Understanding Latin American Politics
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This textbook integrates domestic and international factors for understanding Latin American politics. The thematic structure of the book is to utilize three different levels of analysis to explain Latin American politics: international, national, and local. This approach has the benefit of incorporating the dynamics of globalization while also including political factors more at ground level, including the influence of subaltern groups. Although there may be important international influences on domestic politics, they interact with and are mediated by national political figures and grassroots activists. The book has four sections: Theoretical and Historical Background; Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; The Andean Region and Venezuela; and Brazil and the Southern Cone. Each chapter contains key terms, discussion questions, and further sources and a range of pedagogical materials for use in the classroom. This textbook is available in an open access digital edition. GREGORY WEEKS is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNC Charlotte. He has published several books and dozens of articles on Latin American politics, U.S.-Latin American relations, and Latino immigration. He is editor of the academic journal The Latin Americanist and writes regularly on his blog Two Weeks Notice: A Latin American Politics Blog (http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com). Published by J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte Distributed by the University of North Carolina Press www.uncpress.org Understanding Latin American Politics Gregory Weeks University of North Carolina at Charlotte A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 1 5/12/14 4:04 PM Copyright © 2015 Gregory Weeks Suggested citation: Weeks, Gregory. Understanding Latin American Politics. Charlotte: J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte, 2015. doi: https://doi.org/10.5149/9781469652252_Weeks This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. ISBN 978-1-4696-5224-5 (paperback: alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4696-5225-2 (open access ebook) Published by J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte Distributed by the University of North Carolina Press www.uncpress.org BRIEF CONTENTS PART I THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1 Theoretical Perspectives on Latin American Politics 1 2 State Formation and Economic Development in the Nineteenth Century 13 3 Dictatorship, Democracy, and Revolution in the Modern Era 35 4 The Politics of Capitalism and Socialism Through the Twentieth Century 55 PART II MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN 5 Mexico 79 6 Central America 105 7 Cuba 139 PART III THE ANDEAN REGION 8 Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru 167 9 Colombia 197 10 Venezuela 225 PART IV BRAZIL AND THE SOUTHERN CONE 11 Brazil 253 12 Argentina 281 13 Chile 311 iii A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 3 5/12/14 4:04 PM CONTENTS Preface xi PART I THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1 Theoretical Perspectives on Latin American Politics 1 The Complexities of Latin American Politics 2 Making Comparisons in the Context of Complexity 3 International Level 4 National Level 4 Local Level 4 How the Levels Intersect 5 How Levels of Analysis Inform Theory 5 Modernization Theory 5 What Modernization Theory Can’t Explain 6 Dependency Theory 6 What Dependency Theory Can’t Explain 9 Defining Democracy and Development 9 Democracy 9 Development 10 Conclusion 11 Key Terms 11 • Discussion Questions 11 • Further Sources 12 • Endnotes 12 2 State Formation and Economic Development in the Nineteenth Century 13 The Challenges of Independence 13 The International Level: Peninsular Wars and Latin American Declarations of Independence 14 Race and Nation in Latin America 14 National Response to International Factors in Spanish America 15 The National Level: Nations and States 16 The Challenge of Nation Building 16 The Challenge of State Building 17 Local Challenges of State Building 18 The Role of the Military in State Building 19 The Problem of Weak States 20 iv A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 4 5/12/14 4:04 PM Contents v Constitutions and the National Seeds of Democracy and Authoritarianism 21 Constructing Accountable Political Institutions 22 The Liberal–Conservative Divide 23 International Influences and the Challenge of National Economic Development 26 Becoming Dependent Internationally 28 Dependency and Lack of Development 28 Social Structure and Local Politics 30 Subaltern Groups: National and Local Levels 31 Conclusion 31 Key Terms 32 • Discussion Questions 32 • Further Sources 32 • Endnotes 33 3 Dictatorship, Democracy, and Revolution in the Modern Era 35 National and International Influence in the First