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Colombia chart just

Overfield, Andrea, and James Overfield. The Human Record Sources of Global Record Volume II Fifth Edition. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Colombia Today

Social Status: This chart clearly shows that in Colombia, the illiteracy rate is at a very high level compared to other developed/developing countries, and is at 8% for both men and women. Although this percentage is small compared to the U.S., the data stated that a “*” in place of a number means that the country has 3% or less illiteracy. This goes to show that education wasn't 100% enforced in the past, and is not to this day. This probably occurs more frequently in rural areas of Colombia. This percentage shows that the form of government is most likely not 100% super-efficient. This is because education past primary schooling, is either unavailable, or the people cannot afford to pay academic fees past secondary school. Therefore, it is safe to believe that this is a shortcoming to society on a global scale. Although it is not an extremely high percentage due to the revolution and the first failed government (a Republic) in which Bolivar put in and then later a Dictatorship during which he lost the approval and loyalty of the people over whom he ruled. Although this link may not seem completely direct, the first and second government systems put in place did not succeed, and it is apparent that this might have caused Colombia to have an unstable government/sense of independence.[1]



Economic Status:




Colombia GDP Graph

"Colombia GDP Growth Rate." TradingEconomics. 2009. 1 Dec 2009 <http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Economics/GDP-Growth.aspx?Symbol=COP>.

Colombia has experienced accelerating economic growth between the recent years of 2007 and 2008. This is due to the advance of technology in domestic securities, as well as in President Uribe's promarket economic policies. This slight growth helped reduce poverty by 20% and also helped cut unemployment by 25%. However, there still remain some economic challenges that the people of Colombia face to this day: inequality, underemployment, and narco-traifficking. The change in economic growth is claimed to have resulted from a global financial crisis and the weakening demand for exports. Because of the crisis that formed, Uribe's administration cut capital controls, arranged for the emergency credit lines from many institutions, and promoted an investment that included treaties and trades.

The United State's economy has produced recently about $15 trillion worth of supplies and services in 2008. Each person, man, woman, and child, is according to have an output of $45,000 in the U.S. However, though America seems to have the ability to produce large profits and money, the economic activity have been slowing down significantly, since December 2007. The unemployment rising around the cities, and the additional decrease in the United States stock prices, and the constant crimes and violence are all heavily influencing the downfall of the economy.[2]

What is the most pressing issue in Colombia today? Colombia has quite a few pressing issues to this day. First off, Colombia is known for the exportation of illicit drugs into the U.S. such as cocaine[2], and is the world’s largest coca derivative supplier, including deliveries to almost all parts of the U.S.. Another issue is poverty. With 49.2 % of its people below the standard poverty line, its average citizen is very poor[1]. However, in recent years, 20% of the population has made its way above the poverty line. Money and inflation remain common problems, although they appear to be on an upturn.


What are the immediate causes of these issues?' The immediate causes of these issues could potentially be the development of the current economy, and the limited amount of exportation of goods that Colombia creates. In recent years, its exportation rate has decreased due to the recession beginning in 2008, and since a majority of the population is on or below poverty line, most people work in job services such as a factory work, farming, and even the growing and selling of illegal substances.

What are the long term causes of these issues? One long term issue is the limited trade partners Colombia has for imports and exports, these being the U.S. , Venezuela, Ecuador, China, Mexico and Brazil. With such a small number of trade partners and the effects of the recession, it becomes much more difficult for the economy to improve and for the government to produce funding.[3]


Can you attribute any of these issues to unresolved problems after the revolution? Why or why not?

Although the problems or drugs[2] , crime and poverty[1] cannot be directly linked to the revolution, it would be sensible to say that the revolution has had an effect on creating these problems. For example, Colombia has always been a relatively poor country. The main ingredient to a poor country is not many natural resources, and inefficient governments. Although the revolution effect the natural resources, the instability could have led to the inefficient government it has today. Overall, some of the cores of the issue can be traced back to the revolution, but it is more likely that these problems developed because of more recent events.


How have the politics, economics, and society of this present day country been shaped by the revolution? Refer to your graphs to support the points you make.

Colombia is a very poor country[1] which has not changed much since the revolution. Although the revolution left a shaky government (as seen in the economic numbers), which was not a good block to start an economy off of, one cannot say that the revolution shaped the economy. The politics that the revolution set up are vaguely familiar to the ones of today, so you could say that the revolution shaped Colombia's politics. Finally, todays society is riddled with drugs and crime which was not shaped by the revolution, although some of the same social ideas are still around.

Did this revolution lead to the country’s current situation or are there other factors that account for their status?

There are definitely other factors that account for Colombia's Status. Colombia has been riddled with violence since the revolution, for example the military coup of 1953. You could argue that the differences between Bolivar's and Santander's followers caused this conflict, in reality, the revolution was only one of the many factors that play a part in Colombia's current situation.[4]


















Colombia Chart

According to this graph, Colombia has a number of political differences from the United States, and even more changes in the way the country is led and managed. The number of political leaders is especially different from that of the United States. The United States has had more constant political leadership than Colombia, as seen in the graph. According to the history of civil war in each country, Colombia has had a significantly larger amount of violence and war than the United States, creating a limited ability for growth in Colombia. Also, in Colombia, the number of political parties is significantly higher than that of the United States, allowing for a more diverse spread of opinions and perspective, creating a situation where majority support of a political leader is almost impossible. Finally, the greater amount of military branches in the Unites States indicates more stress on stability in the government and more stress on the stability of the people than in Colombia.[2]





References[]

(1) "Overfield, Andrea, and James Overfield. The Human Record Sources of Global Record Volume II Fifth Edition. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. N. pag. Print." Central Intellegence Agency. "South America:Colombia."https://www.cia.gov. CIA, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/>.


(2) " Gilani, Shah. "U.S. Economic Outlook for 2009." Investment News: Money Morning. 22, November. 2008. Money Map Press. 3, Dec. 2009. <http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/11/22/us-economic-outlook-for-2009/>.


Current event articles:


(3) Juan Forero. "Kicking Up Hope. " New York Times 16 Apr. 2005, Late Edition (East Coast): New York Times, ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec. 2009.


(4) Sibylla Brodzinsky. "US and Colombia sign accord for US to access military bases. " The Christian Science Monitor 30 Oct. 2009,US National

Newspapers, ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec. 2009.
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Overfield, Andrea, and James Overfield. The Human Record Sources of Global Record Volume II Fifth Edition. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. N. pag. Print." Central Intellegence Agency. "South America:Colombia."https://www.cia.gov. CIA, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/>.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 " Gilani, Shah. "U.S. Economic Outlook for 2009." Investment News: Money Morning. 22, November. 2008. Money Map Press. 3, Dec. 2009. <http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/11/22/us-economic-outlook-for-2009/>.
  3. Sibylla Brodzinsky. "US and Colombia sign accord for US to access military bases. " The Christian Science Monitor 30 Oct. 2009,US National Newspapers, ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec. 2009.
  4. Juan Forero. "Kicking Up Hope. " New York Times 16 Apr. 2005, Late Edition (East Coast): New York Times, ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec. 2009.
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