- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton; illustrated edition edition (Feb 2 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393050483
- ISBN-13: 978-0393050486
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#669,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #96 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Argentina
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
Made up of 20 very different countries, Latin America has sometimes been treated as though it were a homogeneous unit, one mired in poverty and political instability. University of North Carolina scholar John Charles Chasteen's sweeping history of the region imparts a sense of how diverse--ethnically, linguistically, culturally--Latin America truly is, and of how that part of the world is rapidly changing, mostly for the better. (For example, he writes, "in 1980 most governments of the region were dictatorships of various descriptions. In 2000, elected governments rule almost everywhere.")
Chasteen observes that, although Latin America came into being under the imperial aegis of a few European powers, principally Spain and Portugal, it quickly branched into sometimes conflicting regions with widely differing ideas of economic development and government. He goes on to examine the careers of some of Latin America's most important historical figures, among them Simon Bolivar, who spread a revolutionary gospel of independence throughout the hemisphere, and Lázaro Cárdenas, the Mexican president who, in 1938, nationalized the oil industry and set his nation on a difficult course toward economic self-government. Of particular interest is Chasteen's consideration of the many reasons Latin American governments have clashed with that of the United States--among them disenchantment over the 1947 Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Germany at enormous cost, while offering almost no assistance to needy Latin American allies.
Designed as an undergraduate textbook, Chasteen's survey offers a useful overview of a region that, although of growing importance in world affairs, remains little understood. --Gregory McNamee
From Publishers Weekly
In a history that is concise yet satisfying, Chasteen, a historian at UNC-Chapel Hill, looks at critical Latin American events ranging from the original encounter of Europeans with the indigenous peoples of Latin America to the present day destruction of the Amazonian rain forest. He offers portraits of such well-known figures as Sim¢n Bol¡var, Jos‚ de San Mart¡n and August¡n Iturbide, as well as lesser-known ones such as Canek, a Yucatec Maya who led a short but important revolt against Spanish rule in Mexico in 1761. Chasteen focuses on major political, social and economic topics and trends that helped shape Latin America, including liberalism, the caste system, the mixing of races, nationalism and the Western notion of "Progress"; he also examines the role that Europe and the United States played in the development of these phenomena. Also refreshing is Chasteen's examination of the periods he covers from the perspective of women; he refers to many who played a central role, such as the celebrated Sister Juana In‚s de la Cruz and Juana Azurduy, as well as less popular Gertrudis Bocanegra, a Mexican woman who was executed for carrying messages to the Patriots. From the glorious and bloody battles for independence, through the trying periods of post- and neocolonialism, the finding of "national" identity and the more recent anti-Communist dictatorships from the 1960s to the 1980, to hope for a future of true democracy, this is a comprehensive and illuminating history.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Latin America was born in blood and fire, in conquest and slavery. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Latin America was born in blood and fire, in conquest and slavery. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
really great history,
By
This review is from: Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America (Paperback)
To start off Latin America is a vast area, writing a history of it can be difficult but Chasteen does a good job. He starts off by looking at how Latin America has been looked at how the area has been looked at by scholars in the past. He then starts Latin American History with the conquest by the Spanish and Portuguese. Continuing with that theme, Chasteen looks at colonail rule and indendence. Chasteen then focues on how Latin America begins to develop on its own. He describes how liberalism and conservatism came into play in Latin American politics. Further, he deals with Latin America's relationship with the United States and Europe to describe the movements of ideas and migrations of people from Europe to Latin America. The book also deals with Neocolonialism which as America's attempts to influence Latin America. To end Chasteen deals with how Latin America begins to develop on its own during the twentieth century. National movements begin and the area sees populist leaders like Peron in Argentina.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Covers six centuries and twenty countries,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Born In Blood And Fire (Hardcover)
Born In Blood And Fire is a superbly presented and concise history of Latin America which covers six centuries and twenty countries, linking accounts of individuals, economics, politics and social structure in a uniform, logical progression of events which will delight both general readers and students seeking an introduction to the region's history. Chapters provide many insights on Latin issues in the process of revealing the history of different nations. Born In Blood And Fire is an invaluable introduction and survey for students of Latin American history.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Introduction to South America,
This review is from: Born In Blood And Fire (Hardcover)
About 200 pages cover the 19th and 20th centuries, the first 100 pages cover the earlier centuries. This book is definitely worth reading. The twenty countries of Latin America share a common history of conquest, slavery, colonization, and revolution. It has a youthful population, and is a land inhabited for over a thousand years. It is part of the developing world, and has a European culture. It has a few large countries, and a lot of small ones. All of Latin America is about twice the size of the US in land area and population, but the US economy is six times larger.After independence the countries faced enormous difficulties due to economic devastation, and unfair trade. Government funding depended on import/export tariffs, and had professional armies to maintain. Politicians used the spoils system and patronage to govern, and rigged elections. (This was similar to the US of yesteryear, or today.) Liberalism and neocolonialism worsened the lives of most rural peoples in the late 19th century. Nationalism helped to unite the countries against foreign imperialism. The Great Depression resulted in increased industrialization in response to lost exports. After WW II the US forced South America countries back to its neocolonial past as commodity producers. A country that resisted this saw its government overthrown, and ruled by a military junta. The Cuban revolution led to the overthrow of most governments by military juntas. The faults and failures of military rule brought their end. The small countries of Central America continued to have large landowners and masses of peons, as in the 19th century. Neoliberalism now reigns supreme in Latin America. The state-run corporations were sold off to foreign interests; subsidies and public services for the poor were reduced or eliminated. It was a return to the late 19th century: foreign banks profited while many people suffered and starved. Foreign companies exploited cheap labor. Any gains as consumers were wiped out by losses as producers. What will occur next?
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