Early Latin America
The political culture of Latin America’s leaders had
been shaped by the Enlightenment, but they faced
problems growing from their own history.
Their colonial heritage did not include participatory
government;
highly centralized states had created both patterns of
dependence and resentment.
Class and regional interests divided nations; wealth
was unevenly distributed.
The rise of European industrial capitalism placed
Latin America nations in a dependent economic
position.