The Populist Movement In Latin America

The shift of many Latin American nations away from liberal economic and political models, as well as away from European ideals began with changes in Latin American nationalism and culture and ended in economics. In the beginning of the 20th century many Latin American nations had cultural movements that were challenging the old ideas about racist positivism. In Mexico, there was a significant break with the old Diaz regime that created efforts to present the indigenous past as something to be proud of (Cohen). Nationalistic art grew with the Muralistas and Vasconselos's idea of the Cosmic Race embraced the mixing of all races. In Brazil an example of the break away from European ideals would be Sao Paulo's Modern Art Week in 1922 (Chasteen
These movements challenged the established oligarchial powers and aimed to bring together the interests of the working and middle classes. They were popular because they encouraged nationalism and the growth of industrialization, especially with import substitution industrialization. The Populist movements in Brazil and Argentina under Vargas and Peron are examples of the complete and lasting effects that the break with liberalism had. The changes brought on by these movements completely altered the role of the government, created a general expansion of political participation, shifted the way art and culture were perceived, and helped the massification of media, film, radio, and television (Cohen). The shift away from European economic, cultural, and political ideas was so complete, that even after these leaders passed out of power, the general changes and the shapes of the governments that they had created would last. The change was also very stark in Mexico with the nationalization of the oil industry under PEMEX. However, this break from European ideals was not so strong everywhere. For example, because Venezuela had a strong oil industry, it remained more stable and changed much slower under Gomez. Columbia had developed a stable power sharing scheme between conservatives and liberals who suppressed radical elements until Gaitan gained support and
This was the most pivotal change brought on by the Great Depression. However, this window of time for improvement with import substitution industrialization closed after WW2 ended (Cohen). Populist leaders, who arose during this window, afterwards had weakened economic opportunity caused by US competition. New social concerns had to be addressed and the old oligarchies began to resurface. So, because of that reason, the break from liberal policies and European ideals cannot be said to have been truly complete. However, the changes put in place by those Populist leaders during that window completely changed the course of their countries economic