Essay - Latin America in the National Period This Paper Will Answer...

Latin America in the National Period

This paper will answer the following question: "Latin America's problems owe a gre*****t deal to a tr*****dition of caudillism, personal politics and authoritarianism." It will also give definitions for eight terms associated with Latin American studies: caudillism, liberalism, The Export Boom, Neocolonialism, Import Subsidizing Industrialization, Bureaucratic Authoritarianism ***** Privatization.

***** America currently faces many *****, with diverse causes and manifestations, for example, huge external debts, lack of development in infrastructure, low levels of education for children, and low levels of health care for the population (***** concurrent high infant mortality rates and low age expectancies). Many authors (such as Juan Manuel de Rosas, author ***** Argentine Caudillo, John Reed, author of Insurgent Mexico, ***** Jacobo Timerman, author of Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number) have argued that Latin America's current problems stem from a period of history (the N*****tional period), following in*****pendence, during which caudillismo was popular, and personalistic politics and authoritarianism were ***** rule.

This paper seeks to evaluate this premise, by analyzing a variety of sources and presenting various viewpoints concerning this particular posture. Indeed, Latin American political parties have often been allied with a particular leader - for example, the Peronistas in Argentina, or the Fidelistas in Cuba ***** and this ***** branch of Latin American politics is commonly referred to as personalismo. This phenomenon is closely related to the ***** of caudillismo, under ***** a government is controlled by dicta*****rial leaders (caudillos) (Encyclopedia Britannica).

This type of political governance was rife in the period following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, during which time politically unstable conditions led to the emergence of such leaders - ***** particular ***** ***** Latin American history is referred to as '***** ***** of caudillos' for this very reason (Encyclopedia *****). It has ***** ***** that this ***** of governance was a direct result of the form ***** governance common in Spanish-ru***** colonial times in ***** America, where the King had overall power over all decisions made in the colonial states, and where, therefore, representative ***** and the concept of popular sovereignty ***** little, and very weak, influence over the regional political culture (Encyclopedia Britannica).

It is argued by many Latin *****n specialists that Simon Bolivar, leader of the ***** movement, who ********** Gran Colombia, was ***** first caudillo (Encyclopedia *****). Although many ***** American countries (i.e., Chile) developed more stable political systems throughout the ***** century, caudillismo remained a common feature of ***** Latin ***** countr*****s: one can cite ***** as a p*****rticular case in point, ***** Peron's regime being described ***** many as a ***** of political 'bossism' (Encyclopedia Britannica).

***** many o*****r countries, due to the ***** of a strong central government, f***** example in Mexico, ***** typical pattern of governance was for ***** *****s to operate in their own regions, independently, with no contact with, or regard for, central government.

***** effects did ***** type ***** governance ***** on the countries in question? Perhaps the lack of