Liberal Thought in Argentina, 1837-1940

The anthology of 37 documents, in full or excerpted, comprise a reader on liberal thought in Argentina during the century. They are presented in chronological sections on liberalism during the dictatorship of Rosas (1837-50), the framework of the national constitution (1852-60), liberalism in a new nation (1857-79), liberalism in government and in opposition (1880-1910), and liberalism on the defensive (1912-40). The editors remind readers that those expressing liberal ideas tended to be politicians rather than academics, so the quality and consistency of the arguments were not always of the highest quality; that liberal expositions took place in the context of debates in building key institutions; and that the ideas were borrowed from Europe and the US, so had to be adapted to conditions in Argentina. Annotation c2014 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)