Britain and Latin America in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Part of the "Studies in Modern History" series, this text examines the relationship between Latin America and Britain during the 19th- and 20th-centuries.

The first full-length survey of Britain's role in Latin America as a whole from the early 1800s to the 1950s, when influence in the region passed to the United States. Rory Miller examines the reasons for the rise and decline of British influence, and reappraises its impact on the Latin American states. Did it, as often claimed, circumscribe their political autonomy and inhibit their economic development? This sustained case study of imperialism and dependency will have an interest beyond Latin American specialists alone.

Part 1 Introduction: the growth and decline of British interests
the evolution of Latin America
questions and controversies
themes of the book. Part 2 The origins of British interest in Latin America - the colonial and independence eras: British trade and the Spanish empire before independence
England and the Portuguese empire in the 18th century
the independence period (1806-1825). Part 3 The British government and Latin America from independence to 1914: the 50 fifty years after independence
the government and Latin America, 1870-1914. Part 4 Latin America and British business in the first half-century after independence: the trade
the merchants
Latin America and the British commercial presence
British investment. Part 5 The merchants and trade, 1870-1914: the merchants
the Latin American export trade
the debate about British exports. Part 6 The investment boom and its consequences: the pattern of investment
Latin American public debt
company formation
consequences and problems of investment. Part 7 Three perspectives on the links with Britain in the boom years - Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Part 8 The first World War and its aftermath: the first World War
the postwar decade - the British viewpoint
the postwar decade - the Latin American viewpoint
Argentina, Brazil and the British connection in the 1920s. Part 9 The loss of British influence - the Great Depression and the Second World War: trade and investment in the 1930s
Argentina, Brazil and Britain in the 1930s
the Second World War
the postwar years. Part 10 The relationship between Britain and Latin America in retrospect: the dynamics of the relationship
questions of imperialism and dependency
epilogue - Britain and Latin America since 1950.