Latin America in Crisis

by Sherman,John W.

• ISBN13: 9780813335407
• ISBN10: 081333540X
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2000-08-10
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Latin America in Crisisbuilds a clear-eyed consideration of the fundamental economic and political realities of Latin America today onto a framework of introductory history. It is a concise core text for Latin American survey courses that require both a historical perspective and an attention to contemporary issues. In its focus on patterns of political and economic inequality, and its concomitant concerns for human rights,Latin America in Crisisis also a book with a point of view. Chapter 1 offers a basic overview of theories explaining Latin American poverty. Chapters 2-4 sweep across the contours of history till the mid-twentieth century. Chapters 5-7 focus on political and military dimensions of revolution and counterrevolution through the 1980s. Chapters 8-10 interpret media-driven democracy, international financial institutions, and human rights in Latin America today.

Author Biography

John W. Sherman is a historian with expertise in twentieth-century Mexico. Sherman earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in 1994 prior to returning to his native Ohio to assume a professorship at Wright State University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Prologue	ix
Introduction: Why Is Latin America Poor?	1	(18)
Part I Historical Latin America
A People of Conquest	19	(18)
The Colonial Centuries	37	(19)
Progress and Populism	56	(21)
Part II Revolution and Counterrevolution
Nationalism and the Military Response	77	(18)
Revolution in Central America	95	(19)
Christianity and Counterinsurgency	114	(21)
Part III Contemporary Latin America
The Politics of Control	135	(19)
Big Money: Debt and Wealth Extraction	154	(19)
Latin America in Perpetual Crisis	173	(26)
Epilogue: A Strange World	193	(6)
Notes	199	(2)
Suggestions for Further Reading	201	(6)
Index	207