Category Archives: Latin American History

Today in Even Worse, More Inaccurate Historical Analogies (or, “Pinochet Wasn’t a Populist”)

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Colin M. Snider

I thought “Trump is a populist/caudillo (because that’s the same thing)” would be the dumbest historical/political analogy I would read yesterday. Sadly, I was wrong: Better than most, the people of Latin America know how to spot a caudillo, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin America, Latin American History, Latin American Politics, United States | Comments Off on Today in Even Worse, More Inaccurate Historical Analogies (or, “Pinochet Wasn’t a Populist”)

Today in Terrible and Inaccurate Historical Analogies (or, “Trump is not a Caudillo”)

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Colin M. Snider

Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial by David Lunhow arguing that Donald Trump’s campaign is reminiscent of Latin American caudillos, primarily because he has some superficial similarities with populists. There’s so much historically wrong in here. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin America, Latin American History, Latin American Politics | 1 Comment

A Brief History of Brazilian Independence

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

Today is the 193rd anniversary of Brazilian Independence. For those unfamiliar with the general story of independence in Brazil (and its unusual path), I wrote a brief primer back in 2011.

Posted in Brazil, Latin American History | Comments Off on A Brief History of Brazilian Independence

Get to Know a Brazilian – Eduardo Gomes

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. Eduardo Gomes was born in 1896 in Petrópolis, the Imperial summer base of Brazil’s monarchy, in the mountains just north of Rio de Janeiro. His father had … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries | Comments Off on Get to Know a Brazilian – Eduardo Gomes

Get to Know a Brazilian – Antônio de Siqueira Campos

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. Building off of last week’s focus on João Cândido Felisberto, this week we look at another key figure in the history of military figures and rebellion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries | Comments Off on Get to Know a Brazilian – Antônio de Siqueira Campos

Twenty-First Century Monarchists

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

While the protesters demanding the military intervene and overthrow Dilma Rousseff amidst corruption scandals that seem to have infected all of political life (even if they in fact have not), they are not in fact the most out-of-touch pro-impeachment protesters in … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Latin American History, Latin American Politics | Comments Off on Twenty-First Century Monarchists

Get to Know a Brazilian – João Cândido Felisberto

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

This post also appears at Lawyers, Guns & Money João Cândido Felisberto remains one of the more overlooked figures in one of the more overlooked periods of Brazilian history. However, his life offers much insight into the transitional nature of … Continue reading →

Posted in "Modernity", Brazil, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries, Race in Brazil, Race in the Americas, Weapons and Arms in Latin America | Comments Off on Get to Know a Brazilian – João Cândido Felisberto

On Volkswagen’s Ties to the Brazilian Dictatorship

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Colin M. Snider

I recently received an email about Volkswagen’s ties to the Brazilian military regime, documented in the final report of Brazil’s National Truth Commission  (Comissão Nacional da Verdade – CNV), available for full viewing/download here. Stories of Volkswagen’s ties to the military regime and its … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Latin American History, Military Dictatorships, Multinational Corporations in the Americas, São Paulo, Truth Commissions | Comments Off on On Volkswagen’s Ties to the Brazilian Dictatorship

Brazil’s Truth Commission – A Roundup

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Colin M. Snider

Yesterday, on International Human Rights Day, Brazil’s National Truth Commission (Comissão Nacional da Verdade) concluded and submitted its report after over two years of work across 14 work groups and thousands upon thousands of hours of interviews, fact-finding, document-collecting, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries, Latin American Politics, Memory Struggles, Military Dictatorships, Truth Commissions | Comments Off on Brazil’s Truth Commission – A Roundup

Others’ Thoughts on The Economist’s Foolishness over History and Memory

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Colin M. Snider

I wasn’t the only one who objected to the various arguments made in The Economist’s piece yesterday about how “Memory is not history.” There were several other thoughtful pieces that tackle the issue from different angles. Lillie deals with the false … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin American History, Military Dictatorships | Tagged , | Comments Off on Others’ Thoughts on The Economist’s Foolishness over History and Memory