10-23-2015, 10:33 AM
(10-23-2015, 09:03 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: The parallels are interesting. El Salvador was ruled by land owning elites and the poorest of Salvadorians did not have their own land to live on. Eventually there was a civil war and violence continues in the 20 years since. The South was controlled by land owning elites and the poorest (slaves) had no land themselves that was their home. After our Civil War, violence continued in that region for decades. Some would argue the violence lasted for 100 years.
Look at every region with violence. The commonality is that they were all colonized. Ethnic groups in Africa and the Middle East were denied independence until long after Europeans had drawn their own lines that ignored historic feuds.
South America is a bit different given the fact that colonists did not preserve racial purity. You ended up having this social caste system based on where you were born and what percent of European you were. You had a series of wars for independence that occurred close to each other, but the end result was still just social elites ruling these places and the indigenous people being abused. Then it becomes a hotbed for trade goods in the late 1800s and 1900s when globalization starts, and these elites begin an even fiercer control of their people. After that, natural civil wars occur. Throw in Western nations supporting dictators to prevent socialism or communism and you have a recipe for disaster that will last for years.
I guess we can thank Teddy Roosevelt for meddling in that region and causing problems.
