The Emergence of Latin America in the Nineteenth Century

Here for the first time is a comprehensive yet compact history of Latin America in the formative period from independence to 1880. Covering all the major countries, The Emergence of Latin America in the Nineteenth Century combines a review of the issues and problems affecting the region as a whole with illuminating in-depth discussions of particular national case studies, and is written in a style that is both accessible and engaging.

The authors focus on the preliminary experiments in nation-building throughout Latin America and explore the conscious--if perhaps misguided--attempts by most leaders to adopt a liberal mode of both socioeconomic and political development. No pat answers are provided, but the nagging questions of Latin American "instability" and "underdevelopment" are examined, and the data and factors that come into play are presented and explained to students.

Incorporating the most recent research on Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia, this unique, single-volume survey provides complete and up-to-date coverage of the entire region during the critical era that saw the formation and consolidation of its distinctive national institutions, laying the groundwork for contemporary Latin America.