I had no prior knowledge of the Caudillos before this week’s readings.

It was interesting to learn that despite being brutal and corrupt that people were attracted to them. The peasant understandable favoured the Caudillos as they weren’t distant like the Spanish crown or government officials in the big cities, and the Caudillos promised to help them in exchange for their loyalty; the people wanted someone to make their voices heard and give them respect, and the Caudillos provided that. They were brutal and corrupt but they gained support by helping the dissatisfied peasantry, and because of their impact on political development it is hard to say whether or not they can truly be labelled as bad.