Sixth Book: Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr.´s ¨Central America: A Nation Divided¨
Motivated by a desire to understand more completely the history of Central America, I picked up Kamilla´s copy of Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr.´s ¨Central America: A Nation Divided.¨ This single volume sums up the history of region in an accessible, if rather dry, format.
Beginning with the indigenous people and their first encounter with the Spanish, Woodward traces the heritage of Spanish colonialism, the turmoil and civil wars that accompanied independence, the rise of coffee and banana, and the oligarchs that profited from these commodities, finally closing with the social revolutions of the 20th centuries that challenged these power structures. He presents Central America as a region with the potential for unity and prosperity, but a place marred by ongoing poverty, violence, and division.
Woodward does a fine job of noting how foreign influences (notably Britain and the U.S.) repeatedly intervened to ensure governments that backed their commercial interests. He explains how foreign governments and corporations used their influence to alter the course of events--stealing elections, eliminating threats, and repressing the local people. He also does a good job of sketching out the internal divisions and conflicts present in these states between Liberals and Conservatives, and how these rivalries emerged and morphed over time.
Unfortunately, the book becomes a bit confusing during Woodward´s dissection of 20th century socialist movements: He focuses too much on the names of the presidents elected and the factions vying in the political arena so that he obscures many of the larger social trends ongoing during this time. And I found a significant part of this analysis troubling because he glosses over the repression and violence of right wing dictatorships without emphasizing the full nature of the abuses of these regimes.
¨Central America: A Nation Divided¨ is indeed a book worth reading, as it is full of information for a curious reader. In particular, he considers the concept of Central American unity and places the idea in a historical context. But it is also a rather slow-going account, and thus most appropriate for those with a sustained interest in the subject matter.
(Next up: Truman Capote´s ¨In Cold Blood¨)
Beginning with the indigenous people and their first encounter with the Spanish, Woodward traces the heritage of Spanish colonialism, the turmoil and civil wars that accompanied independence, the rise of coffee and banana, and the oligarchs that profited from these commodities, finally closing with the social revolutions of the 20th centuries that challenged these power structures. He presents Central America as a region with the potential for unity and prosperity, but a place marred by ongoing poverty, violence, and division.
Woodward does a fine job of noting how foreign influences (notably Britain and the U.S.) repeatedly intervened to ensure governments that backed their commercial interests. He explains how foreign governments and corporations used their influence to alter the course of events--stealing elections, eliminating threats, and repressing the local people. He also does a good job of sketching out the internal divisions and conflicts present in these states between Liberals and Conservatives, and how these rivalries emerged and morphed over time.
Unfortunately, the book becomes a bit confusing during Woodward´s dissection of 20th century socialist movements: He focuses too much on the names of the presidents elected and the factions vying in the political arena so that he obscures many of the larger social trends ongoing during this time. And I found a significant part of this analysis troubling because he glosses over the repression and violence of right wing dictatorships without emphasizing the full nature of the abuses of these regimes.
¨Central America: A Nation Divided¨ is indeed a book worth reading, as it is full of information for a curious reader. In particular, he considers the concept of Central American unity and places the idea in a historical context. But it is also a rather slow-going account, and thus most appropriate for those with a sustained interest in the subject matter.
(Next up: Truman Capote´s ¨In Cold Blood¨)
posted by Hayden @ 1:00 AM
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