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A Model Country


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Questions | Bibliography

Chapter Reference: Nationalism

Uruguay underwent an extraordinary transformation in the early 1900s. From its origins as a buffer state between Argentina and Brazil through the 1870s, Uruguay had been among the most conflictive countries of Latin America, a country dominated by caudillos, gauchos, and frequent civil wars. The extraordinary figure of President José Batlle y Ordóñez changed all that. In his first term in office, 1902-1907, Batlle defeated the last important caudillo challenger to the power of the central government. He then oversaw the creation of a welfare state that became the envy of Latin America, making Uruguay, and most especially Montevideo, one of the hemisphere's most literate and most securely middle-class societies. The story does not end there, unfortunately, because some of the reforms proved economically unsustainable. Still, Batlle's was among the most remarkable reformist regimes in all of Latin American history. Students approaching this period of Uruguayan history could begin by asking how Batlle came to power and how he maintained political support during his two terms in office, and then explore the benefits of the welfare state he created and the problems that undermined it in the second part of the century.

Questions for Analysis and Research:

  1. How does Batlle's defeat of the last important caudillo on horseback—Aparicio Saravia—fit into the broader history of the Río de la Plata and of Latin America at the turn of the century?


  2. What characterized the welfare state that Batlle successfully created, and what institutions helped make Uruguay a middle-class society and the most literate country in Latin America?


  3. The reforms of the early 1900s resulted in widespread social benefits. What factors later led to the decline of Uruguay's status as a model country?

Bibliography:

Two books by Milton Vanger chronicle the presidencies of Batlle and the transformations they accomplished, making Uruguay a model country.

José Batlle y Ordóñez of Uruguay: The Creator of His Times, 1902-1907. Cambridge, MA:
           Harvard University Press, 1963.

The Model Country: José Batlle y Ordeñez of Uruguay, 1907-1915. Hanover, NH: Published
           for Brandeis University Press by University Press of New England, 1980.


Other Resources:
Uruguay
Gauchos and Caudillos