This book, available in English since 1951, has become a basic reference work on Latin American independence, but its publication in the Spanish language renders a real service to Latin Americans. They need to comprehend the independence of their countries not only in the lives and contributions of their own invaluable leaders but also in the larger framework of the total world perspective of that era: the ideas of the Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions, the era of Napoleon, the machine age, and the decadence of the Spanish commercial and political systems.
Some Latin Americans may carp, as on the jacket of this book, that “en efecto, Kaufmann prácticamente ignora a Bolívar, como personaje y como principal ideólogo político de la revolución hispanoamericana.” At the beginning, however, the author has clearly stated, “A los habitantes de la América Latina, sin duda, debe acreditarse en gran medida el cambio que tuvo lugar en sus destinos.” Nor has Professor Kaufmann slighted the example and assistance of the United States to the cause of Latin American independence. He has merely tried to show that between 1804 and 1828 Great Britain improvised a policy arising from all sorts of motives and commitments which contributed a great deal to the independence of Latin America.
The translation by Jerónimo Carrera is well done and completely faithful to the original edition. This plus the inclusion of the bibliography and index will reserve a place for this edition among the libraries of all Spanish-speaking scholars interested in the exciting period of independence in Latin America. (Originally reviewed in August 1951)
