REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR:

The End of Poverty? Think Again

1) What is the main social problem being addressed in the documentary?

2) What is the question the documentary is addressing?

3) What is their argument?

4) According to John Perkins, how many people die every day from hunger and hunger-
related diseases?

5) Why do the speakers in the documentary trace current poverty to colonization of the
Americas?

6) What action did the European powers pursue that destroyed the natural economy of the
native populations? What mechanisms did the European powers use to achieve their ends?
What similarities were there with what happened in Europe?

7) According to the documentary, how did early colonialism benefit early capitalism? How
does it continue to support capitalism?

8) According to the documentary, why are Third World countries in a perpetual state of
“development”?

9) According to the documentary, how have the “developed” countries prevented populist
movements in Third world countries. In other words, how have they thwarted the rise of
populist politicians who endeavoured to allocate their country’s resources to their people?
Which countries have been the victims of the jackals?

10) What is “The Washington Concensus”? Where did it arise? Who did it benefit? How?
Who did not benefit? How has it contributed to maintaining poverty in Third World
countries?

11) What has been the impact of “neoliberalism” in developing countries? Who has
benefited? And who hasn’t?

12) According to the documentary, what role have the World Bank and IMF (i.e.
International Monetary Fund) in perpetuating poverty in the Third World?

13) According to the documentary, what will be required to end poverty?