Carol Messler
Faces of Latin America Outline
Introduction: Books tries to show how complex and contradictory this society is, in the way that it functions.
Chapter 1:
The Curse of Wealth: The History of the Commodity Trade in Latin America. The process of the boom-bust cycles of raw material exports such as sugar, gold and, most recently, cocaine that have formed Latin America's history since the Conquest. Growing Pains: Ways of Industrialization, the Debt Crisis and Structural Adjustment. Import replacement and substitutions and industrialization. Transnational organizations and companies. The debt crisis and the rise of neoliberalism.
Chapter 2:
The Left: Guerrilla groups and Social Movements after the ending of the Cold War. Urban and rural guerrilla movements. The formations accomplishments of the Social movements, the role of women in society and the search for a new democratic politics. The State and Politics: The being of twin authoritarian and democratic traditions. The exemplary actions and ways of the caudillo. The rise of both populism and dictatorship in the 20th century as well as military rule and democratization in the 1980s. The impact of the debt crisis in Latin America. Men at Arms: The Military Involvement in politics and National Security Doctrine; military as institution as well as a leader in Latin American government. Continued influence under elected governments,t hat stay incumbent or new electorates. The impact of the end of the Cold War.
Chapter 3:
Promised Land: Land Ownership, Power and Conflict. The history of unequal land distribution and inefficient use. Land conflicts and land reform. The controversy of the distribution and rights to land ownership. A Land in Flames: Environment. Deforestation. Sustainable development. The wrath of pesticides. Mega-projects; transnational companies. The rise of urban pollution and its effects on the environment. Mean Streets: Migration and Life in the City. The transformation of rural to urban