Democracy in Latin America, 1760-1900. Volume I, Civic Selfhood and Public Life in Mexico and Peru. CARLOS A. FORMENT, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Abstract

In this densely written monograph the author claims to have established a revisionist interpretation of Latin America’s 19^thcentury. He rejects strongly the “conventional” view that by 1900 Latin America was suffering from a “colonial legacy” that prevented a smooth transition to democracy in the new century. Although Latin America is used in the title, in fact the focus is only on Spanish America. Brazil does not merit a mention.