Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America have unique historical roots as Latin American independence began to occur in 1808 after the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars that eventually engulfed all of Europe. French revolutionaries in the 1790s began an intellectual awakening called the Enlightenment, which opened the door for ideas of positivism in Latin American society and people in Latin America turned to liberal ideologies as liberalism means the idea of liberty, equality and popular sovereignty.[1]
During the early 19th century in Latin America, liberalism clashed with conservative views as liberals wanted to end the dominance of the Catholic Church, class stratification and slavery.[1] These issues for many years strongly affected the way that Latin American society was organized. The majority of liberals believed in a democratic system of government, but this system would create many changes and much confusion in Latin American communities in the early 19th century. On the other hand, conservatism favored existing systems and hierarchies. Conservatives believed chaos and social disorder would break out if the political system were liberalized. Latin American conservatives generally believed in class stratification and opposed radical change in government in Latin America.
The contest between liberals and conservatives in Latin America, while sweeping in effect, was largely fought between members of the landed, white or creole elite. Creoles were the children of immigrated European families.[2] Systems in place from the colonial period—such as slavery, patronage by the elite and debt peonage—meant that the great mass of Indians, Africans and people of mixed race had little, if any power compared to the very small creole ruling class. Thus the concern that liberalization would lead to "disorder" that the conservatives spoke about is considered by some historians as a veiled or transparent fear of race war.
Caudillos soon came to power in some Latin American societies, such as Mexico. Caudillos were people of either progressive or conservative thought, who promised protection and restoration of traditional ways to the people. They were generally pragmatic, believing in a ruling system of what works best. Caudillos used military force to hold society together.
Since the 1980s, there have been several neo-liberal economic reforms across Latin America, in order to support expansive industrialization. [3]
Referencesedit
^ abRivera, Faviola (February 1, 2016). "Liberalism in Latin America". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
^"Creole | people | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
^Biglaiser, Glen; DeRouen, Karl (2004). "The Expansion of Neoliberal Economic Reforms in Latin America". International Studies Quarterly. 48 (3): 561–578. doi:10.1111/j.0020-8833.2004.00315.x. ISSN 0020-8833. JSTOR 3693523.
liberalism, conservatism, latin, america, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, s. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America have unique historical roots as Latin American independence began to occur in 1808 after the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars that eventually engulfed all of Europe French revolutionaries in the 1790s began an intellectual awakening called the Enlightenment which opened the door for ideas of positivism in Latin American society and people in Latin America turned to liberal ideologies as liberalism means the idea of liberty equality and popular sovereignty 1 During the early 19th century in Latin America liberalism clashed with conservative views as liberals wanted to end the dominance of the Catholic Church class stratification and slavery 1 These issues for many years strongly affected the way that Latin American society was organized The majority of liberals believed in a democratic system of government but this system would create many changes and much confusion in Latin American communities in the early 19th century On the other hand conservatism favored existing systems and hierarchies Conservatives believed chaos and social disorder would break out if the political system were liberalized Latin American conservatives generally believed in class stratification and opposed radical change in government in Latin America The contest between liberals and conservatives in Latin America while sweeping in effect was largely fought between members of the landed white or creole elite Creoles were the children of immigrated European families 2 Systems in place from the colonial period such as slavery patronage by the elite and debt peonage meant that the great mass of Indians Africans and people of mixed race had little if any power compared to the very small creole ruling class Thus the concern that liberalization would lead to disorder that the conservatives spoke about is considered by some historians as a veiled or transparent fear of race war Caudillos soon came to power in some Latin American societies such as Mexico Caudillos were people of either progressive or conservative thought who promised protection and restoration of traditional ways to the people They were generally pragmatic believing in a ruling system of what works best Caudillos used military force to hold society together Since the 1980s there have been several neo liberal economic reforms across Latin America in order to support expansive industrialization 3 References edit a b Rivera Faviola February 1 2016 Liberalism in Latin America Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Stanford University Retrieved February 5 2020 Creole people Britannica www britannica com Retrieved 2023 02 11 Biglaiser Glen DeRouen Karl 2004 The Expansion of Neoliberal Economic Reforms in Latin America International Studies Quarterly 48 3 561 578 doi 10 1111 j 0020 8833 2004 00315 x ISSN 0020 8833 JSTOR 3693523 Further reading editMiguel Jorrin and John Martz Latin American Political Thought and Ideology University of North Carolina Press 1970 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America amp oldid 1188328643, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
