When Latins Fight: Why There is No United States of South America

The dawn of the 19th century was a watershed moment. Europe was in the midst of a revolution that would mark the end of autocratic rule. The Industrial Revolution was harnessing new forces that would transform technology, the productive process and the distribution of power. At the same time, the new nations in the Americas that were sprouting from the collapse of the European monarchial system had the resources, scale and scope to become global superpowers. The former colonies in North America coalesced together, despite being of English, French and Spanish origins, to become a leviathan that would reign beyond the end of the 19th century. Yet, South America crumbled into a kaleidoscope of fractious small nations, irrelevant on the international stage. Yet, it could have been different. It could have united into a single entity that would have rivaled the North American giant. Indeed, South America could still become a superpower.