Chapter 15 Question The very recent past in Latin America suggested at least the

Question

Chapter 15 Question

The very recent past in Latin America suggested at least the possibility of a swing back toward populism. Research this question and decide whether current populism in Latin America is similar to past populist movements, especially by comparing economic policies. Candidates for populist leaders include Chavez (Venezuela), Correa (Ecuador), Ortega (Nicaragua), Morales (Bolivia), Kirchner and Fernandez (Argentina), and Zelaya (Honduras). Perhaps most notably is the way Lula (Brazil) confounded this category.

Chapter 16 Question

Compare and contrast the characteristics of economic growth in the HPAE with the characteristics in Latin America.

Explanation / Answer

“Populism” is a slippery, elusive concept. But it is central to understanding what is happening in the region. One of its many difficulties is that it is often used as a term of abuse. In many parts of the world, “populist” is loosely used to describe a politician who seeks popularity through means disparaged as appealing to the baser instincts of voters.

It is in Latin America where populism has had the greatest and most enduring influence. In Latin America it became an urban movement. Its heyday was from the 1920s to the 1960s, as industrialisation and the growth of cities got under way in the region. It was the means by which the urban masses, the middle and working classes, were brought into the political system.

Typically, their leadership was charismatic. They were great orators or, if you prefer, demagogues. Mr Chávez's “Bolivarian revolution” relies heavily on his skills as a communicator, exercised every Sunday in his four-hour television programme.

The populists saw elections as the route to power, and pushed successfully to expand the franchise. But they also relied on mass mobilisation—on getting their followers out into the streets. They were often less than democratic in their exercise of power: they blurred the distinction between leader, party, government and state. Perón, for example, packed the judiciary, put his own people in charge of trade unions, and rigged his re-election in 1950.

The populists championed national culture against foreign influences. They harked back to forgotten figures from their country's past. In many respects, they were nation-builders. While their preaching was often anti-capitalist, they made deals with some capitalists. They rallied their followers against two rhetorical enemies: the “oligarchy” of rural landlords and foreign “imperialists”.

Economic Policy -: More of Musollini than Marx

1) It claims to favour ordinary people against oligarchs.

2) Populism has done little to reduce income inequality.

3) A second driver of populism has been Latin America's wealth of natural resources. Many Latin Americans believe that their countries are rich,

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse C
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.