This book offers an innovative, thematic approach to the history of Latin America since independence. It traces continuity and change in colonial legacies that became central political issues following independence: authoritarian governance; a rigid social hierarchy based on race, color, and gender; the powerful Roman Catholic Church; economic dependency; and the large landed estate. Generally, liberals have sought to modify or abolish these legacies in the interest of what they consider progress, while conservatives have attempted to preserve them as much as possible as bastions of their power and privilege. Examining the evolution of these colonial legacies across two centuries reveals the processes that formed the political systems, economies, societies, and religious institutions that characterize Latin America today.

Thomas C. Wright is distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Robert L. Smale is associate professor of history at the University of Missouri.

Acknowledgments

Acronyms

Map of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Map of South America

Introduction

Part I:Colonial Roots

1Origins of the Colonial Legacies

Part II:Independence and Its Challenges, 1790s1870s

2The Independence of Latin America

3The Age of Caudillos

Reflections on the Colonial Legacies, 1790s1870s

Part III:Exports, Oligarchies, and Yankees, 1870s1930

4The Export Economies

5Political Consolidation and Social Change

6Rise of the Yankee

Reflections on the Colonial Legacies, 1870s1930

Part IV:Revolution, Depression, and Cold War, 19301959

7The Mexican Revolution

8Depression, Political Change, and Cold War

Reflections on the Colonial Legacies, 19301959

Part V:Revolution and Reaction, 19592000

9The Cuban Revolution

10 The Cuban Revolution, Latin America, and the United States

11 Repression, State Terrorism, and Neoliberalism

Reflections on the Colonial Legacies, 19592000

Part VI:Contemporary Latin America, 2000Present

12 The Colonial Legacies in the Twenty-First Century

Reflections on the Colonial Legacies, 2000Present

Conclusion: Colonial Legacies and Todays Latin America

SelectBibliography: Books in English

Index