Latin America

A sweeping history of Latin America’s centuries-long battle for freedom Forged by colonial rule, Latin America gained its independence in the greatest cycle of anti-colonial revolution in history. Latin Americans were among the first to ask: how do we create a liberal society from the rubble of conquest and domination? In this masterful history, Timo Schaefer tells the story of a region transformed by shifting borders, political and economic upheaval, and the clash and mingling of cultures. Challenging the idea that Latin America was doomed by its colonial past, Schaefer reveals a far richer and more surprising story: of people who repeatedly fought to make freedom meaningful in their own lives. Latin America takes us from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to liberation under Simón Bolívar and the larger-than-life figures – Eva Perón, Che Guevara, Hugo Chávez – who shaped the region in more recent times. But Schaefer also moves beyond familiar highlights to bring to life the ordinary people often pushed to the margins: slaves, peasants, miners, women, labourers and indigenous litigants. Their persistent quest for justice animates a gripping narrative spanning more than five centuries. Latin America is an epic account of a momentous struggle over law, rights, citizenship, and democracy. At a time when liberal freedoms are once again under threat across the world, Schaefer shows why Latin America’s history matters to us all.