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Argentina's Tiny Twin
La República Oriental del Uruguay, so-called because it is on the east or "oriental" side of the Uruguay River, is something like a mirror image of Argentina's Buenos Aires Province. The capital, Montevideo, with its excellent natural harbor, historically rivaled the port of Buenos Aires, which had no natural harbor at all. Similarly, Uruguay's cattle herds, watched over by gauchos exactly like Argentine gauchos, rivaled those of Buenos Aires province through the 1800s. Very similar currents of European immigration transformed both areas at the turn of the twentieth century. An expansion of public education made Uruguayan society among the most literate in the Americas during the twentieth century, and Uruguay, like Argentina, suffered a "dirty war" and military dictatorship in the 1970s.
Another aspect set the Uruguayan republic apart. It was created in 1828 partly by British arbitration to separate warring Argentina and Brazil, both of which claimed Uruguayan territory. Its reformist government of 1911—1916 gave Uruguay some of the world's most advanced social legislation and also made Uruguayan society among the world's most secular, while the church retained much greater influence in Argentina. Finally, while Buenos Aires province is part of a much larger nation, Uruguay is not. Its national population is only 3.4 million, smaller than many Latin American cities, and its natural resources are somewhat limited as well. These circumstances have led Uruguayans to wonder aloud, at times, whether their unusual little country was a viable long-term project.
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Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:
- Like Argentina's, Uruguay's nineteenth century is largely the story of liberals from the urban port city battling traditionalists in the countryside and gradually installing liberal rule throughout the nation. One of the keys to this "project" was public education. In broad terms, what were the motivations for developing a system of public education in Uruguay, and where did educational leaders turn to for inspiration?
- Uruguay has the longest-lasting carnival period of any country in the world. Festivities go on for the whole month of February, and among these candombe is one of the big attractions. Though no longer seen in Buenos Aires, candombe gatherings—vivid expressions of Afro Latin American culture—were popular there, too, throughout the nineteenth century. How do the post-independence histories of the African populations in Argentina and Uruguay compare?
- Describe some of the characteristics of the progressive social legislation of the early twentieth century that set Uruguay on the path to becoming "a model country." How have these characteristics held up or been modified since?
Country Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)
Alisky, Marvin. Uruguay: A Contemporary Survey. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1969.
General histories on Uruguay in English do not abound, and the ones that are available are dated. This historical overview is in part an effort to update the earlier work of Russell H. Fitzgibbon (see below). Though an older introduction to Uruguay, it devotes space to cultural questions, like the education system and literature, as well as to more traditional political and economic developments. The bulk of the book focuses on the twentieth century, so those students in search of any sort of substantial historical synopsis of previous moments will have to look elsewhere. A short reading list and index follow the text.
Fitzgibbon, Russell H. Uruguay: Portrait of a Democracy. New York: Russell & Russell, 1966.
This overview of Uruguay is more a series of essays loosely related to historical events, moments, and people, than a general history. It is written in a playful style. The discussion of Uruguay at the middle of the twentieth century is outdated, as are some of the writer's stylistic tendencies.
** Pendle, George. Uruguay, 3rd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1963.
This little book offers a nice introduction to Uruguay, with a historical focus. It begins with a look at the geographical characteristics of Uruguay and then moves quickly through the colonial period and independence to take a more thematic approach, somewhat losing sight of periodization. Though from the early 1960s, the author balances chapters on political and economic themes, like "The Birth of the Welfare State," with ones that deal with "Livestock, Agriculture, and Foreign Trade" and culture. The statistical appendices will not be of much use to students, but the bibliography, organized by them, and chronology, can be a beginning reference for older sources.
** Weinstein, Martin. Uruguay: Democracy at the Crossroads. Boulder, CO: Westview Press,
1988.
As part of the Westview Profiles series on nations in Latin America, this volume is meant to introduce Uruguay to a general audience. Weinstein, a political scientist, orients the chapters and the fairly readable narrative around the theme of democracy and the particular nature of this political system as it has evolved in Uruguay. The first third of the book presents a highly condensed overview of the land, demographic character, economy, arts and culture, and history of Uruguay. The rest of the text concentrates on politics during the twentieth century, especially the transition to dictatorship and then back to democracy. Students will find the first four chapters most useful for a general take on Uruguayan history. Those particularly interested in the military dictatorship will want to focus on the second half of the book. Tables, reference notes, photos, maps, and an index are included. The selected bibliography is not very helpful.
Whitaker, Arthur P. The United States and the Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976.
Despite the title, only the last of the four parts deals with the relations between the U.S. and these countries. The rest of the book is divided into chapters that focus on national histories.
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