| The premise of this dissertation is that tension between liberal and nationalist ideology sparked Cold War tension in the Americas in the post-World War II era. In making this argument, the dissertation advances the scholarly debate in the field by positing that ideology, in the form of internal political and economic trends, not the emerging superpower rivalry, fueled Cold War tension in the hemisphere. The dissertation proves this argument by tracing political and economic conflict in the Western Hemisphere diplomacy dating back to the Good Neighbor policy. In five case studies, the dissertation shows how different features of economic diplomacy led to conflict between the united States and key Latin American nations from 1933 to 1949. Those features are: trade policy, monetary policy, control of natural resources, competitive economics and political rivalry. The dissertation's case studies focus on Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and the Bolivarian republics, Colombia and Venezuela. |
