Argentina: A Short History [Paperback]

Colin M. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

With special focus on political intrigue, military power, and such key figures as Eva Peron and Videla, this is a engaging survey of the driving forces behind Argentina, its dramatic rise, and recent problems.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

That the author of this survey is a specialist in economics--specifically, he is the senior lecturer in Latin American economic history at the London School of Economics--definitely influences his academically rigorous but certainly approachable introduction to Argentina's history. Lewis' emphasis, then, is on economics, which is perfectly suitable for an examination of this South American nation because financial and commercial institutions and policies underlay the development--or, more importantly, the lack thereof--of Argentina as a productive society, perhaps more so than for any other country. The big question for anyone tackling the story of Argentina is, Why has the country experienced a prolonged "failure to sustain growth" despite all its material gifts? In Lewis' analysis, we see that Argentina, despite past mistakes in organizing and sustaining a workable economy, still enjoys the potential of effecting the "bright future" that Argentines, at several points in their national history, have observed far off on the horizon. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Colin M. Lewis is Senior Lecturer in Latin American Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is an expert on social conditions and policy and policy in Argentina and Latin America, and has published widely in these areas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851683003
• ISBN-13: 978-1851683000
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,621,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rather a shallow history of Argentina, March 30, 2010

By 

FAS (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Argentina: A Short History (Paperback)

This is not a good book. As another reviewer pointed out, at best it's an economic history of Argentina, and one that's not particularly short. But even with that limited scope it fails. The book flits about, jumping from era to era and topic to topic, often within the same paragraph. Little or no effort is made to describe events or explain their causes. Instead the author glosses themes in language loaded with jargon that often seems designed to impress or confuse the reader. It's almost like a summary piece on a financial news network that goes on and on but never really says anything.

One image kept popping into my mind as I read this book: a swarm of chaotic fruit flies buzzing over a bowl of decaying bananas. That pretty much sums it up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Snapshot about Argentina, August 7, 2009

By 

Francisco Balduzzi "F. Balduzzi" (Houston, TX, USA.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Argentina: A Short History (Paperback)

Although it is a good snapshot about Argentina's history, sometimes lacks clarity as it is trying to condense too much information in very few pages.