Latin American countries, 1918–1939
Latin America covers the countries of South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean where Spanish and Portuguese dominate. During the First World War trade with Europe shrank and demand for raw materials and food grew; in the 1920s agricultural exports (coffee, sugar, meat, nitrate, copper) and light industry developed, but economies depended on foreign markets. In politics many countries were dominated by an oligarchy of landowners and large merchants, and most of the population did not vote; in Argentina President Hipólito Yrigoyen (1916–1922 and 1928–1930) carried out social reforms (an 8-hour working day, pensions). The world economic crisis of 1929–1933 pushed export prices down (coffee, sugar, copper) and raised unemployment, leading to a military coup in Argentina in 1930 and to Getúlio Vargas coming to power in Brazil. In many countries the state intervened more in the economy and local industry grew; in Mexico President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalised the oil industry in 1938. Where the USA had earlier intervened militarily in the Caribbean region, in 1933 Roosevelt announced the Good Neighbor policy, moving towards non-intervention and co-operation.
On a map find Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Cuba and Colombia; match each with one important event of 1918–1939 (from cards).