Richard J. Walter - Böcker

The period of 1960 to 1975 was a time when the United States paid more than the usual amount of attention to relations with Latin America, contending with Fidel Castro’s efforts to export the revolution and with Salvador Allende’s efforts to establish a socialist government in Chile, for example. During this turbulent era, U.S. relations with Peru were fraught with tensions and difficulties, too: the Kennedy administration wrestled with the question of how to deal with the military regime that took over by coup in 1962, the administration of Lyndon Johnson tangled with Peru over its expropriation of the International Petroleum Company and its effort to establish a two-hundred-mile limit for its territorial waters, and the government under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford had to contend with the policies of a reformist military regime that took an even harder line on expropriation and fishing rights than its civilian predecessor. Using newly declassified records from the U.S. State Department as well as records from the archives of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, supplemented by interviews with participants from both sides, Richard Walter provides a nuanced look at the complexities of Peruvian-U.S. relations during this important period, highlighting especially the hitherto neglected role of the ambassadors from each country in managing the relationship and influencing the outcomes.

In the early part of the twentieth century, Argentina's Socialist Party became the largest and most effective socialist organization in Latin America. Richard J. Walter's interpretive study begins with the party's origins in the 1890s, traces its development through 1912, and then offers a comprehensive analysis of its activities and programs during the almost two decades of civilian, democratic government that ended with the military coup of 1930. His aim has been to provide a detailed case study of a Latin American political party within a specific historical context. The work gives particular attention to the nature of party leadership, internal party organization, attempts to win the support of the Argentine working class, party activities in national elections and the National Congress, and internal disputes and divisions. In discussing these topics, Walter draws heavily on government documents, including national and municipal censuses, ministerial reports, and the Argentine Congressional Record. He also makes extensive use of national and party newspapers and journals, political memoirs, and collections of essays by party leaders. Walter concludes that the party enjoyed relative electoral and legislative success because of efficient organization, capable leadership, and specific, well-reasoned programs. On the other hand, it failed to create a firm working-class base or to extend its influence much beyond Buenos Aires, mainly because of its inability to relate adequately to the needs of the proletariat and to the growth of nationalist sentiment. The analysis of these successes and failures also provides an important background for understanding the rise to power of Juan PerÓn and Peronism.

Buenos Aires is Argentina's national capital and largest city. This book, first published in 1994, describes the development of the city during the period from 1910 to the early 1940s. It focuses on the role of politics and local government in the evolution of the city, detailing elections, party competition, and debates on important public works issues. The political story is set within the larger context of the overall growth of the capital. This is the first work to cover comprehensively the history of the city for this period and the first to concentrate on the neglected topic of local government.

Buenos Aires is Argentina's wealthiest, largest, and most populous province, and has long been the key prize in all major electoral struggles, has received little scholarly attention. This first account of its political history between 1912 and 1943 underscores its role as a vital factor in national political life. Particular attention is given to the part the province has played in national presidential elections, the relationship between provincial administrations and the national government, and the struggle between the two principal political parties, the Partido Conservador and the Union Civica Radical, which vied for control of the province during the early part of this century. Based on a wide range of sources, including newspapers, government documents, archival sources, and personal interviews, the book describes the fascinating political interplay of competing forces in the most important electoral arena of one of Latin America's most important countries.

Buenos Aires is Argentina's national capital and largest city. This book, first published in 1994, describes the development of the city during the period from 1910 to the early 1940s. It focuses on the role of politics and local government in the evolution of the city, detailing elections, party competition, and debates on important public works issues. The political story is set within the larger context of the overall growth of the capital. This is the first work to cover comprehensively the history of the city for this period and the first to concentrate on the neglected topic of local government.

From 1891 to 1941, Santiago—Chile's capital and its largest and most important city—experienced rapid urbanization, industrialization, and administrative expansion along with a massive internal migration that had significant social and economic consequences for the city. This book is the first study to focus on this important period in Santiago's history. Drawing on a wide range of original research, the book describes the growth of the city, both demographically and physically, and highlights the role of the local administration in this process.Histories of urban politics are relatively rare for both Chile in particular and Latin America in general, and this study seeks to fill these gaps. Some of the topics covered include the impact of Chile's complex multi-party system on local administration, the role of corruption in the management of city affairs, the relationship between the municipality and powerful foreign interests, the emergence of economic nationalism, and the pioneering part played by women both as voters and as elected officials in the capital's governance.