Military in Politics

Military in Latin American Politics: Military is the most powerful political actor during the 19th century had two important characteristics:

(i) at times militaries were part of the dominant oligarchic interests and got involved in conflicts that caused frequent civil wars.

At others, they were also regional or personal organizations. In the Central American republics, armies were created to defend the political and economic domination of the oligarchies. 

In Argentina and Mexico, armies evolved as an institution, with its own stakes and share in the political and economic resources of the republics.

(ii) National armies stayed above the factional politics of the oligarchy. They played the role of a moderating power.

When conflicts happen, the militaries would also assume power, but only temporarily until civilians were able to work out new political arrangements for governance.

The role of a chief moderator was particularly the feature of Brazilian politics after the abdication of the emperor in 1889.

Although most countries had set up military academies within the first quarter of a century after independence, armed forces had a low level of professionalization.

Towards the end of the 19th century and particularly in the first two decades of the 20th century, military academies-patterned after the German and French academies-produced a more professional officer corps. 

In the past, officer corps had come generally from the land-owning families, but now they were increasingly drawn from urban middle-class backgrounds.

Factions such as Conservative and Nationalist’ or Progressive’ began crystallizing in the armed forces of most countries.

The professionalism in armed forces grew but they continued to play a role in politics and exercised their moderating power.

They staged military coups in some countries as it happened in Argentina in the decade of the 1930s.

By the 1950s, the role of the military has changed. They had to counter insurgency and look after the internal security of the nations against the so-called ‘communist threats.

These roles were influenced by the pattern of a relationship with the US in terms of training, indoctrination and weapons before the Second World War.

The armed forces had new concerns with regard to the nation-building processes, important economic development and engineering a conducive polity for that, and internal security against ‘subversive elements. 

Higher military academies in Brazil and Peru had even shown concerns for conditions of underdevelopment and the necessity for social and economic ‘reforms for long term internal security and economic development of their countries.

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