When the Haitian Revolution began in 1789, everything south of the newly created United States was under European colonial rule, slavery was an established institution, and the Catholic Church held considerable power over the daily lives of people. However, when the Mexican Revolution began in 1910, Spanish and Portuguese colonialism had collapsed along with slavery, and the power of the church had greatly diminished. New societal institutions emerged that reflected novel ideas about the role of secular nation-states, free market economies, and the meanings of civilization. This course will use scholarly writings, fiction, film, and video to analyze the profound changes that took place in Latin American society during and between these two important revolutions. We will pay attention to the lives of both elites as well as the everyday people who helped to shape the regions history.
