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Difficulty: MediumResistance to Globalization after 1900

“We are here to defend our water, which is a gift from God and a right of all people, not a commodity to be bought and sold by a transnational corporation. The World Bank told our government that we must privatize our water system to receive loans. Now, a foreign company has raised our water rates so high that families must choose between eating or paying for water. We will not accept this neoliberal recolonization of Bolivia. We will protest in the streets until the contract is cancelled and our water is returned to the public.”

—Oscar Olivera, spokesperson for the Coalition in Defense of Water and Life, Cochabamba, Bolivia, 2000

The protests described in the excerpt are most representative of which of the following developments in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries?

  1. The rise of social movements protesting the economic policies of international financial institutionsAnswer
  2. B
    The expansion of direct military intervention and territorial colonization by Western nations
  3. C
    The total homogenization of indigenous cultures under the influence of Western consumerism
  4. D
    The reemergence of mercantilist empires seeking to establish exclusive trade monopolies

Answer

The rise of social movements protesting the economic policies of international financial institutions
The correct option is correct because the Cochabamba protests in Bolivia were a direct response to privatization policies mandated by the World Bank, illustrating how local populations resisted neoliberal economic reforms and the influence of international financial organizations in the late twentieth century.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the core grievance of the protestors.
The protestors are opposing the privatization of the water system in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which was demanded by the World Bank.
Understanding the specific historical event (the Cochabamba Water War of 2000) provides the direct context for resistance to economic globalization.
2
Relate the World Bank's role and privatization to broader late-twentieth-century economic developments.
The World Bank's requirements are part of neoliberal economic policies and structural adjustment programs pushed by global financial institutions.
This links the local event in Bolivia to the global historical process of economic globalization and neoliberalism.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one that accurately describes this relationship.
The option highlighting social movements protesting international financial institutions matches the actions of the protestors against the World Bank's privatization mandate.
This confirms the correct option while eliminating distractors that confuse globalization with older imperialism, mercantilism, or cultural homogenization.

Key Concept

Resistance to Globalization after 1900
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Resistance to Globalization after 1900

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