Half of the Twentieth Century 37 Early Weakness of Democracy: National Challenges 37 National Threats to Democracy 38 International Influence: The United States and Democracy 39 The National Effects of Economic Policy 41 The Cold War (1947–1991) 43 The Military and International Influence 43 National Factors in Democratic Breakdown 46 Contemporary Democracy in the Post–Cold War Era (1991 to Present) 49 The National Impact of Populism 50 Newfound Strength of Democracy 50 Conclusion 51 Key Terms 52 • Discussion Questions 52 • Further Sources 52 • Endnotes 53 4 The Politics of Capitalism and Socialism Through the Twentieth Century 55 International Influences: Capitalism and Socialism 56 The Foundations of Capitalism 56 The Foundations of Socialism and Communism 57 The Dynamics of Dependence 59 Economic Alternatives: International and National Influences 61 The Impact of Nationalization 62 Economic Reform Within Latin America 64 Why Do Democracies Break Down? Economic Factors at the National Level 66 A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 5 5/12/14 4:04 PM vi Contents International Factors in the Late Twentieth Century 68 The Debt Crisis 68 Chile as an Alternative Model 69 Another Alternative: Mixed Economies 71 The Local Level: Formal and Informal Economies 72 Dollarization: The Ultimate International Influence 73 An International Constant: The Exchange Rate 74 Conclusion 76 Key Terms 76 • Discussion Questions 77 • Further Sources 77 • Endnotes 78 PART II MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN 5 Mexico 79 Historical Roots of Political and Economic Development 81 Postindependence Challenges 81 Roots of the Mexican Revolution 82 The Legacies of the Revolution 82 Contemporary Politics in Mexico 83 The Influence of Clientelism and Corporatism 84 Mexican Presidentialism 85 National Economic Restructuring 85 Drawbacks to the Economic Model 86 Theory and Politics of Mexican Development: Local, National, and International Influences 87 Political Impact of Economic Reforms 87 The Importance of NAFTA 88 Changes in the Mexican Economic and Political Models 90 The Zapatistas: Local Response to National and International Influences 91 Political Resistance at Other Levels 93 The Process of Democratization in Mexico 94 Democratization with Decentralization 97 Migration: The Confluence of International, National, and Local 98 Drugs: The Local and National Effects of International Trade 99 Conclusion and Comparative Perspective 102 Key Terms 103 • Discussion Questions 103 • Further Sources 103 • Endnotes 104 A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 6 5/12/14 4:04 PM Contents vii 6 Central America 105 Historical Roots of Political and Economic Development 107 Costa Rica 108 El Salvador 110 Nicaragua 114 Guatemala 117 Honduras 121 Panama 125 Regional Issues 127 Migration and Economics 128 The Judiciary in Central America 128 Women and Politics in Central America 129 Conclusion and Comparative Perspective 134 Key Terms 135 • Discussion Questions 136 • Further Sources 136 • Endnotes 137 7 Cuba 139 Historical Roots of Political and Economic Development 141 Dominance of the United States 141 Fulgencio Batista’s Dominance of Cuban Politics 142 The Rise of a National Revolutionary Movement 143 The Revolution: Remaking the Nation 146 International Factors: The Role of the Soviet Union 147 International Factors: The United States Embargo 148 Contemporary Cuban Politics 150 The Post-Cold War: Local and National Economic Collapse 152 Political Support: The Role of Women and Afro-Cubans 154 Cuba’s International Influence 155 Cuba’s Economic Transformation 157 The Evolution of Political Control 158 Economic Policy Under Raúl Castro 160 International Influence: The United States After the Cold War 161 Conclusion and Comparative Perspective 163 Key Terms 164 • Discussion Questions 164 • Further Sources 164 • Endnotes 165 A01_WEEK8252_01_SE_FM.indd 7 5/12/14 4:04 PM viii Contents PART III THE ANDEAN REGION 8 Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru 167 Historical Roots of Political and Economic Development 169 Bolivia 170 Imperfect National, Political, and Economic Reform 171 Economic Source of Local Discontent 172 Conflict Between Different Levels Under Evo Morales 175 Ecuador 177 The Political Consequences of National Economic Collapse 178 The Era of Rafael Correa 180 Economic Growth and International Factors 182 Peru 183 The Challenges of Democratic Transition 184 The Era of Alberto Fujimori 185 National Recovery From the Fujimori Era 189 Conclusion and Comparative Perspective 190 Key Terms 194 • Discussion Questions 194 • Further Sources 194 • Endnotes 195 9 Colombia 197 Historical Roots of Political and Economic Development 199 Local and National Legacies of Violence 199 Violence With Economic Development 200 Contemporary Politics in Colombia 201 International Influence: The Drug Trade 202 Political Violence and Economic Development