longer give false promises and fail to fulfill their people’s expectations. For example, Francisco Madero was a Mexican politician that rallied followers into causing a revolution against an oppressive government Emiliano Zapata, Plan of Ayala (1911)
. However, he developed a relationship with previous government officials and supported the same regime that he had criticized. The fact that his supporters united against him shows the turning point of South American politics. People’s mentality towards their leaders changed from fear and forced admiration to demands for justice when it was unmet.
Furthermore, continuous events of rebellions and fight for political reformation reduced the fear of authoritative regimes. Dictatorial leadership depended on the use of brutality and violence to discourage people from turning against them. People were afraid of the capability that government authorities had to dispel groups that showed any signs of a rebellion. Police and military forces were tools for causing public fear as they would go as far as harming people that stood against a political system’s ideologies Marysa Navarro, The personal is political: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo (1987).
. However, groups that articulated political and social change became bolder from the actions of their predecessors. In Argentina, Las Madres a group of women activists fearlessly protested against the junta which was renowned for making critics disappear. At one point, some of the members would dare the police to shoot at them after facing violent threats Marysa Navarro, 253.
. Cycles of revolutions encouraged people that intimidation was only a tactic that was used to control masses. Regardless of the fact that the government had the upper hand when it came to armed personnel, it did not deter those that fought for their rights.
Revolutionaries were individuals that were influenced by the desire to create cultural, social or political reform. Due to the oppressive regimes that pervaded across South American countries, various movements arose to the occasion to create change. In some cases, they were not political but instead cultural revolts. In Cuba, Spanish colonialism had caused dissatisfaction amongst the citizens. Spain had imprinted its own identity on the Latin American nation including entertainment sports such as bullfighting. Cubans caused a revolution against their colonizers by adopting baseball as their national sport Louis Perez, “Between Baseball and Bullfighting: The Quest for Nationality in Cuba, 1868-1898”, The Journal of American History (1994).
. Revolutionaries aimed towards changing oppressive norms and were often the minorities in terms of the number of resources. Governments that instituted totalitarian systems had more power such as military personnel, and widespread ability to spread propaganda. In Argentina, supporters of reform had a difficult time because the juntas were able to kidnap activists and cover up the stories without facing any reprimand Marysa Navarro, 245.
. The government had the power to use unlawful tactics and still dispel any accusations as rumors. Supporters of revolutions were mostly composed of the lower and working class. People in that social position were often poor and lived in difficult economic conditions. Access to food and even basic education was a struggle unlike those that lived in a better social class. Working class supported reforms since it would improve their standard of living. Families would be able to have better infrastructure in rural areas and more financial sources.
On the other hand, counterrevolutionaries did not want any changes to the social or political order. People that enjoyed the advantages of oppressive political systems were not interested in seeing them change. Reforms would mean that they no longer enjoyed their high social status as equality would be dominant. For example, Argentinian leader Juan Peron faced a lot of antagonism from the elite class because he supported the working class Daniel James Pern, Resistance, and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946-1976 (Cambridge University Press, 1988).
. The counterrevolutionaries based their attitudes on social and ethnic prejudice which made them feel superior to the rest of the population. Altering the situation would mean that they lost their high social position and considered equal with those that they deemed inferior or non-intellectual. Supporters were mostly members of the ruling government or families that had high-class status in their society. A revolution created the fear of losing their social advantages or become targets of those that belonged to a lower class.
Compared to counterrevolutionaries, the agenda of revolutionaries was to improve social and economic conditions. The working class suffered the most under regimes that ruled through tyranny. Leaders misused resources out of greed while those that struggled in rural areas never experienced any improvements in their lives. In Mexico, the people that originally supported Madero were peasants that wanted land reforms. The challenges that they faced influenced their decision to back the supposed revolutionary before discovering it was a disguise for getting into power Emiliano Zapata, 340.
. Reformists wanted to improve the social atmosphere by giving the poor a legitimate representation that they could not acquire. Peron’s success in capturing the hearts of the working class was because he articulated the problems that they faced. Job wages were low as employers took advantage of their economic problems and desire for a source of income. Peron wanted to make them feel included by making it his agenda to increase the rate of unionization Daniel James Pern, 271.
. Through unions, workers were able to get better salaries and social provisions such as vacations and sick leave. Revolutionaries wanted to create social change by highlighting the problems being faced by the locals. Governments that used dictatorship to control the population ensured that no one could generate criticisms of incompetence. Allowing it to happen would encourage a revolt that would overturn their authority. People that fought for reforms used protests to legitimize and create awareness of social issues which would motivate the rest of the country into joining their movement. Las Madres demonstrated against the Argentinian government so that people that had lost their loved ones could find their whereabouts Marysa Navarro, 249.
. Demonstrations legitimized their agendas since it convinced the public to support their just cause. Counterrevolutionaries’ main aim was to maintain social control so that their positions of authority would be preserved. Such leaders did not care about the positive impact that they had on people but instead focused on the respect and fear that emanated from the locals. The agenda was legitimized through policies that limited freedom of expression so that people could not create a combined opposition against a regime.
In conclusion, the fight for reforms and counterrevolution changed South American history in the 20th century. Leaders were made accountable for their actions, and people lost the fear of intimidating regimes. Revolutionaries wanted to influence change in their countries while counterrevolutionaries did not want the system to change. Reformists were inspired by the agenda of having a positive social and economic impact on the people of Latin America. Unlike their counterparts, they did not use fear to keep the society in control and reacting to their demands.
Bibliography
Navarro, Marysa. The personal is political: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo (1987).
Perez, Louis. “Between Baseball and Bullfighting: The Quest for Nationality in Cuba, 1868-1898”, The Journal of American History (1994).
Pern, Daniel James. Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946-1976 (Cambridge University Press, 1988).
Zapata, Emiliano. Plan of Ayala (1911)