War, Diplomacy and Informal Empire: Britain and the Republics of La Plata, 1836-1853

David McLean challenges the view that the colonial powers found it more profitable to exercise control in an indirect manner than to administer territories directly, arguing that there were great drawbacks to attempts to use diplomatic means to influence the domestic politics of the nations of Latin America.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 24 February 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The European colonial powers, particularly Britain and France, established a practice in the 19th century to exert hegemony over vast regions of the world by influencing the election of governments favorable to their interests. Latin America was one such region that became an informal empire for the colonial powers. The effectiveness of informal empire has been a subject of debate, with some arguing that it was more profitable for the colonial powers to exercise control indirectly than to administer territories directly. However, David McLean challenges this view, highlighting the drawbacks of using diplomatic means to influence the domestic politics of Latin American nations. He argues that attempts to secure peace and favorable trading arrangements in the Argentine and Uruguay proved challenging due to slow and unreliable long-distance communications, conflicts between European commercial classes and their governments, and the legitimacy of the merging nationalist movements in Latin America. This study offers a fresh perspective on a significant aspect of colonial history and is of interest to historians and those with an interest in international relations.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350184510