By: Nathaniel Situ
Sang Phung
Our presentation is to outline the similarities
and differences in the social structure of Latin
American countries. The countries of focus
will be Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
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Chile
Argentina
Brazil
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Through the 1800’s, the country enjoyed
great economic growth.
Between 1825 and 1875 Chile’s external trade
went from $7.5million to $74 million.
The ports of Santiago and Valparaiso were
linked by railroad.
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Populations in the “nitrate zone” grew by
more than 300 percent.
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Politically, everything was still very oligarchic.
President Balmaceda.
During the times of political maneuvering.
Any man age 25 or older have the right to
vote.
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The new form of government would open the door
for the formation of different political parties:
 Radical Party (PR)
 Liberal Party (PL)
 Democratic Party (PD)
 Liberal-Democratic Party (PLD)
 Socialist Workers Party (POS)
 Socialist Party (PS)
 Nationalist Party (PN)
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The PR’s initial support base originally came
from the “urban elite” who had grown tired of
the oligarchic stranglehold on Chilean
politics.
PR became the center of the political
landscape in Chile.
By the end of the century the PR was
attracting urban professionals (i.e. teachers,
accountants, lawyers etc.)
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Socioeconomic and demographic shifts that
drastically changed their society.
The working class experienced this major
growth.
The resulting urbanization boom not only
involved the drastic increase in the number of
people in the working class but also
reorganized the country’s human geography.
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Buenos Aires
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Better Jobs and Pay
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From the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900’s
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Gente Decente [upper class]
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Gente de Pueblo [middle class]
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During this time period the population
multiplied seven times the original number of
people.
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Two main divisions still remained
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Possibility to Change?
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The Man usually was university educated for
a profession, the military, or a clerical post. If
a man elected not to go to the university he
would work, learning the family business
which included ranching, banking, and
exporting.
The women were usually groomed for
domestic duties and did not seek
employment.
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The upper class of society was usually native
born and constituted approximately 5% of
the population.
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The gente de pueblo included all others or
approximately 95% of the population.
These strata which ranged from the somewhat
educated, skilled laborer, marginally skilled, and
illiterate were also determined using the same
criteria
 Children usually remained in the same strata as
their parents because their education was very
limited, sometimes to the six grades of elementary
school and for a few in the lower level, education
ended after the first or second grade.
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Many white- collar workers (i.e. office
employees, clerks and bookkeepers) came
from the gente de pueblo who had actually
been to some secondary school.
A skilled laborer who worked at a trade and
possessed his own tools and equipment was
usually able to achieve a level of economic
independence.
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A recently arrived immigrant usually was the
one who filled the most menial occupation, as
they had little or no education.
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The upper class knew they held “economic
and political power over both city and
nation.”
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It was this social class that produced the
business and political leaders as well as the
national elite.
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Brazil’s social structure was very similar with
the exception of slavery.
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Rio de Janeiro (January River) became the
center of Brazilian society.
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During the time period of the diamond and
gold rush Rio became the trade center of
Brazil.
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Even though Brazil experienced economic
benefit from these “booms” there remained a
large gap between the social classes.
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The coffee plantation and mine owners were
benefiting from cheap rural labor and slaves,
but mostly slaves.
The lives of these slaves were similar and
often worse than peasant laborers in other
Latin American countries. These slaves were
relegated to cramped quarters with terrible
sanitation and sub-standard food in addition
to physical abuse.
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Many slaves remained tied to the land as
sharecroppers
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Former slaves could not leave because of
debt and they had no possibility of ever
owning any land
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Migration towards the country side
Thousand of Immigrants from Europe
Race Mixing
The responsibility for social services of these
people were, then thrust on civil society
rather than the plantation owners
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As with any city with inadequate
infrastructure crime rates rose and living
conditions deteriorated in the lower class.
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The resulting period of time was one of civil
unrest as the wealthy political elites tried to
control the lower classes.
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Chile
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2007 ©
Argentina
http://www.argentina.gov.ar/argentina/portal
/paginas.dhtml?pagina=1669
Brazil
http://countrystudies.us/brazil/30.htm
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/brtoc.html