The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America in the Cold War by Greg Grandin is based on the belief that the Cold War was more than just a battle of ideologies, nations and political leaders, but a dramatic struggle waged by everyday people whose illuminating stories were buried.
The past ten years in Latin America have witnessed a major shift to the left in both the halls of government power and society. This transformation resulted in a flurry of newspaper articles and books seeking to explain George W. Bush’s imperial designs, the leftist trend in the region and the dynamics of US-Latin American relations.
A classified cable from the US embassy in La Paz, Bolivia released by WikiLeaks lays bare an embassy that is biased against the Evo Morales government, underestimates the sophistication of the governing party’s grassroots base, and out of touch with the political reality of the country.
The recent right-wing coup attempt in Ecuador shed light on the rupture between President Rafael Correa and the country’s indigenous movements. This rocky relationship demonstrates the challenges of protesting against a leftist leader without empowering the right.
From dynamite-wielding miners in Bolivia to the struggles of landless farmers in Brazil and Paraguay, the new book Dancing with Dynamite discusses the relationship between movements and states in seven different Latin American countries.
Late in the afternoon on September 4th, 1970, Salvador Allende celebrated his election as president of Chile. He told one supporter in the crowd, “Hug me harder, compañera! This is not a time for timidity!”
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019