Caudillismo or caudillo it is the system of government implemented and led by a caudillo and is generally linked to the interests of traditional agrarian oligarchies.
Origin
Caudillismo is a very old system and dates back to Ancient Rome. It makes reference to the Roman patrician who owned militias and extensive rural properties, where his plebeian clients lived (hence the association between caudilloism and clientelism).
Therefore, the caudillo (from the Latin capitellus) is the leader of a community, a local or regional political and military chief, leader of private armies and landowner.
Features
Generally, the figure of the caudillo is physically vigorous and disciplined, demonstrating military experience and knowledge that inspire the masses to follow and respect him (bringing them closer to populism).
In most cases, caudilloism is related to the charismatic personification of a leader.
Caudilloism does not follow a defined ideology, and may vary from a liberal and progressive regime to aristocratic reactionaryism.
However, it is almost always characterized by a authoritarian regime, repressor and patronizing.
It seeks, above all, to maintain the privileges of the elites, succeeding the old forms of government without carrying out major structural changes in the social order.
Read too:
Populism
patronage
Caudillismo in Latin America
The phenomenon of caudilloism is notorious in Latin America, considering the countless cases during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In fact, its structures date back to the colonial period. Large landowners held political power from the Cabildos (or Municipal Chambers in Brazil colonial), local corporations with broad administrative and political powers, as well as forming militias to defend their properties.
In Brazil, this phenomenon is synonymous with coronelismo and became more evident with the advent of the Republic in 1889.
Despite the spread of Enlightenment and revolutionary ideals across America, it was only with the Napoleonic Wars, which overthrew the monarchies across Europe, the revolutionary caudillos initiated the independence movements in America Latin.
These leaders belonged to the colonial elite Creole (descendant of American-born Spaniards). They had ample economic power to carry out the independence processes.
In effect, they created free republics, but without actually implementing democracy.
Caudilloism in Latin America was only possible after this break with the European monarchies.
It created a political-spiritual leadership vacuum among Latin Americans because, since they no longer owed their loyalty to the crown, they could place their faith in other leaders.
Thus, after 1825 the rural masses came to be commanded by the leader caudillo, who made use of his charisma and its strength to depose “illegitimate” governments and replace them with regimes (or dictatorships) caudillos.
At the turn of the 19th century, with the establishment of democratic regimes and in Latin America, electoral processes became legitimizing and more rigorous. This, accompanied by growing industrialization, led to a decline in power among the cudilistas.
To know more: Colonelism
Main Warlord Leaders
You main caudillos of the story were:
- the Venezuelans Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) and Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829-1899);
- the Mexicans Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915) and Pancho Villa (1878-1923);
- the Haitian Papa Doc (1907-1971);
- the African Idi Amin (1920-2003);
- the Hungarian Miklós Horthy (1868-1957);
- the Spaniard Francisco Franco (1892-1975);
- the Argentine Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877);
- the Paraguayan Carlos Antonio López (1790-1862);
- the Brazilian Júlio Prates de Castilhos (1860-1903).
