ABSTRACT
The state as the outcome of a process of conflict has to be analysed from an historical perspective. This particular view is discussed in the following pages with regard to the historical development of the Latin American state, emphasising the changes in social relations and the modifications of the social contract that have taken place by looking at both the economic structures that have been established and the values that have emerged. The chapter presents a brief historical context drawn from the experiences of pre-Columbian societies and Iberian colonialism, followed by a discussion of the Import Substitution Industrialisation (ISI) strategy applied from the mid-twentieth century. This is followed by a critical analysis of the influence of bureaucratic authoritarianism and the recent emphasis on democratisation. The economic and social performance of some Latin American countries during the 1980s and 1990s is highlighted in order to reveal some of the tendencies and weaknesses of the contemporary Latin American state.
