South America has had waves of political thought advance and subsequently recede. In the aftermath of the triumph of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin over Spanish colonial domination, South America initially saw limited democracy and republics. In Brazil, benevolent Emperor Pedro II advanced rights faster than the population could have possibly expected, and he remained incredibly popular even after his ouster in a bloodless coup.
This initial wave gave way to the caudillos, military dictators across Latin America who looked the other way as foreign investors ran roughshod over the continent, such as Porfirio Diaz in Mexico. The late-stage caudillos also viewed National Socialism and Italian fascism very favorably, and did not join the Allies until the war’s imminent defeat of right-wing totalitarianism was a foregone conclusion.
Soviet agitation and general discontent helped usher in a wave of socialism and left-wing thought that has only recently begun to give way. While the United States supported the right wing counterparts to these leftists, the end of the Cold War removed the impetus for American intervention against socialists in South America. Brazil, Venezuela, and Uruguay, among others, embraced left-wing policies and constructed formidable welfare states.
It seems this wave may once more be receding. I have discussed the rise of Jair Bolsonaro at great length, but he is not alone in symbolizing a popular revolt against the weak anti-crime stances of Latin American establishment leaders. For instance, in Uruguay, as my article mentioned, the people have heavily backed a petition to add stronger penalties on criminals to their ballot. In Mexico, the voters strongly supported nationalist-populist left winger Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who vowed to crack down on the paralyzing drug wars facing the nation.
Going forward, it remains to be seen if the current wave of anti-crime, socially conservative leadership shall overcome the current social-democratic system within Latin America. If it does, it shall fall right in line with the populist movements spreading across the globe.