Congresses versus caudillos : the untold history of democracy in Latin America, with special emphasis on New Granada (Colombia), 1830–60. A new research agenda

Journal article

Since its origins, congresses played significant roles in the emerging states of Latin America following independence from Spain. Yet their protagonism has been overshadowed by the so-called caudillos, the strongmen who seem to have dominated the politics of the region during most of the nineteenth-century. This article argues that congresses were central political actors in Latin America during the century and it does so by examining their various functions. Congresses served to form governments, to define the legislative agenda, to limit the power of the executive. Congress was the institution around which political parties and their leaders were formed, while the practices of representative government developed.

Authors: Posada-Carbó, E

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Journal: Parliaments, Estates and Representation
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 119-129
• Publication date: 2017-06-24
• Acceptance date: 2017-05-18
• DOI: 10.1080/02606755.2017.1334325
• EISSN: 1947-248X
• ISSN: 0260-6755