Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America

By the mid-19th century, Progress, in the form of increased foreign investment, trade, and infrastructural development in Latin America, became an economic, political, and social force majeure. As already discussed, though Latin America gained its independence from Spain and Portugal, it remained closely tied to Europe. French culture was still regarded as the epitome of civilization, and British trade provided the first indication of what would later become globalization. During the mid-19th century, the United States was rising as a global power and especially a regional power, and the US, along with Europe, was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. These factors caused reverberations throughout Latin America as governments attempted to balance conservative leanings that maintained a colonial-style society while embracing the financial, technological, and infrastructural progression offered by the Industrial Revolution and increased dealing with foreign nations. On the other hand, liberalism sought not only to embrace these changes, but it also used the idea of Progress to further social change.

Regardless of who was in power, however, the result was a change in hegemony, replacing the caste-system of the colonial era with a class system. In essence, the wealthy remained the wealthy and elite in society since they controlled the finances, and most importantly, had full access to education, which increasingly became the gateway to social and economic advancement. The problem was, of course, that education costs money; thus, the poor remained bound to the farming or labor sectors of the economy with little to no chance for advancement. However, this was not a hard and fast rule. A prime example is found in Benito Juárez, who rose from a poor Indigenous family to become President of Mexico. He could never have achieved such prestige during the colonial era or without liberalism in general, which, though it had not achieved universal access to higher education, had made it possible for a fortunate few to find their ways through the social hurdles meant to keep them obsequious to the social elite.

Progress, brought about by the Industrial Revolution in the US and Europe, began a phase of development in Latin America termed the transportation revolution. In Europe and the US large-scale industry was a marked feature of economic development along with the construction of railroads and other means of shipping. Latin America developed little along the industrial line, as its export economy still relied on goods and materials from the colonial era. It did, however, experience rapid and extensive development in infrastructure. Railroads began crisscrossing the Latin American landscape, funded in large part by foreign investment in key economic sectors, such as mining and agriculture. The railroads not only allowed quicker transportation of goods developed inland, carrying them to major ports along the coast for exportation, they also connected rural areas with urban ones. The effects of railroad construction in Latin America were very similar to those the United States was experiencing in its western States and territories (e.g., California, Colorado, Utah, etc.). During the era of Progress, Latin America experienced much economic development, and its infrastructure expanded, opening the interior of many Latin American nations to other nations and to major urban port centers. However, Progress was also the cause for much political and economic strife throughout the region. Mexico’s turmoil beginning in the 1850s provides ample examples.

Liberalism rode the coattails of Progress. Many witnessed the tremendous change wrought by the railroads and trade with Europe and the US. The economic changes brought about by improved infrastructure, technology, and money resulted in many wanting social change to correspond with the other changes in Latin America. Unfortunately, liberalism was still countered by those wishing to benefit from Progress while maintaining the status quo. The situation was rife for civil way and political infighting. Mexico was already in a precarious position following its defeat by the US and loss of half its territory. Furthermore, the conservative government of Santa Anna, among others, was never stable to begin with. Liberals sought a change, which resulted in the ascendancy of an Indigenous president, Benito Juárez. While Juárez and other liberals were able to enact important legislation that gained increased rights and privileges for poorer Mexicans, they also curtailed the rights and privileges of the Catholic Church, which angered conservatives. The result was a civil war, French interreference, and a short-lived Austrian-born monarch. When the dust settled and the liberal government of Juárez was back in power, it didn’t mean political stability, as the liberals themselves couldn’t always agree on what path the country should take. Though Mexico is a more extreme example, something similar took place in nearly every Latin American nation during the last half of the 19th century. The problems continued into the 20th as well.

The era of Progress appears to have predominantly benefited those who were already in positions of wealth and power and fueled political strife. This is true, but ordinary people benefited from Progress as well. A noticeable group discussed in the book is women. Women never really benefited much during any era. Even wealthy European or Creole women were subject to a strict patriarchal hierarchy that left little to no room for individual development. Progress and liberalism began to change this. Most notable was the life of Gertrudis de Avellaneda (see Key Figures). However, she was not the only woman during this period whose life embodied emancipation from the status quo. Juana Manuela Gorriti was another woman who broke from patriarchal shackles and garnered renown from her writings. Her earlier life was typical for someone in her position. She was Creole, born in Argentina, but lived in Bolivia after her family was forced to flee political trouble. She married a prominent captain in Bolivia, who rose to become president. He left her after nine years of marriage. She then went to Peru and began working as a journalist and publishing short stories. While in Peru, she held meetings with other women to discuss literature and feminism (though it wasn’t called feminism then). She influenced other women who became prominent writers in their own right: Clorinda Matto de Turner and Teresa González de Fanning.