1
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2
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- The new nations suffered from the warfare ending in independence.
- Armies loyal to their leaders led to the rise of caudillos, men who
controlled local areas.
- They intervened in national politics to make and unmake governments.
- At times the caudillos defended the interests of regional elites, or of
Indians and peasants.
- In general they disregarded representative forms and the rule of law.
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3
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- There were many differences among leaders about the forms of republican
government.
- Centralists wanted strong governments with broad powers while
federalists favored awarding authority to regional governments.
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4
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- The role of the church became a critical political player.
- Liberals sought to limit its civil role, but met strong opposition from
conservatives and the Papacy.
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5
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- The political parties that formed were led by landowners and the urban
middle class; they argued about liberal or conservative ideas, but
shared basic class loyalties.
- The rest of the population was not concerned with political ideology.
- The result was enduring political instability, with rapid turnovers of
rulers and constitutions.
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6
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- Only a few nations had general stability:
- Chile after reforms of its system in 1833
- and, The Brazilian monarchy.
- For most of Latin America the basic questions of government and society
remained unresolved.
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7
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- After the defeat of Napoleon any plans for ending Latin American
independence were thwarted by the opposition of Britain and the United
States.
- The price for British support was freedom of trade.
- The US had the Monroe Doctrine which was a declaration signed in 1823
that stated that any attempt by a European country to colonize the
Americas would be considered an unfriendly act.
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8
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- Britain replaced Spain as a dominant economic force in a type of
neocolonial commercial system.
- It became a major consumer of Latin American products and sold its
manufactured goods to the new nations.
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9
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- The free entry and export of goods benefited port cities and landowners,
but it damaged regional industries producing for internal markets.
- The resulting dependency on foreign markets reinforced the old order
which made land the basis of wealth and prestige.
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10
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- The Latin American economy was stagnant between 1820 and 1850.
- The mining sector had suffered from the independence wars,
transportation and port facilities remained underdeveloped, and
investment capital was lacking.
- The situation changed after 1850 when European market expansion created
demand for local products.
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11
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- The export of coffee, hides, beef, minerals, grains, and guano brought
revenues to governments, urban growth, and transportation improvements.
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12
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- Liberal reformers during the 1820s and 1830s attempted to break colonial
patterns and follow European trends.
- Latin American societies were not ready for many of the reforms as the
conservative weight of the church, landowners, and army remained potent.
- As a result, conservatives returned to power by the 1840s and halted or
hindered reform.
- An alliance between them and the peasantry emerged to oppose change.
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13
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- Liberals returned to power during the last quarter of the 19th
century. They based their policies on the positivism of Auguste Comte,
stressing a scientific approach to social problems.
- The shift was caused by changes in the nature of the Industrial
Revolution and the age of imperialism.
- Latin American economies expanded rapidly after 1850 and the population
doubled.
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14
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- There were new demands for Latin American products and foreign
entrepreneurs and bankers joined liberals, landowners, and merchants to
tie Latin America to the capitalist expansion of the Western economy.
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15
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- The new political leaders were inspired by the example of Western Europe
and the United States, but their distrust of their mass populations
prevented the success of many efforts.
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16
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- Economic growth often occurred at the expense of the peasantry;
landowners and governments expropriated land and developed forms of
tenancy, peonage, and disguised servitude.
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17
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- The 1824 Mexican constitution was a federalist document that established
a republic and guaranteed basic civil rights.
- But it did not address the serious issues of inequitable distribution of
land, the status of Indians, the problems of education, or the poverty
of most of the population.
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18
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- Santa Ana was the Mexican general who seized power after the collapse
of the Mexican republic in 1835.
- He was a typical caudillo and the defects of his regime drew foreign
intervention by Spain and France.
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19
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- War with the United States which believed that it was destined to rule
from the Atlantic to the Pacific (Manifest Destiny) ended in Mexican
defeat and the loss of about one-half of Mexico’s territory. (Treaty of
Guadalupe-Hidalgo - 1848)
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20
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- The war left a bitter distrust of the United States and caused a serious
loss of Mexican economic potential.
- Politicians were forced to confront their nation's internal problems
which had contributed to defeat.
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21
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- Indian lawyer Benito Juárez led a liberal revolt titled La Reforma in
1854 and inaugurated a new constitution in 1857.
- Military and church privileges were curtailed and church and Indian
communal lands were sold to individuals.
- Speculators, however, bought the land and left peasants and Indians
poorer than previously.
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22
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- Conservative reaction led to civil war and the summoning of French
assistance.
- The French placed Maximilian von Habsburg on the throne, but Juárez
refused to accept the foreign ruler.
- When the French withdrew in 1867 Maximilian was captured and executed.
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23
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- As a result of Maximilian’s execution, Juárez regained office to lead an
autocratic regime until his death in 1872.
- By 1880 Mexico was about to enter a period of strong central government
and political stability.
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