A History of Modern Latin America

This course surveys the history of modern Latin America in an effort to explain the sources of poverty and political violence that have long plagued the region. First, it introduces key concepts from social, political, and economic theory to help students understand the often confusing, always conflict-ridden, history of Latin America. Then it surveys the transformation of the region from formal Spanish colonial domination in the 18th century, through the 19th-century emergence of nominally independent republics subject to English free trade imperialism, to the twentieth-century growth of modern investment imperialism and Latin America's subordination to international markets and United States strategic power. The course emphasizes Latin America's internal economic growth, its impact on domestic racial, ethnic, gender, and class conflicts, and their collective effects on the region's foreign relations--especially with the United States in the twentieth century.

By the end of the semester, students should be able to understand, critically analyze, and explain:
1) the principal theories of development that have shaped historical interpretations of the Latin American past;
2) the central role played historically by international relations in general and the United States more specifically;
3) those internal factors, such as class, race, and gender rivalries, that have influenced Latin American development;
4) key historical events, people, policies, and/or programs that decisively shaped the origins and outcomes of 19th century struggles for political independence;
5) key historical events, people, policies, and/or programs that have decisively shaped the specific twentieth-century political, economic, and social conditions of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Central America;
6) key analytical concepts such as feudalism, modernization, dependent development, capitalism, corporatism, bureaucratic authoritarianism, imperialism, ultraimperialism, nationalism, indigenismo, revolution, socialism, neo-liberalism, postimperialism, military despotism, and democracy; and
7) the geographical contours of Latin America.

**Dillon Soares, Glaucio Ary. "The Web of Exploitation: State and Peasants in Latin America," in E. Bradford Burns, ed., (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice- Hall, 1993): 155-162

**Dos Santos, Theotonio. "The Structure of Dependence," in 162-170 Graham, Richard. ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.
Keen, Benjamin. ç_ Boston: Houghton Miflin, 1995.

**Silva Michelena, Jose A. "The Historical Causes of Underdevelopment," in E. Bradford Burns, ed., í_‡_ (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1993): 149-155

There will be a mid-term (100 pts.), a final exam (150 pts.), and a map test (101 pts.)

The map test will be scheduled for January 30 and a second unscheduled map test will be administered later in the semester. The two grades will be averaged together or, if the score on the second exam is significantly higher, it will be used to figure the map test component of the final grade.

The mid-term exam will concentrate on materials related to course objectives #1,4, and 6. The final exam will be cumulative, but its special focus will be the materials relevant to course objectives #2, 3, and 5.

1. Dependency, Modernization, and Marxism: The Debate Over a Model (August 31-September 16) Keen, chs. 7-8
**Silva Michelena, "The Historical Causes of Underdevelopment"
**Dillon Soares, "The Web of Exploitation: State and Peasants in Latin America,"
**dos Santos, "The Structure of Dependence,"

2. Iberic Imperial Modernization and Latin American Independence: Class, Race, and European Rivalries Shape the Creole Struggle Against Change, 1750-1810 (September 21-23)
Keen, ch. 9
*John Lynch, (New York: Knopf, 1975) (September 28)

3. Class Conflict and Free Trade Imperialism: Stagnation and Chaos After Independence (September 30-October 5) Keen, chs. 10-11

4. Oligarchy, Modernization, and Revolution: Divergent Paths of Development, 1850-1900 (October 7-14) Keen, pp. 262-268
*Virginia Bernhard, ed. (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1979) (October 19)

5. Imperialism, Racism, Modernization, and Dependent Development: Twentieth Century Latin America (October 21-26) Keen, ch. 12 Graham, ch. 1
*Bill Warren, (London: New Left Books, 1980): chs. 1-3, 6-7
*V.I. Lenin,
*William A. Williams, (New York: Norton, 1990), chs. 1-4

6. Dependent Development, Revolution, and Postimperialism in Mexico (Ocotber 28-November 2)
Keen, chs. 13 & 15
Graham, ch.4
*Ramon Ruiz, _ (New York: Norton, 1983): chs. 1-2, 9-15 *Friedrich Katz, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981): chs. 1, 4, 7
*John Mason Hart, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987): chs. 6, 8-10
*Keith A. Haynes, "Dependency, Postimperialism, and the Mexican Revolution: An Historiographical Review," 7 (Summer 1991): 225-251
*James Cockcroft, _ (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1985)

7. Dependent Development, Corporatism, and Military Repression in Argentina and Brazil (November 4-11) Keen, ch. 14
Graham, chs. 2-3
*Guillermo O'Donnell, , ch. 2
*Peter H. Smith, , Intro and chs. 1, 6

8. Dependent Development, Democratic Socialist Revolution, and Military Repression in Chile (November 16-18)
Keen, ch. 17
*Brian Loveman, , chs. 4-6, 10
*Peter Winn, _ (NY: Oxford University Press, 1986), chs. 1-3
*Theodore H. Moran (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974)

9. Dependent Development and Socialist Revolution in Cuba (November 23-30)
Keen, ch. 18
*Ramon Ruiz, chs 1-9
*James O'Connor, chs. 1-4, 10-11
*Arthur MacEwan, chs. 1-9, 22-28
*Robert F. Smith, chs. 1-4
*Jorge Dominguez, chs. 1-5
*Morris Morley, , chs. 2-6

10. Dependent Development, Imperialism, Revolution, and Military Repression in Central America (December 2-7)
Keen, ch. 20
*John Booth, chs. 2-7
*Thomas Walker, ed., _, Intro & chs. 11-18
*Suzanne Jonas, chs. 1-6
*Richard H. Immerman, , chs. 1-5
*Tommie Sue Montgomery, , chs. 1-3, 5

11. United States Intervention in Latin America: Economic, Strategic, and Ideological Objectives (December 9-14)
Keen, ch. 18
*David Green, _, chs. 1-2, 11
*Jenny Pearce, , Intro & parts III-IV
*Federico Gil, , chs. 1-6
(December 18, 11-1:30)
*Recommended reading
**Articles on reserve at the library > les on reserve at the library mber 18, 11-1:30)

*Recommended reading

**Articles on reserve at the library