History of the
Latin-American nations
http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924021077080/cu31924021077080_djvu.txt
PREFACE
The purpose of this
book is to outline the chief events in
the history of Latin America or, as it is sometimes called,
Hispanic America. As a
preliminary I have described the
physical features and
the aborigines of those portions of the
New
World which were
colonized by Spaniards and Portu-
guese — factors which
have had a permanent influence upon
the life of
Latin-American peoples. The chief events include
a description of the
conditions in Spain and Portugal which
affected the colonial
enterprises of those nations; a survey of
the romantic era of
discovery and conquest; a sketch of the
penetration of
Spaniards and Portuguese into the American
wilderness; an
account of administration and society under
the old regime ; and
the story of the separation of the Spanish
and Portuguese
colonies from their motherlands. These
events also include a
survey of the development of the Latin-
American nations from
the achievement of independence to
the present time with
an account of their political parties,
constitutional
history, and existing governments; a descrip-
tion of their
international disputes and their economic devel-
opment; a survey of
their economic, social, and intellectual
conditions upon the
eve of the World War; and a sketch of
their progress from
the close of that titanic conflict to the
present. In addition,
the book contains a discussion of com-
mon problems and
ideals of the Latin-American nations; and
a description of the
relations of those nations with England
and with other
European powers and with the United
States.
Although there has
been in recent decades an appreciable
increase of the
literature in English dealing with Latin-Amer-
ican politics,
problems, and history, yet at the present mo-
ment there is not in
any language a book which surveys the
history of the
Latin-American peoples from the Age of the
Incas to the Present
Day and which considers each of those
peoples since the
winning of independence as a distinct polit-
ical entity
constituting a nation. This is the mode in which
I have chosen to
write the "History of the Latin-American
Nations." Some
resemblances exist between the Latin-Amer-
ican nations, yet
there are many differences — differences which
are potential in
determining their destinies. In composing
this book, I have
aimed to present such facts and tendencies
as might enable the
reader to understand the present condi-
tions and problems of
Latin-American nations. Emphasis
has necessarily been
laid upon political and constitutional
changes, yet economic
and international developments have
not been neglected.
During recent years
there has been a steady increase in the \
interest taken by
citizens of the United
States in the history
and politics of the
other independent nations of the New ^
World. A portion of
the reading public has evinced a keenj
interest in the
present condition and the future prospect of
those nations which
sprang from the colonies of Spain
and
Portugal. Courses in the history of Latin America are now
being given in
colleges and universities from New
York to
California. To paraphrase the words of a co-worker
who is
giving such a course
in a state university, no other important
field of history is
in such dire need of an adequate textbook
as is the
Latin-American. It is out of my investigations as
a student and my
experience as a teacher that this book has
taken its present
form. I have aimed to write a book that
would be instructive
to the general reader who desired a
survey of
Latin-American history and that might also be used
as a text for college
and university classes in the history of
Latin
America.
In the composition of
this book I have been confronted
with certain problems
which other writers would perhaps have
solved in a manner
different from that in which I have solved
them. Instead of
appending a formal bibliography, I decided
to furnish for each
chapter a list of the best references for
further reading which
might serve as a guide to other works
— particularly in
English — containing material upon impor-
tant topics discussed
in the respective chapter. Those refer-
ences, like the
references to bibliographical aids, have been
prepared in the hope
that they may prove of special service
to teachers. To aid
students and teachers in the comprehen-
sion of territorial
changes, I have prepared from the best
available data a
number of maps to elucidate the text. In
addition, I have
given references to other maps which, when
available, will
illustrate the history of the Latin-American
nations. Although I
have striven to write a fair and accurate
history, yet I do not
expect to have avoided all the pitfalls
of error which beset
a writer who ventures into paths that
are more or less
untrodden.
I am grateful to
various persons for aid in the collection
of material for this
book. To Latin-American friends I am
indebted for
information about special phases of history and
for pamphlets
concerning particular events. To the Division
of Economics and
History of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace,
I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness ;
for through Professor
John B. Clark it has considerately
allowed me to utilize
in the last chapter of this volume some
general impressions
which I acquired as the result of my
investigation under
its direction of relations between the
United States and Latin-American nations. I am under ob-
ligations to members
of the staff of the University
of Illinois
Library because of
their constant courtesy and helpfulness to
me in the use of the
valuable collection of Latin-American
books in that
Library. My wife has read the entire manu-
script carefully and
has aided me in reading the proof.
William Spence
Robertson