Write a essay explaining how we might approach the historical problem of dictatorship in Latin America after Independence.
What are the causes and character of both Conservative and Liberal dictatorships in early 19th century Latin America?
You have looked at several descriptions of centralized authority in 19th century Latin America. Most of the authors have attempted to place the politics of power into a comparative context in order to locate their case study with larger theories of political development. Their arguments are each distinct; their descriptions and explanations do not easily reconcile into a single synthetic historical explanation. Attempt one anyway.
Using as many of the readings and discussions from class as you can, construct an ARGUMENT that suggests how we might begin to understand the uniqueness of the Latin American political experience in the 19th century in terms of the causes and descriptions of power that you have studied thus far. What are the historic, economic, political, geographic, international, socio-cultural [etc] origins of centralized power in Latin America?
