warlordism

Society

2022

We explain what caudillismo is, its causes, consequences and other characteristics. Also, differences between caudillo and dictator.

Caudillos like Juan Manuel de Rosas usually exercise power vertically.

What is caudillismo?

Caudillismo is known as a political and social tendency, especially in Latin America, which consists of the autocratic exercise of the can through the prestige or charisma of a strong man, known as leader (from Latin capitellus, "Little head", related to caput, "Head", in the same way that hood, captain, etc.) and control of military forces.

In the caudillo falls all the can of Condition, which is exercised in a paternalistic way. Thus, bend all institutions at will under the premise that he knows what is best for the society whole.

Caudillismo Latin American arose in the nineteenth century, after obtaining independence from Spain, when young women nations Hispanic Americans were taking their first steps toward republicanism.

It was typical of the time for regional caudillos, many of them former heroes of the war for independence, to twist their hands with the governments democratically elected. In this way they pulled the strings of the politics or they were directly elected presidents, a position that they then held for life.

However, what distinguishes caudillismo from other types of dictatorship, is that the caudillo used to be immensely popular among the population, which granted him from the outset the greatest sum of political powers under the promise that he would exercise them with a firm but loving hand.

The identification between the caudillo and the father in this sense was complete. On the other hand, the massive disappointment once the caudillista government was established was also characteristic, so that the people followed another caudillo who overthrew the first and so on.

Although the term was practically invented for the study of history of Latin America, in the strict sense caudillismo can be found in any culture Y geography, especially in pre-modern eras or in those of deep political and institutional crisis. For example, him shogunate of Japanese history or the rule of the Warlords in China are cases of caudillismo in the history of these Asian nations.

Characteristics of caudillismo

Caudillismo, in general, can be characterized by the following:

  • Political power is centered on a single figure: the caudillo. This usually exercises power in a despotic, vertical way, and is usually linked to the military arts and war.
  • The caudillo's government is not democratic and the persecution of dissent is normal. Although it is usually (at least for a time) popular, in the sense that it trusts the will of the caudillo to lead the nation towards a better destiny.
  • The caudillo in some cases can coexist with democratic institutions and other instances of political organization, but in the end his will is always above and ends up prevailing. In the Latin American case, however, the normal thing was that the caudillos closed the congress as soon as they assumed power.
  • The caudillos usually come to power through force, and are sustained in it by the same mechanisms, until a different caudillo has greater influence over the troop and ends up dethroning it.

Causes of caudillismo

The causes of caudillismo can be several, summarized in:

  • The existence of unstable or inefficient democratic republics that fail to gain the confidence of the majority of the population, nor do they exercise true control over the military forces.
  • The end of civil or internal wars in which one faction prevailed over the other, to impose its leader as ruler.
  • Periods of crisis or socio-economic and / or institutional instability, the result of political and social dilemmas that take a long time to resolve, and that the caudillo supposedly comes to remedy.
  • In the Latin American case, the enrichment of the military sectors after the independence victory gave the leader in turn the loyalty of the main military leaders, above his duty to the republican government.

Consequences of caudillismo

Similarly, the most frequent consequences of caudillismo were:

  • The concentration of political and economic power in the caudillo and his lieutenants, which undermines any form of democracy and ends up becoming a dictatorship.
  • The enrichment of the caudillo and his close supporters, and the impoverishment and marginalization of his detractors, which makes it even more complex to remove the caudillo from power. This, however, can sometimes lead to forced distributions of goods to the lower classes.
  • Regionalisms and identities local, then making the task of consolidating a stable and organized nation more difficult.
  • A despotic way of exercising political power and the tendency to enthrone are inherited leaders or to understand the State in a paternalistic way.
  • The imposition through force of a stable, unified political order, although unjust and fierce.

Caudillo and dictator

Although caudillismo and dictatorship are close concepts, especially since the government of a caudillo inevitably ends in repression and loss of freedomsBoth terms are used in a very different sense.

Partly because caudillismo always implies the existence of a caudillo, that is, a charismatic leader of military origin, who despotically exercises power. While dictatorships can be constituted with or without a leader: military dictatorships (in which there may or may not be a caudillo), communist dictatorships (of a one-party and bureaucratized state), civic-military dictatorships (in which power is exercised by a Governing Board), etc.

On the other hand, although they tend to be authoritarian and severe, caudillista governments can stay on a dangerous boundary between democracy and dictatorship, upholding certain institutions as a democratic facade or allowing them a certain margin of freedom. autonomy, although in the end the caudillo always has the last word.

Examples of caudillos

Some caudillos, like Emiliano Zapata, fought for democratic ideals.

Here is a partial list of caudillos from Latin America and Europe:

  • Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877). Argentine military and politician, governor of the Province of Buenos Aires and main leader of the then called Argentine Confederation, between 1835 and 1852. He dominated Argentine national politics directly or indirectly between 1829 and 1852, in the so-called Era of Roses.
  • José Tomás Boves (1782-1814). Military and caudillo of Spanish origin, known in 19th century Venezuela as “the Lion of the Plains”, “the Urogallo”, “the Beast on Horseback” or the “Taita”, he was commander of the Royal Barlovento Army, nicknamed the "Infernal Legion", during the Venezuelan independence (1813-1814). He was a popular caudillo, who availed himself of the enormous resentment of the social classes more casualties against the elites of the time, to rise up in arms against the Second Venezuelan Republic.
  • Francisco "Pancho" Villa (1878-1923). One of the military leaders of the Mexican Revolution, known as the “Centauro del Norte”, had a decisive participation in the overthrow of the then president of Mexico Victoriano Huerta. During the Revolution he commanded the Northern Division, being a leader and provisional governor of Chihuahua.
  • Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919). Another important leader of the Mexican Revolution, was an important peasant leader and commander of the Liberation Army of the South, which is why he was nicknamed "the Caudillo del Sur." Under his command they fought for various social demands and a broader sense of democracy, especially against the tradition inherited from the Porphirate.
  • Francisco Franco (1892-1975). Military and Spanish dictator, commander of the monarchical forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), assumed command of Spain from 1938 to 1975, holding the title of "Caudillo de España". His government was fanatically anti-communist, conservative, and Catholic, and it was responsible for the persecution and murder of its opponents and for all forms of dissent.
!-- GDPR -->