https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A11638

With the threat of imperialism still looming in the world during the late 19th century, Liberals in Latin Americas wanted to prove to the world that their nation was progressing. Liberals had created new projects in Latin America to improve the economy of the nation. Latin American nations had become exporters with their raw materials such as coffee beans, sugar and rubber. Liberals had brought a free market economics to their port cities being able to trade with nations across the world. Countries from Europe, the US and other nations throughout the world wanted these materials from Latin America. With it Latin America had gotten strong around their ports, other big cities and mines. It also started to import more goods and start to build up industries. Liberals focused on these areas with new laws and other proposals mainly benefiting people who lived in the areas. New technology is starting to come up in the nations such as the railroad line we see in the photo above. However, the new modern states of Latin America did not benefit everyone who lived there.

This image shows how liberal projects did not always positively affect the people of their nation. In the left side of the image we see a railroad. The railroad shows that Latin America is building infrastructure across the country. This helps boost a country to move items or materials throughout the nation quicker and easier. Latin American nations were mainly exporters at this time with raw materials to European nations and other parts of the world. This liberal project allowed success for many who dealt with trade in Latin America and definitely helped make them successful financially. On the right side of the image we do see a small, underdeveloped town in the rural parts of Latin America. The liberals did not make a big contributions to these parts of their nations. The people were very poor from the rural regions and most worked for the government. These people had to pay taxes to the government and when they could not pay they had to pay off their debt by working for the government. Sending materials and goods to ports so the government and other merchants can sell them and make a fortune. People began to feel disconnected from the government, since many were not allowed to vote and were not guaranteed protection. These same people had a positive relationship  with the caudillos. Liberals had made a big impact on Latin America’s economy, but it did fall short on the cultural aspects of its nation.

With Latin America’s fast growing economy it helped modernize and progress into the trading global markets. This did however, cause setbacks on the cultural aspect of their respective nations. Many in the countryside and rural parts of the nation felt disconnected with the liberals and felt cut out of politics. Many politicians focused on issues within cities and how to improve its global reputation than preserving its indigenous groups and economic mobility to those in the rural parts of the nation. 

Work Cited:

Dawson, Alexander S. Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2022.