Category Civics

          The story of Guatemala is written in blood. The country had one of the worst civil wars in the world which lasted for 36 years.

          Guatemala gained independence from its Spanish colonizers in 1839. By the 1950s, president Arbenz led land reforms that aimed at improving the lives of the peasants. A majority of the farmlands were controlled by the United Fruit Company, an organization funded by the US. The land reforms affected them adversely. In addition to that, the growth of communism in Guatemala was seen as a threat by the US. The US intervened to overthrow Arbenz. Castillo Armas became the new president. He stopped the reforms and broke all peasant unions. For the next 36 years, the country witnessed war. In 1996, the United Nations intervened to end the war and establish peace.

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          The birth of modern Canada is revolutionary. However, it did not involve much violence.

          A series of intense sociopolitical changes popularly known as the   ‘Quiet Revolution’ gave shape to the Canada that we know today. Canada was a British settlement. In the 1960s, the Liberal government led a series of social, political and cultural reforms and made the government secular. The Liberal government gained control over the education system, established more public institutions and provided better education to its citizens. Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world.

          The reformers improved health care services and nationalised many sectors including electricity. These reforms improved the economy and quality of life in Canada which attracted more and more immigrants.

          Canada was first explored by the Vikings. The Vikings were followed by the British and the French. Britain took most of the French land to create two colonies. Gold was discovered later in Klondike which created a rush. Canada is now a parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarchy; Queen Elizabeth heads the country. The US tried to invade Canada twice without any success. Surprisingly, today Canada and the US share the longest international border that is not patrolled by defence forces!

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          Border issues have always caused trouble between Mexico and US. The wall was built to deal with issues like illegal immigration, human trafficking, smuggling and other activities related to the drug market. The border is 3,145 km long and it is protected by a manmade fence for more than 934 kilometres, with 48 border crossings. Most of it was built after 2006.

          It also has an impact on the economy. Mexico exports tonnes of vegetables, fruits, meat and alcohol to the US. Some American companies have mining licenses in Mexico. The Border wall is in news once again since Donald Trump was elected as the president of the US. Trump recently proclaimed to shut the wall if Mexicans do not stop illegal migration. But this would adversely affect America. The shutting of the wall would stop the legal trade between the countries as well. If the wall is shut, the US would soon run out of avocados! Mexico exports all the avocados America needs. The list also includes blue jeans and TVs!

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          Mexico is famous for many reasons. Mexico is the homeland of chocolate. Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead, when the dead are believed to come to life again. The famous movie ‘Book of Life’ is based on this festival.

          The history of Mexico is scripted by the Aztecs, Mayans, Spanish and the Americans who changed the life and living of its people. After three hundred years of Spanish colonization, Mexico gained independence in 1821.

          Mexico was a farming nation. This changed as industries dominated the landscape. The country had troubled relations with the US since independence. The major issues were concerning borders.

         The US fought wars with Mexico to take control over Texas under the leadership of President James K Polk. Texas was earlier a part of Mexico which they lost in war. In 1994, President Bill Clinton ordered the building of a border wall; it created a lot of tension.

          Apart from this, Mexico had to deal with several internal issues like drug trafficking and inflation.

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          The United States of America that we know today took shape from a small colony called Jamestown! The journey from a tiny colony to the world’s superpower was not easy. It all started when the British settlers came to America in the 1500s. Before them, natives from Eurasia occupied the country and had been living there for at least thirty thousand years.

          After years of struggle and hard labour, the British established thirteen colonies by the 1700s. Britain imposed heavy taxes on the colonies which created tension. The colonies rebelled against their masters. However, they were not alone to fight Britain. They were backed up by France. The eight year rebellion against taxes that started in 1775 is known as the American Revolutionary War. In the end, America broke free from Britain and the colonies began to be known as the United States or US.

          The US is the oldest surviving federation. It has 50 States, a federal district- Washington D.C., five major territories and several minor islands.

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          The name Greenland is quite misleading. It gives you an image of a stretch of lush green land, but the island is actually full of glaciers. The island was earlier inhabited by the Vikings. Their king Erik the Red named the island ‘Greenland’ to attract settlers from Europe. It is the world’s largest island, but holds one of the smallest populations.

          Greenland was first inhabited by convicts who had escaped from Iceland. They were succeeded by the Vikings and later by the Norse. Later, Hans Egede formed a colony in Greenland in 1776 with due permission from Denmark. Till 1950, the Danish enjoyed monopoly over Greenland. After regular complaints from Greenlanders, Denmark granted them the power of self-governance in 2009.

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