Map Latin America

Today, almost all Latin American governments are democratic and most are stable, but it has taken many decades and a lot of struggle to get to this point. Many countries have experienced violent government takeovers, corrupt elections and leaders who have not protected human rights.

Juntas

Military dictatorships, where leaders take or maintain power through military force, have been a big problem in Latin American during the past century. These governments are called juntas (pronounced hoon-tuh) and are usually led by groups of high-ranking military officers. At one time, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina and more than a dozen other Latin American countries have been ruled by military dictators.

These dictatorships are hard on regular people, especially the poor, because in general, military dictatorships are less concerned with honoring human rights than other kinds of governments and they usually maintain power through military force. Under military rule, development of social services like education and health care are usually ignored because the government is focused on building military power.

Chile’s First Female Leader

In March 2006, Chile elected its first female president, Michelle Bachelet, who was once tortured by Chile’s former military junta. She has promised to make Latin America a fairer place for women and the poor. Bachelet is the third female Leader in Latin American history and her political cabinet is about half female, a huge ratio by world standards.