Final - November 28 - Conclusion: Spain and Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity Flashcards
Spain at the Dawn of Modernity (full slide)
The End of the Empire? Spain had lost most of its American possessions by 1821, only 13 years after the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars – However, it still possessed Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines – To these territories, it will add new territories in Northern Africa and Equatorial Guinea in the 19th Century – However, it would never become a major military power again
An Economic Catastrophe: The devastation caused by the Peninsular War against the French in terms of human life and industrial resources and the loss of its colonial markets exacerbated the gulf between Spain and the industrialized economies of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany
A Political Outsider? Traditional historiography has tended to underline the singularity of Spanish political evolution, especially when compared to that of France – However, politics in Spain were not so different from most of their European counterparts – Liberal and Conservatives fought for hegemony and had to confront the rise of socialist and communist forces – The battle between Democracy and Authoritarianism was as pronounced in Spain as in other parts of Europe
Old identities, new expressions – The 19th Century also saw the rise of a centralist liberal/conservative State that found itself at odds with peripheral demands for autonomy and the emergence of both Spanish and Catalan/Basque contemporary Nationalism
The Birth of Romantic Spain – No longer a military threat, the diversity of Spain became a magnet for European Romantics who contributed to the idea that “Spain is different” and helped to perpetuate certain stereotypes about the Spaniards – Spanish literature and art will experience a second Golden Age at the beginning of the 20th Century as epitomized by the figures of Picasso and Lorca
spain at the dawn of modernity
explain The End of the Empire
Spain had lost most of its American possessions by 1821, only 13 years after the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars – However, it still possessed Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines – To these territories, it will add new territories in Northern Africa and Equatorial Guinea in the 19th Century – However, it would never become a major military power again
spain at the dawn of modernity
explain An Economic Catastrophe
The devastation caused by the Peninsular War against the French in terms of human life and industrial resources and the loss of its colonial markets exacerbated the gulf between Spain and the industrialized economies of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany
spain at the dawn of modernity A Political Outsider
Traditional historiography has tended to underline the singularity of Spanish political evolution, especially when compared to that of France – However, politics in Spain were not so different from most of their European counterparts – Liberal and Conservatives fought for hegemony and had to confront the rise of socialist and communist forces – The battle between Democracy and Authoritarianism was as pronounced in Spain as in other parts of Europe
spain at the dawn of modernity Old identities, new expressions
The 19th Century also saw the rise of a centralist liberal/conservative State that found itself at odds with peripheral demands for autonomy and the emergence of both Spanish and Catalan/Basque contemporary Nationalism
spain at the dawn of modernity The Birth of Romantic Spain
No longer a military threat, the diversity of Spain became a magnet for European Romantics who contributed to the idea that “Spain is different” and helped to perpetuate certain stereotypes about the Spaniards – Spanish literature and art will experience a second Golden Age at the beginning of the 20th Century as epitomized by the figures of Picasso and Lorca
Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity (full slide)
The Breakup of Spanish America: The four Viceroyalties created by the Bourbon Reforms broke up in multiple nations controlled by local elites that tended to congregate in the capital cities of the old colonial “Audiencias” – Those nations/elites often battled each other for control of the territory
The Liberal/Conservative divide: Internally, Local elites were deeply divided between those who defended a liberal/”democratic” order (including separation of Church and State, freedom of religion, some popular representation, limited agrarian reform,) and those who favored a conservative order (Catholic nature of the State, class privileges, very limited popular representation) – Liberals were often associated with the merchant class/ Conservatives were often associated with the large landholders- Civil wars between those two groups became common.
Liberalism, Foreign Debt, and Neocolonialism: The implementation of liberal economic policies opened Latin America to British and later American manufactured goods much cheaper and of better quality than those produced locally – Most local industries collapsed – Latin America became an exporter of raw materials – There was a commercial class and a landowners class, but the development of an industrial/capitalist class was stopped in its tracks – The need to finance the new States and sheer corruption led to massive borrowing by the political elites of the new Latin American countries – Key sectors of the economy became under control of foreign interests
Political disenfranchising: Regardless of the promises made during the wars of independence, large sections of the Latin American society became disenfranchised. They did become citizens of a Republic, but lacked genuine self-representation
Land concentration, inequality, and agrariar reform: In mainland Spanish America, the few legal protections offered to indigenous communities by the Spanish crown were dismantled. White landowners were able to expand into indigenous lands. Disenfranchisement, land concentration, and foreign intervention became the main problems of Latin America during the 19th and 20th centuries
Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity
explain The Liberal/Conservative divide
Internally, Local elites were deeply divided between those who defended a liberal/”democratic” order (including separation of Church and State, freedom of religion, some popular representation, limited agrarian reform,) and those who favored a conservative order (Catholic nature of the State, class privileges, very limited popular representation) – Liberals were often associated with the merchant class/ Conservatives were often associated with the large landholders- Civil wars between those two groups became common.
Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity
explain Liberalism, Foreign Debt, and Neocolonialism
The implementation of liberal economic policies opened Latin America to British and later American manufactured goods much cheaper and of better quality than those produced locally – Most local industries collapsed – Latin America became an exporter of raw materials – There was a commercial class and a landowners class, but the development of an industrial/capitalist class was stopped in its tracks – The need to finance the new States and sheer corruption led to massive borrowing by the political elites of the new Latin American countries – Key sectors of the economy became under control of foreign interests
Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity
explain Political disenfranchising
Regardless of the promises made during the wars of independence, large sections of the Latin American society became disenfranchised. They did become citizens of a Republic, but lacked genuine self-representation
Latin America at the Dawn of Modernity
explain Land concentration, inequality, and agrariar reform
In mainland Spanish America, the few legal protections offered to indigenous communities by the Spanish crown were dismantled. White landowners were able to expand into indigenous lands. Disenfranchisement, land concentration, and foreign intervention became the main problems of Latin America during the 19th and 20th centuries
