AT05 (Indp and Legacies): Blood and Debt (Centeno)

Question 1

What is the widely accepted notion in political sociology regarding war and state making?

Answer 1

War supports the institutional development of the state by requiring organisation and efficiency that fosters new political structures.

Charles Tilly summarised this as ‘war made the state, and the state made war.’

Question 2

What three factors played critical roles in determining the political influence of war in 19th-century Latin America?

Answer 2

• Availability of external resources
• Extent of prior institutional development
• Nature of class alliances supporting the state

Question 3

Why does Latin America offer an excellent opportunity to test theories of state making in the 19th century?

Answer 3

The rise of 16 independent nations between 1810 and 1830 provided a largely unexplored arena to test theories of state making in postcolonial conditions.

Question 4

What is presented as a reasonable measure of a state’s political development and institutional capacity?

Answer 4

Taxation

Taxation represents and augments the state’s ability to enforce centralised rule and shapes the size and form of state institutions.

Question 5

What is Centeno’s main challenge to the paradigm that war automatically leads to increased state strength?

Answer 5

Centeno highlights that centuries of prior warfare in Europe did not produce states, emphasising that particular historical circumstances promoted conflict-led state development.

Question 6

What crucial element did Centeno find lacking in Latin America that prevented wars from automatically leading to state building?

Answer 6

A lack of prior political organisation and a weak link between such organisation and social actors.

Question 7

How did the fiscal extraction capacity of Latin American states like Chile and Brazil compare to that of the United Kingdom in the 19th century?

Answer 7

Neither Chile nor Brazil could extract even half the per capita revenue available to the British state.

Question 8

What were the two main ‘artificial’ sources of wealth that Latin American states frequently resorted to in order to finance wars?

Answer 8

• Printing money (leading to inflation tax)
• Borrowing from domestic agiotistas and international sources

Question 9

How did the availability of external resources like guano and nitrate potentially hinder state development in countries like Peru and Chile?

Answer 9

It allowed the state to exist without strong contact with its society or the need to modernise its fiscal structure.

Question 10

What fundamental aspect was often missing in Latin American countries that prevented the consolidation of state power even in times of war?

Answer 10

Strong domestic class alliances willing to support and fund the state.

Question 11

The article concludes that wars did not automatically lead to state-making in 19th-century Latin America. True or False?

Answer 11

True

Question 12

What was a primary source of revenue for Latin American states due to its ease of collection?

Answer 12

Customs taxes

Question 13

What internal divisions hindered state-building efforts in Latin America?

Answer 13

• Liberal/conservative divisions
• Federalist/centralist divisions

Question 14

What is the term for a state that derives a substantial portion of its revenue from the rent of indigenous resources to external clients?

Answer 14

Rentier State

Question 15

Fill in the blank: The establishment of a central state’s authority and control over its population and territory is known as _______.

Answer 15

Internal Domination

Question 16

What were criollos in the context of 19th-century Latin America?

Answer 16

Persons born in the Spanish American colonies who were of Spanish descent.

Question 17

What is a caudillo?

Answer 17

A military or political leader who exercises authoritarian control over a region or nation.

Question 18

What economic condition did the Porfiriato in Mexico represent?

Answer 18

Centralisation and authoritarianism under Porfirio Díaz from 1876 to 1911.

Question 19

What is the Fronde in the context of state-building?

Answer 19

A series of civil wars in France during the mid-17th century, representing resistance to the centralising power of the monarchy.

Question 20

What is the connotation of the term agiotistas?

Answer 20

Local moneylenders in 19th-century Mexico who provided loans to the government at high interest rates.

Question 21

What is the contribution (India tribute) in Latin America?

Answer 21

An oppressive colonial-era tax levied on the indigenous population.

Question 22

What was a significant challenge to state-making in Latin America after independence?

Answer 22

The ideological opposition to strong central authority.

Question 23

What does the term hegemonic class refer to?

Answer 23

The dominance of one social group or political faction over others, shaping the political agenda.

Question 24

What was the impact of the independence wars on the economy of Latin American states?

Answer 24

They weakened the economy and created debt.

Question 25

What was the per capita revenue extraction capability of Chile and Brazil compared to the British state?

Answer 25

Neither Chile nor Brazil could extract even half the per capita revenue available to the British state ## Footnote They were more dependent on customs revenues than the UK or France.

