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334 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. v (1961)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0334 and id is 1 raw text is: FOREWORD The term revolution has become almost synonymous with Latin America in the minds of the general public in the United States. The concept which has pre- vailed is that Latin-American revolutions involve no more than shifts in power through violence from one faction to another within a small elite of military men, large landholders, and churchmen. Although the prevalence, frequency, and sig- nificance of this type of revolution were greatly exaggerated in the public mind, the concept, nevertheless, of the nature of Latin-American revolutions was generally correct when applied to those which took place during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, beginning around 1910 in isolated cases like Mexico and Uruguay and more generally during the depression years of the 1930's in much of the remainder of Latin America, Latin-American leaders embarked upon more fundamental revolutions, sometimes peacefully, sometimes with violence, which aimed at bringing about basic changes in the nature of their societies. They have sought a reorientation of the colonial-feudal economies of their nations in order to make them less dependent upon the outside world and to raise the generally depressed standard of living of the masses of their peoples. Programs of indus- trialization, diversification, and technological innovation were undertaken along with those for the expansion of public education and the introduction of medical aid, social security, and low-cost housing. As these programs were implemented, basic alterations took place in the political and social structures of a number of Latin-American nations. Groups formerly less privileged in Latin America now began to assume positions of greater political importance. They also developed strong aspirations for removing existing inequali- ties in their societies and improving their own conditions. The rapidity with which these fundamental changes have taken place in Latin America, particularly since World War II, is sufficient reason for describing them as revolutions. An intense spirit of nationalism has been an important force providing both motivation and cohesion to these revolutions for basic social, economic, and political change. Economic development has been justified on the grounds that it would make the nation less dependent upon foreign influences. It has been claimed that, if the nation is to be strong and independent, its citizenry must be healthy, well fed, and educated. Disparate political interests have co-operated for the national interest and against the foreign enemy. It is, therefore, accurate to describe the fundamental changes which have been occurring as Latin America's nationalistic revolutions. While these revolutions were gaining momentum in Latin America in the postwar period, the general public in the United States, preoccupied with recurring crises in Europe, the Near East, and the Orient, was little aware of their significance. However, South American reactions to Vice-President Nixon's good will trip in 1958 and the anti-United States, pro-Communist orientation of the Castro revolu- tion in Cuba have shocked the public into a realization that relations between the United States and the nations of Latin America have suffered serious deterioration since the halcyon days of the Good Neighbor policy. Looking back at the post- war years, it is clear that Latin America's nationalistic revolutions have been at the core of most of the major problems which the United States has faced in its

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