Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America

After independence, Latin American nations failed to enact liberalist principles. Latin American societies were too hierarchically structured for a smooth transition: “The basic contradiction between political theory and social reality fatally undermined the stability of the new republics” (129). Two of the greatest hindrances to liberalism were the white upper classes, who viewed the lower classes skeptically, and the Catholic Church, which was strictly conservative. There were issues other than social ones facing the new republics in Latin America. Most nations suffered economically during the struggle for independence. The entire economic system in Spanish America needed to be revamped, mines needed to be reopened, trade adjusted. Infrastructure to support these endeavors also needed to be developed. Furthermore, loyalty to the new governments itself needed to be won over, and many people did not trust the new leadership.

Issues like these gave rise to patronage politics and the advent of caudillismo. Caudillos were something like warlords, men who controlled personal armies loyal solely to them. Caudillos used these armies and their other followers to place themselves in governing positions, often controlling the entire country. Juan Manuel de Rosas of Argentina and Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico are examples of typical caudillos.