Question 26

What were the two main 'artificial' sources of wealth for Latin American states?

Answer 26

* Printing money (leading to inflation tax) * Borrowing from domestic agiotistas and international sources

Question 27

How did revenues from guano and nitrate affect the state-society relationship in Latin America?

Answer 27

Allowed the state to exist without strong contact with society or the need to modernise its fiscal structure

Question 28

What does Centeno argue about the presence of a dominant class in Latin American countries?

Answer 28

Latin American countries generally lacked a single dominant class able to impose its will and organize state capacities toward war

Question 29

What is 'State Making'?

Answer 29

The complex process of establishing and consolidating the institutions, authority, and infrastructure of a modern state within a defined territory and population.

Question 30

Define 'Military Revolution'.

Answer 30

A period of rapid advancements in military technology, strategy, tactics, and organisation in early modern Europe, often linked to the growth of state power.

Question 31

What is 'Fiscal Capacity'?

Answer 31

The inherent ability of a state to effectively raise revenue, primarily through taxation, from its economy and populace to fund its operations and policies.

Question 32

What are 'External Resources'?

Answer 32

Sources of income for a state that originate from outside its domestic economy, such as international loans, foreign investment, and revenues from the export of raw materials or commodities.

Question 33

What is 'Internal Domination'?

Answer 33

The degree to which a central government can effectively exercise authority, enforce laws, and extract resources within its national borders.

Question 34

Define 'Social Alliances'.

Answer 34

Cooperative relationships or mutual interests between the state and key social groups that provide the state with political support and facilitate governance.

Question 35

What characterizes a 'Rentier State'?

Answer 35

A state whose economy is heavily reliant on the revenue generated by the export of a single or limited number of natural resources.

Question 36

What is 'Inflation Tax'?

Answer 36

The decrease in the real value of money held by the public as a result of a government printing more currency.

Question 37

What are 'Customs Revenues'?

Answer 37

Taxes levied by a government on goods imported into or exported out of a country.

Question 38

What does 'Hegemony' refer to?

Answer 38

The political, economic, or cultural dominance of one group or state over others.

Question 39

Who are 'Caudillos'?

Answer 39

Strong, often charismatic, military or political leaders in Latin America who command personal loyalty and exercise authoritarian rule.

Question 40

What are 'Criollos'?

Answer 40

Individuals of Spanish descent born in the Spanish American colonies.

Question 41

What are 'Agiotistas'?

Answer 41

Local private moneylenders in 19th-century Mexico who provided short-term loans to the government.

Question 42

What was the 'Porfiriato'?

Answer 42

The extended period of rule by Porfirio Díaz in Mexico (1876-1911), characterised by political stability and economic modernisation.

Question 43

What does 'Contribución (India Tribute)' refer to?

Answer 43

A discriminatory tax or tribute levied specifically on indigenous populations.

Question 44

Who were the 'Fazenderios'?

Answer 44

The powerful class of large land and plantation owners in Brazil.

Question 45

True or False: The European model of 'war made the state' applies universally to 19th-century Latin America.

Answer 45

False

Question 46

What were the key differences in historical circumstances between Europe's 'military revolution' and the wars in 19th-century Latin America?

Answer 46

Latin American wars occurred without a pre-established foundation of political authority and a strong link between state organisation and societal actors.

Question 47

How did external financial resources influence state-building in 19th-century Latin America?

Answer 47

Hindered the development of robust state capacity by relying on foreign loans and customs revenues instead of domestic taxation.

Question 48

What role did pre-existing state organisational capacity play in state-building outcomes?

Answer 48

Weak state apparatus often led to political instability and chaos rather than state consolidation.

Question 49

How did class alliances affect the relationship between war and state formation?

Answer 49

The absence of stable class alliances impeded state-building, as dominant elites resisted taxation and central authority.

Question 50

Why were Latin American states reliant on customs revenues?

Answer 50

Due to ease of collection and lower likelihood of provoking popular protest compared to direct taxes.

Question 51

What were the typical outcomes of wars in 19th-century Latin America compared to Europe?

Answer 51

State bankruptcy, increased debt, and failure to develop robust domestic tax systems.

Question 52

What were some exceptions to the pattern of war not leading to state-building in Latin America?

Answer 52

* Argentina in the latter half of the 19th century * Brazil's unique path to independence * Paraguay under early dictators