IMPERIALISM IN LATIN AMERICA

Essay text:

federalists liberals stressed individual rights, opposed corporate structure of colonial society, and favored federalist govt conservatives favored centralized state and wished to maintain a society where corporate groups ruled social action role of Church liberals-limit its civil role conservatives-keep its civil role political parties led by landowners and urban middle class argued about liberal or conservative ideas, but shared basic class loyalties rest of population not concerned with political ideologies result was enduring political instability, with rapid turnovers of rulers and constitutions only Chile and Brazil had general stability alliance of Church, landowners, army and peasantry emerged to oppose change in mid 19th century latter 19th century the liberals returned to power Economies and World Markets, 1820-1870 Britain and U S supported L A independence price was free-trade imperialism Britain replaced Spain as dominant economic force in a type of neocolonial commercial system, became major consumer of L A products and sold its manufactured goods to the new nations this benefited port cities and landowners, but damaged regional industries the resulting dependency on foreign markets reinforced the old order which made land the basis of wealth and prestige Late 19th Century Economic Resurgence economy expanded rapidly after 1850 and population doubled new demands for L A products foreign capitalists and bankers joined liberals, landowners, and merchants to tie L A to the capitalist expansion of the Western economy new leaders' distrust of the masses prevented the success of many efforts economic growth often occurred at expense of peasantry - landowners and govts expropriated land and developed forms of tenancy, peonage, and disguised servitude women remained in subordinate roles, but new opportunities opened for them in teaching, by end of century educated women actively demanded new rights exports fueled expansion, but risky since market prices were dependent on outside conditions Germany and U S became major participants key industries were placed under foreign control, which influenced the internal and external policies of govts...