This book explains the varied political roles played by agrarian and industrial groups in the modernization of Argentina. It seeks to account for the attainment of a high level of social complexity that has not, however, been matched by steady economic growth or political stability. What have been the determinants of economic growth in Argentina? In what sense does its capitalist development differ from that of other advanced societies? Under what conditions has that development taken place? The answers to these questions, states Professor Corradi, are woven into a picture of a society that follows a path flanked by authoritarianism and political disorder.
This book takes up where Max Weber left off in his study of charisma, and extends and rounds off the theory with insights from other disciplines and new empirical data. Tying Weber's argument about the consequences of societal breakdown to contemporary psychological theorizing on self-efficacy, Douglas Madsen and Peter Snow demonstrate that magnetic personalities must have willing followers.
This volume explains the genesis and development of the nexus between radical Basque nationalists and Irish republicans, how they have learnt from each other historically, and how they have utilised this relationship, at times, to their benefit. From medieval tales of shared origins to the violent conflicts largely wrought by ETA and the IRA, the Basque Country and Ireland have long been associated in popular imagination. Despite this, little is known of historical Basque-Irish relations and, in particular, the web of party-political, military and social movement connections between radical Basque nationalists and Irish republicans since the Irish Revolutionary Period (1916–23). Drawing on extensive archival research undertaken in Spain, Ireland and the UK, and more than 70 interviews conducted with politicians, former paramilitaries and grassroots activists, this is the first study to comprehensively document and analyse the emergence, evolution and implications of this mythified transnational relationship. Radical Basque Nationalist-Irish Republican Relations: A History will appeal to students and scholars of Irish republicanism, Basque nationalism, terrorism studies and social movements studies, as well as those interested in the contemporary history of Western Europe’s two most volatile regions.
For decades, Argentina's population was subject to human rights violations ranging from the merely disruptive to the abominable. Violence pervaded Argentine social and cultural life in the repression of protest crowds, a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign, massive numbers of abductions, instances of torture, and innumerable assassinations. Despite continued repression, thousands of parents searched for their disappeared children, staging street protests that eventually marshaled international support. Challenging the notion that violence simply breeds more violence, Antonius C. G. M. Robben's provocative study argues that in Argentina violence led to trauma, and that trauma bred more violence. In this work of superior scholarship, Robben analyzes the historical dynamic through which Argentina became entangled in a web of violence spun out of repeated traumatization of political adversaries. This violence-trauma-violence cycle culminated in a cultural war that "disappeared" more than ten thousand people and caused millions to live in fear. Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina demonstrates through a groundbreaking multilevel analysis the process by which different historical strands of violence coalesced during the 1970s into an all-out military assault on Argentine society and culture. Combining history and anthropology, this compelling book rests on thorough archival research; participant observation of mass demonstrations, exhumations, and reburials; gripping interviews with military officers, guerrilla commanders, human rights leaders, and former disappeared captives. Robben's penetrating analysis of the trauma of Argentine society is of great importance for our understanding of other societies undergoing similar crimes against humanity.
Why do attempts by authoritarian regimes to legalize their political repression differ so dramatically? Why do some dispense with the law altogether, while others scrupulously modify constitutions, pass new laws, and organize political trials? Political (In)Justice answers these questions by comparing the legal aspects of political repression in three recent military regimes: Brazil (1964-1985); Chile (1973-1990); and Argentina (1976-1983). By focusing on political trials as a reflection of each regime's overall approach to the law, Anthony Pereira argues that the practice of each regime can be explained by examining the long-term relationship between the judiciary and the military. Brazil was marked by a high degree of judicial-military integration and cooperation; Chile's military essentially usurped judicial authority; and in Argentina, the military negated the judiciary altogether. Pereira extends the judicial-military framework to other authoritarian regimes—Salazar's Portugal, Hitler's Germany, and Franco's Spain—and a democracy (the United States), to illuminate historical and contemporary aspects of state coercion and the rule of law.
"Damned if you do; damned if you don’t" voices the strategic impasse the USA finds itself in today. Liberal interventionism and globalization—the two pillars of the international system—seem not to work. Explaining the inability of Western powers to enact wise initiatives, Corradi explores the de-coupling of political systems: we are connected with each other but disconnected from policy makers. The paradox of increased connectivity and collective disengagement sets a perverse dynamic between publics and elites, with a serious impact on world affairs. Corradi analyzes the social bases of present dilemmas and how incipient decline can be managed, and paralysis overcome.
First published in 1990, this book analyses social welfare in Latin America, at that time. For each country it considers the ideological framework underlying the social welfare system and describes the historical development of both the system and the political and socio-economic context. Each chapter looks at the structure and administration of the systems in place and how these are financed. This is followed by a consideration of the nature of different parts of the welfare system, a survey of social security, personal social services and the treatment of the following key target groups: the aged; those with disabilities and handicaps; children and youth; disadvantaged families; the unemployed; and the sick and injured. Each chapter concludes with an assessment of the effectiveness of the system considered.
Latin America is a region of great diversity and a rich laboratory for understanding the processes of political development and their interaction with economic growth, social modernization, and cultural influences. Highlighting crucial periods of dynamic socioeconomic and political change,Comparative Latin American Politicsprovides a balanced, concise overview of select Latin American countries without underestimating the complexities of a region noted for its striking differences. The book focuses on the dominant dyad of Mexico and Brazil while also considering in detail Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Venezuela-seven countries that contain four-fifths of the region's inhabitants as well as an even higher proportion of its economy. Recognizing that political institutions and cultures are built over generations, author Ronald M. Schneider divides his analysis into two parts. Part one examines the period from independence to 1930, when countries were coping with an array of post-independence problems and challenges of national consolidation. Part two concentrates on 1930 to the present day and fleshes out current political practices and structures. Each part devotes chapters to specific country coverage as well as meaningful comparative perspectives that illuminate the political evolution of the region and offer salient lessons for other developing parts of the world. Contents Part One. Latin America: Independence to 1930 1. Comparative Perspectives: Independence to 1930 2. Brazil: Independence to 1930 3. Mexico and Argentina: Independence to 1930 4. Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Chile: Independence to 1930 Part Two. Latin America since 1930 5. Comparative Perspectives: Latin America since 1930 6. Brazil since 1930 7. Mexico since 1930 8. Argentina since 1930 9. Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Chile since 1930 Part Three. Comparative Perspectives and Outlook 10. Comparative Perspectives on Latin America's Political Development 11. A Look into the Future
This book deals with the gross human rights violations that characterized the military repression in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay from the 1960s to the 1980s. Dr Wolfgang Heinz, the author of three of the four case studies is a German scholar. The second author, Dr Hugo Frühling, is a Chilean researcher. Both are renowned human rights specialists who have done in-depth research on the causes of gross human rights violations in these countries. They have interviewed generals and officers directly involved in the repression. They have unearthed secret documents and, building on existing scholarship, they have managed to draw a unique picture of the mechanisms of repressive domestic social control. They have investigated international factors as well as the dynamics of the interaction between guerrilleros and urban terrorists on the one hand, and the military, the police forces and the death squads on the other. The result is a comprehensive volume, broad and comparative in scope, and written with clinical detachment but also with humanitarian sympathy for the victims of repression.
