A History of Latin America: c.1450 to the Present (Blackwell History of the World) [Paperback]

Peter Bakewell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631231609 | ISBN-13: 978-0631231608 | Publication Date: June 2003 | Edition: 2

This complete history of South and Middle America is now updated to provide fuller coverage of twentieth-century developments in politics and economics, as well as social and cultural life.

• A complete history of Latin America from pre-conquest to the present-day.
  
• Second edition includes new preface, updated bibliography and a new chapter on the 20th century.
  
• Covers political, economic, social and cultural history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bakewell’s revision reaches the present, turning what is already an outstanding treatment of the historical substrata of a vast region into the most enterprising and engaging single-volume history of Latin America... the book offers intriguing surprises and consistently intelligent choices and challenges." Kenneth Mills, Princeton University <!--end-->

"A first rate survey, which I find works extremely well with the beginner as well as the more advanced student. Highly recommended." James Casey, University of East Anglia

"[This book] provides a sophisticated analysis blended with a cogent writing style. Students will appreciate the well organized focus." Dr Salvador Rivera,State University of New York

Book Description

This is the second edition of Peter Bakewells highly successful complete history of South and Central America, which now offers fuller coverage of twentieth-century developments.The book provides a vivid, analytical narrative and is clearly and extensively illustrated with maps and photographs. It describes the environment and peoples of the region before 1500, and the Iberian society which produced the conquerors; presents the story of Columbuss voyages and their aftermath in conquest by the Spanish and Portuguese; and examines the means of European domination, the mature colonial societies of Spain and Portugal and their patterns of development in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.For the second edition the author has revised and greatly expanded the books coverage of the twentieth century, and has included additional illustrations covering the twentieth century and updates to the bibliography to include publications since 1997.This second edition now provides a complete history of the region suitable for all students of Latin America.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631231609
• ISBN-13: 978-0631231608
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better Title: 1450 to 1819( or 1822) with Epilogue, April 3, 2007

By 

Homer Wolfe (Hamburg, Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Latin America: c.1450 to the Present (Blackwell History of the World) (Paperback)

With a more accurate title, I would have happily given this book five stars. It is an informative and enjoable account up to independance from spain and portugal. It highlights differences between viceroyalties and presents a vivid picture of the people & changes in political climates until the early 1800s. After this, the pace becomes hurried and the conclusions vague. To really claim that it covers history to the present, it would need finer graining and more modern material to describe the development of distinct groups of nations. The first three quarters were so good that the postcolonial section was a dissapointment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent colonial history, June 9, 2009

By 

Felipe Valencia (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Latin America: c.1450 to the Present (Blackwell History of the World) (Paperback)

I agree with a past reviewer--Bakewell's is an excellent colonial history. As it enters the postcolonial, modern period, it becomes less so. It lacks detail and information because it covers the last two hundred years too quickly. For colonial history, I insist, it is really good and pithy. In that sense, it might be a helpful introductory reading for a student of the early Latin America.