Latin American Dictators of the 20th Century : The Lives and Regimes of 15 Rulers

Throughout the 20th century, the emergence of authoritarian dictatorships in Latin America coincided with periods of social convulsion and economic uncertainty. This book covers 15 dictators representing every decade of the century and geographically from the Caribbean and North and Central and South America. Each chapter covers their personal information (childhood, education, marriage, family...), assumption of power, relationship with the United States, oppression of civilians, and collapse of their regimes. The book also investigates inherent contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: promoting democracy abroad while supporting brutal dictatorships in Latin America. Such analysis requires multiple perspectives and this work embraces an evaluation of the influence of military dictatorships on cultural elements such as art, literature, journalism, music and cinema, while drawing on data from documentary archives, court case files, investigative reports, international treaties, witness testimonies, and personal letters from survivors. The dramatic experiences of courageous individuals who challenged these 15 oppressors are also recounted. Cover 1 Acknowledgments 7 Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 Introduction 16 1. Por
rio Díaz, Mexico (1876–1911) 26 2. Manuel Estrada Cabrera, Guatemala (1898–1920) 39 3. Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, Brazil (1930–1945 and 1951–1954) 49 4. Rafael Trujillo, Dominican Republic (1930–1961) 58 5. Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Venezuela (1952–1958) 71 6. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, Colombia (1953–1957) 81 7. Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, Paraguay (1954–1989) 91 8. The Duvalier Family, Haiti (1957–1986) 105 9. The Somoza Dynasty, Nicaragua (1936–1979) 116 10. Hugo Banzer Suárez, Bolivia (1971–1978 and 1997–2001) 128 11. Juan María Bordaberry Arocena, Uruguay (1972–1976) 140 12. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, Chile (1973–1990) 151 13. Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentina (1976–1981) 164 14. Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemala (1982–1983) 178 15. Manuel Noriega, Panama (1983–1989) 191 Chapter Notes 204 Bibliography 210 Index 216 "This book investigates contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: promoting democracy abroad while supporting dictatorships in Latin America. Such analysis requires multiple perspectives and this work embraces an evaluation of the influence of military dictatorships on cultural elements, while drawing on data from documentary archives, court case files, investigative reports, international treaties, witness testimonies, and letters from survivors" ... Provided by publisher