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LECTURE NOTES MIDTERM HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA
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This document contains a detailed summary of Lecture 1-6 of the course History of Latin America.
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Lecture 1:History Latin America Lecture 1
Part 1
In the coming weeks there will be a general exploration about the main pillars of the last 5
centuries of Latin America, there will be more focus on the modern period.
Main goal à elaborate on the problems we face today in Latin America and their connotation
with the past. Understand the logic of the historical events in time.
Multidisciplinary approaches presented in this course
- History: what has happened within time and the progress.
- Sociology of development: the ways Latin Americans have tried to influence development
- Development of economics: economic issues, colonial time, export economy, motherlands
- Anthropology: ethnicity, cultural differences play a big role in Latin America, relation between
indigenous people and white minority.
- Political science: politics are influential in the attempt to both create change and avoid
change in society which have large impact
- Law: long legal tradition coming from the mother lands back in the colonial times
- Cultural studies: the European influences in the culture as well as the indigenous peoples.
Furthermore the mixture of both the cultures.
- Managerial Sciences: the state plays a very important role. It's through the state that different
regimes try to change the reality of the region.
Multidimensional approach
Past → present → future
· External factors: Spain, Portugal, the role of USA and Europe
· Economy: export oriented nature, industrialisation, free market economy,
neoliberalism
· Political Regime: dictatorship, democracy
· Cultural/ ideology: main dominant idea in a historical period and dominant trends and
cultures.
· Social change:
Historical periodization
o Colonial period - 1492-1810
,o Independence and nation building – 1810-1850
o Integration world system - 1850-1930
o Inward-oriented Development - 1930-1980
o Neoliberal era - 1980-2000
o Post-neoliberalism - 2000-2021
What will be dealt within the lectures the coming weeks;
1. Lecture 2: The Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule, the features and legacies that are still
seen from the colonial times. The past is very present.
2. Lecture 3: Nation- Building during the 19 century. The difficult process of creating a new
th
nation (institutions, laws and the conflicts that came with it) and the diplomatic influence
those actions have in present day
3. Lecture 4: The 1930 depression and the inward-oriented development. The attempt of Latin
American countries to develop themselves in through the role of the state. Period of
(economic) nationalism. Trying to get rid of the control from external governments.
The evolution of the economic cycle Latin American countries have had since the colonial
times after their independence, but in particular from the 30s onward.
4. Lecture 5: Development and underdevelopment in Latin America. Latin America wanted to
be part of the western world. How to deal with poverty and the inequality within the state.
5. Lecture 6: The rural-urban divide in Latin America Geographic inequality, concentration of
wealth in the capital city while in the rural people live in extreme poverty, the enormous
migration to the big cities in hope to improve their living condition.
6. Lecture 7: Women and gender relations in Latin America. Male domination is very strong in
both European culture as well as in the culture of the indigenous people. They have had a
few female presidents although there is a great divide between women when it comes to
social class or background. These differences have caused the stagnation of the feminist
movement within Latin America.
7. Lecture 8: Military Regimes and social Reactions. Military regimes and their influence and
the consequences they have had on the political and social environment in the present day.
8. Lecture 9: New social movements in Latin America. Protesting and demanding change. The
dynamics and social/political changes that came from them.
9. Lecture 10: The Evolution of US-Latin America relations. Important economic, political and
military relations. Problem with illegal immigration. The tensions between leaders with
different ideologies, and between the rich north and the south.
10. Lecture 11: Democratization and Neo-liberalism In the 1980s. Consolidation of democratic
rule, the achievement of the democratic evolvement and also the failures of the states.
Neoliberalism took place at the same time as the implementation of the free market and the
impact in the way democracy evolved.
,11. Lecture 12: Neo-populism and the ‘pink tide’ since 1990s. analyse merges of many left
winged governments within Latin America and the response of the right winged party. Why
pink not red? Because they came into power by elections and not by revolution.
Part 2
Geography and cultural divisions (sub divisions) within Latin America
Geographic Classification
America, the American continent: (América, continente americano)
All North, Central and South American countries + all Caribbean islands. Thus,
Americans are not restricted to the inhabitants of the United States. Who are the real
Americans? the indigenous people or the people who moved there from Europa?
