Violence: A Means to an End? Essay examples -- Politics Government Lat

Violence: A Means to an End? The use of violence to further various political and social movements occurs throughout Latin America and its history. Its long-term effectiveness in a social context, however, is dubious. Although many of these revolutions proved initially successful in accomplishing their stated purpose, especially in the political arena, eventually the drastic changes cause regression or create a sort of culture of instability within the nation. The Haitian Revolution and the Mexican War of Independence exemplify this standard. Seen as huge successes in their time, these historical revolutions have caused deterioration in the current state of affairs in the respective nations. Despite the lasting changes they have brought about in the system of power in the country, they affected the masses little. Nations such as Cuba have seen a forceful removal of the government, which in its very purpose was designed to alter the structure of society. In these cases, violence alone is not enough to cause chan ge, but may serve to build momentum that in turn, makes change possible. Instead of the sole use of violence and intimidation tactics to force submission and support, widespread popular backing is exactly what is needed for a successful movement; a small but loyal constituency of oppressors, a significant number of oppressed, and a large amount of firepower may accomplish goals in the short-run, but will fall short of achieving lasting change. The effectiveness of a large movement by the people also lessens the success of violence in counter-revolutionary attempts. These missions, to keep control of power and subdue so-called subversives, tend to be fiercer and disregard issues such as personal freedoms and human right... ... Krause, Enrique. â€Å"The Vision of Father Morelos.† Problems in Modern Latin American History. Ed. John Charles Chasteen and James A. Wood. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2004. 27-30. â€Å"The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.† The Vanished Gallery. http://www.yendor.com/vanished/madres.html. (15 April 2005) Stein, Barbara and Stanley. â€Å"The Racial Heritage of Colonialism.† Problems in Modern Latin American History. Ed. John Charles Chasteen and James A. Wood. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2004. 3-6. â€Å"United States World Report 2003.† Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k3/us.html#conditions. (15 April 2005). â€Å"When the people rule.† Fidel Castro History Archive. http://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1959/01/21.htm. (15 April 2005) Wucker, Michele. â€Å"The Massacre River.† Why the Cocks Fight. New York: Hill and Wang, 1999. 37.