In this fascinating book, Carlos Uribe Celis argues persuasively that the third decade of the twentieth century was a “key, fundamental, new, singular, and strategic period in Colombian history” (p. 20). He begins by reviewing post-World War I intellectual, political, and social trends in the Western world and more specifically in Latin America. Then, relying primarily on articles and opinions expressed in contemporary newspapers, he assesses the impact of these trends in Colombia by tracing developments in politics, intellectual thought, education, architecture, painting, science, technology, and popular culture throughout the decade. He concludes that the urban minority, especially the cultural elites, were most affected by the changes that occurred. However, he maintains that the growth of labor unionization, urbanization, proletarianization of the peasants, socialism, and indigenist movements was substantial enough to herald the arrival of the twentieth century in even the most remote areas of the nation.
Uribe Celis, a sociology professor at the Universidad Nacional with a degree from Cambridge in economic development, highlights many topics long ignored by historians. His tantalizingly brief discussions of the impact of jazz on earlier musical forms, the development of feminism, the introduction of the automobile and the airplane, the increasing popularity of soccer, and the impact of North American–inspired architecture suggest that these are subjects worthy of more intensive investigation. There is effective use of illustrations. For example, the juxtaposition of photographs of feminine fashion at the beginning and end of the decade reveals a dramatic shortening of hemlines, and the reproduction of selected political cartoons by Ricardo Rendón provides a unique commentary on the foibles of the Miguel Abadía Méndez administration. At times the book disintegrates into an encyclopedia-like list of facts, and the inclusion of a bibliography would have increased its utility. Nevertheless, the narrative is free of jargon and immensely readable. Uribe Celis has succeeded admirably in recreating the atmosphere of the ’20s, a feat that will be appreciated by browsers as well as social historians.
