ABSTRACT
LATIN AMERICA MIGHT be seen as a museum of politics, having experi-enced just about every form of state categorized by political scientists. Military governments, electoral democracies, revolutionary regimes, charismatic dictatorships, and even monarchies have existed, sometimes side by side in its history. However, there are several features of Latin American political culture and its social structure that have been visible in just about all types of regimes in the region: a tendency toward personalism in leadership styles and relationships of power; more pronounced inequality than in other parts of the world, even poor regions; and concern about external intervention, often manifest in attempts by leaders to rally people around defense of national sovereignty.
