The government headed by a caudillo is known as caudilloism.
Caudillismo is the caudillo system or the government of a caudillo . The notion of caudillo, for its part, comes from the Latin capitellus and refers to the person who directs a community or body and who acts as a guide or leader.
As a social and political phenomenon, caudillismo developed in Latin America during the 19th century . The caudillos were charismatic leaders who usually accessed power through informal procedures, thanks to the influence they had over the great popular masses. People saw the leader as an unusual man, capable of representing and defending the interests of the entire community.
Caudilloism and power
Many leaders were demagogues and manipulated the population; Behind the promise to ensure the common well-being, to defend the interests of the entire region, hid one's own ambitions, the thirst for power. In certain cases, caudillismo led to dictatorships with harsh repression of opponents. In others, however, caudillismo adapted to the democratic and federal regimes that were established in Latin American countries.
The formalization of the power of the caudillos followed a similar process in several nations: the caudillo's forces confronted the current ruler until he was deposed, then they dissolved the congress under the argument of not responding to the people or the law, and finally the caudillo proclaimed himself provisional president. After a time, the caudillo himself called elections and a new congress was formed, formalizing the power of caudilloism.
Caudilloism was important in Latin America.
Historical figures
Juan Manuel de Rosas in Argentina , Antonio López de Santa Anna in Mexico and José Antonio Páez in Venezuela are some of the historical examples of caudillismo in Latin American territory.
With the consolidation of the nation-state and the fall of regionalisms , caudillismo lost strength and ended up mutating into other types of sociopolitical regimes.
Consequences of caudillism
Caudillismo was characterized by coming to power through force , and that imposition has left scars in many nations. With the establishment of the Republic as the system of organization of the State, a series of errors were committed that also contribute to the unstable nature of the governments, which adds to the vestiges of decades of bloody struggles to obtain the desired scepter .
The republics that today suffer the consequences of caudillismo were born in a terrain of inconsistencies, with a disorganized economy , a political order that bordered on chaos and a total absence of vision for the future and discipline on the part of the government. These are the reasons why they are not capable of applying a democratic regime effectively: they do not fight to ensure freedom for their inhabitants, but they do not admit it either.
Its effects in the present
There are certain features of caudillismo that persist in the present; Such is the case of the search for popularity through the annulment of the opponent's actions , discrediting his campaign to convince the people that a change is necessary. This is the strategic basis of most of today's rulers and, since it is a manipulation of the truth, nothing prevents them from replicating the decisions of their former enemies, once in power, making it clear that they were not really in power. against his behavior .
Another current phenomenon that evokes the days of caudillism is the existence of regionalism , also known as autonomism . It is a political movement that demands that a specific region be defended, distinguished from the rest of a country for cultural and physical reasons, despite accepting the superiority of the nation as a political community. This reality, very strong in certain parts of the world, makes certain unification plans impractical.