The Caudillos discussed in this week’s readings were interesting to learn about. I had no knowledge of them previous to this week. Reading about the time period, it wasn’t difficult to believe that the nations of Latin America had a tumultuous political time after struggling for independence. The Caudillos were men of the military who came into positions of power through their strong opinions and outspokenness. From what I understand, they appealed to the people on a more local level in ways that the Spanish crown had never been able to because of their distance from the colonies. For this reason I can see why the Caudillos had a certain appeal but because of their brutality I can also see why they were not ideal leaders.
I see where you’re coming from when you say that a significant part of the Caudillo’s success among natives and other residents in Latin America was the fact of how close they were. I agree to a certain extent, since after all it is true that, on the sole basis of effectivity, the Caudillo’s got more done than the national governments, in many cases. In addition, their proximity did allow them to show their ferocity on a personal level as well, promoting violence and dealing with issues in more violent way. As a whole, I agree it’s easy to see why they really weren’t ideal leaders.