North America: (Norteamérica, América del Norte) Canada, The United States and
Mexico
- Is a geographical concept and not a cultural concept, no distinction between ethnical
background and the origin of the colonial powers who conquered that part of America.
- When geography meets Economy (NFTA) only Mexico was allowed to join the rest were
denied because it was a North American Free Trade Agreement. It was beneficial to use
geography to include Mexico in the US economy and exclude the rest of Latin America, as
Mexico was important for the Us and Canadian (western) market.
Central America: (América Central or Centroamérica) Guatemala, [Belize], El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica [Panama].
- Manly an geographical concept with some historical context
- Good relationship between countries within because of historical similarities and unity
- The northern triangle ( Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) known as a problematic
division for their troubled past with guerrillas and civil wars, poverty and very high levels of
violence.
- the US and international organisations concentrated mostly to the northern triangle countries
because they see them as a unity in terms of social and economic problems.
- Belize was not seen as part of central America because it had been colonized by England.
- Panama was part of Colombia before, that’s why it isn’t really seen as part of central
America but more as a south American country
The Caribbean (or the Caribbean region): (El Caribe or Zona/Región del Caribe) All the
islands from the Caribbean sea, including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti + the
Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico and small islands which has been (or still are) under
the administration of France, England, the United States and the Netherlands. This
region is often called in Latin America las Antillas (The Antilles).
- Geographical and cultural concept.
, South America: (América del Sur or Sudamérica) Colombia, Venezuela, [Guyana,
Surinam, French Guyana] Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina,
and Chile.
- Geographical concept
- Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana are part of south America but not Latin America
- Looking at the map u see a very important divide, brazil on the one hand and the rest on the
other. U can see the division between Spain and Portugal as a division which came about
during the colonial period where both the mother countries had little to no contact with one
another and wanted to keep it that way. For a time Brazil was seen by the Spanish speaking
countries as not being part of the family.
Historic-Cultural Classification
- Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador used to be one grand country in the colonial times.
(grand Columbia)
- As well as Peru and Bolivia known as Virreinato del Peru
- Argentina and Uruguay are very European countries with a lot of communalities. Large
majority of the population have southern European backgrounds. A lot of cultural similarities
Latin America: (América Latina or Latinoamérica) This includes all countries of the
American continent which have been colonized by Spain and Portugal and where the
official language is Spanish or Portuguese. This implies that the Caribbean region (with
the exception of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) is not a part of Latin
America. Also Belize, Guyana, Surinam and French Guyana are not part of Latin
America.
Spanish America: (Hispanoamérica or América hispana) This includes all countries of
the American continent (including the Caribbean region) where Spanish is the official
language. In this manner, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, Surinam and all other nations where the
Spanish is not the official language are not part of Spanish America. In other words, this
classification is determined by the origin of the colonizers, the conquistadores. This term
is mainly used in Spain to stress its old glory and role in Latin America, but it is rarely
used in Latin America itself.
Ibero America: (Iberoamérica) This includes all countries of the American continent
(including the Caribbean region) where Spanish and Portuguese are the official
languages. So this definition includes Brazil but excludes Haiti, Jamaica, Surinam and all
other nations and territories where Spanish and Portuguese are not the official
languages. Like in the case of Spanish America, this classification is also determined by
the origin of the colonizers. Ibero refers to the Iberian Peninsula (which includes Spain
and Portugal). Latin Americans are only willing to use this term at important regional
summits in which also representatives from Spain and Portugal are present. Otherwise
this term is rarely used. Spain has tended to monopolize this concept
Caribbean region (as a cultural concept): (El mundo del Caribe) From a cultural
perspective the term Caribbean region embraces a much larger territory than the strict
geographical one. In addition to the islands of the Caribbean sea, this cultural perspective
also includes the coastal areas of Central and South America which limit to the
Caribbean sea. This larger region has common ethnic-historical roots (former plantage
economies, strong presence of Afro-American descendents and culture, expressed in
music, food, religious practices, and so forth.
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