Description
Book SynopsisThe book offers a general theoretical framework that will be of broad interest to scholars of comparative politics and political development, and its overall argument will stir debate among historians of particular Central American countries.
Trade ReviewFew scholars are bold enough to try to explain 150 years of political development in five different countries, and even fewer succeed at such an ambitious undertaking. James Mahoney admirably pulls off such a feat in his masterful study of post independence political evolution in Central America... His work is to be commended not only as a seminal study of Central American politics, but also as a major contribution to scholarly understanding of critical junctures and path-dependent political development. -- Kenneth M. Roberts Perspectives on Politics A clearly written and insightful monograph, sociologists interested in comparative history will find this a rewarding read... Legacies of Liberalism makes an important contribution to the literature on national development, Latin American political economy, and comparative historical theory. -- William Canak Social Forces 2003 [Mahoney's] comparative historical analysis of political development in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua makes a number of significant contributions. His systematic cross-case comparison is impressive in its breadth. -- Juliet Hooker Governance 2004 A provocative work of historical sociology... Mahoney's book is built around a bold thesis about nineteenth-century economic liberalism as the region's 'critical [historical] juncture.' -- Paul Gootenberg Latin American Research Review 2004
Table of ContentsList of Figures, Maps, and Tables
Preface
Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1. Explaining Political Development in Central America
Chapter 2. The Liberal Reform Period and Its Legacies: A Conceptual Framework
Part II: Antecedent Conditions
Chapter 3. Liberals and Conservatives Before the Reform Period
Chapter 4. Routes to Liberal Political Dominance
Part III: The Liberal Reform Period
Chapter 5. Radical Liberalism: Guatemala and El Salvador
Chapter 6. Reformist Liberalism: Costa Rica
Chapter 7. Aborted Liberalism: Honduras and Nicaragua
Part IV: Legacies of the Liberal Reform Period
Chapter 8. Aftermath: Reactions to the Liberal Reform
Chapter 9. Regime Heritage: Military Authoritarianism, Democracy, and Traditional Dictatorship
Chapter 10. Conclusion: Path Dependence and Political Change
Notes
Select Bibliography of Works on Central American Politics and History
Index
