John W. Sherman is a historian with expertise in twentieth-century Mexico. Sherman earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in 1994 prior to returning to his native Ohio to assume a professorship at Wright State University. His recent publications include, The Mexican Right: The End of Revolutionary Reform, 1929-1940, and "The Mexican `Miracle' and its Collapse, 1946-1973" in the Oxford History of Mexico.

• 1 Introduction: "Why Is Latin America Poor?, Part I Historical Latin America, 2 A People of Conquest, 3 The Colonial Centuries, 4 Progress and Populism, Part II Revolution and Counterrevolution, 5 Nationalism and the Military Response, 6 Revolution in Central America, 7 Christianity and Counterinsurgency, Part III Contemporary Latin America, 8 The Politics of Control, 9 Big Money: Debt and Wealth Extraction, 10 Latin America in Perpetual Crisis, Epilogue: A Strange World

John W. Sherman is a historian with expertise in twentieth-century Mexico. Sherman earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in 1994 prior to returning to his native Ohio to assume a professorship at Wright State University. His recent publications include, The Mexican Right: The End of Revolutionary Reform, 1929-1940, and "The Mexican `Miracle' and its Collapse, 1946-1973" in the Oxford History of Mexico.

• 1 Introduction: "Why Is Latin America Poor?, Part I Historical Latin America, 2 A People of Conquest, 3 The Colonial Centuries, 4 Progress and Populism, Part II Revolution and Counterrevolution, 5 Nationalism and the Military Response, 6 Revolution in Central America, 7 Christianity and Counterinsurgency, Part III Contemporary Latin America, 8 The Politics of Control, 9 Big Money: Debt and Wealth Extraction, 10 Latin America in Perpetual Crisis, Epilogue: A Strange World