A History of Latin America

A History of Latin America

Introduction

With the defeat of the former colonial government, Spanish America split into several countries. These countries faced several challenges, with the biggest being consolidating the new nations. This was not easy since the countries were getting self-governance for the first time and so they were in unfamiliar territory. The countries embarked on a new journey of putting structures and systems in place that would promote the economic, political, and social order. However, in the process of creating the structures, the countries faced a number of challenges that were limiting. This essay will look at how the new republics faced problems with forming governments in writing constitutions and the economic difficulties that followed.

One of the main challenges that the nations faced as they got their independence from Spain was that of establishing the legitimacy of their new governments[1]. When these countries moved away from the system of government that was used by their colonial masters, it proved problematic for them to form new ones. In the system of governance of the colonial master in Latin America, power was vested in the monarch, who had the authority to control and dominate most notable institutions such as the military, church, and cooperate groups. With the elimination of the kings from Spain who carried the ultimate source of the political legitimacy in the region, the new republics were placed on a path of uncertainty. This meant that the new republics had to look for new foundations on which they would construct their diverse forms of government. The structure of government that was to be formed had to be accepted by the people, and this would result in respect from the people.

Another problem that faced the new republics was the development of constitutions that would guide them. The constitutions were required in the new republic to help in redefining the relationship and attitude of the elites towards the societies. In the formation of the constitutions in Latin America, the countries intended to create a division of powers by having representative governments. However, the process failed where they ended up having weak executives which ultimately led to the failure of these countries, and they had to seek alternatives. They were looking for more powerful executives and more centralized governments that would complete liberation from Spain and contain the civil unrest in the region[2]. Furthermore, these countries had a problem in choosing the best form of government that would suit their situation. They were thrilled by the prosperity that was enjoyed by the USA and Britain, and thus, they were looking at the way they could get a form of government that resembles that of northern Europe.

The new republic also experienced widespread unrest in the region. The new governments that were formed were not strong enough to enforce law and order in the region. The new republics were faced with a wave of political instability, and power changed hands swiftly. The people who were seeking power and those in government did not play by the rules of the constitutions so that they could retain the control of the governments. Lack of a clear political maneuver resulted in the emergence of many political groups, notably the liberals and the conservatives, who often crashed on ideologies. The liberals were more concerned with free trade, modernization, and rationalization, which was borrowed from the USA and Europe. On the contrary, the conservatives were more concerned with preserving the old institutions such as Roman Catholics and the traditional ideology of the society, which was based on corporate groups.

Another problem that faced the emerging countries was economic problems. The countries expected that by defeating the colonial ruler, it would get them on a path for economic prosperity. However, the republics failed to coalesce, and they realized that the dream was hard to achieve. After independence, the region remained poorer and less integrated than they had envisioned. Much of the economic woes that faced the new republics was a result of the political instability[3]. The countries found themselves in financial restraints as a result of failing to collect taxes as was the case with the colonial government and with soaring financial needs such as those of sustaining the military and paying civil servants were much more significant than those of the colonial government[4].  Most of the new republics were thrown in debt crises because they could not meet their financial needs. Even areas where there was little political upheaval, the countries faced labor relations problems, and the systems for tax collection were weak.

Conclusion

Even though Latin American countries had achieved a feat of getting independence from Spain, some challenges faced the new republics. One of the most critical problems was in the formation of a legitimate government that would be accepted by the people after the abolition of the colonial government. They also faced a challenge in formulating and implementing the constitutions, which resulted in political unrest in the country. Additionally, they also faced economic problems because they lacked structures for revenue collection that would help in the running of government function, such as a provision of security. As a result, the envisioned economic prosperity was not realized.

Bibliography 

Mark A. Burkholder, Monica Rankin, and Lyman L. Johnson, Exploitation, Inequality, and Resistance: A History of Latin America since Columbus (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018), 200.

[1] Mark A. Burkholder, Monica Rankin, and Lyman L. Johnson, Exploitation, Inequality, and Resistance: A History of Latin America since Columbus (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018), 200.

[2] Ibid., 173

[3] Ibid., 238

[4] Ibid., 238