Economic Elites, Political Parties and the Electoral Arena: Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in Comparative Perspective

ISBN-13: 9783031461644 / Angielski

Felipe Monestier

Spis treści

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. 4

1.      Introduction. 7

1.1.       Economic elites and political power. 9

1.2.       Varieties of Partisan Involvement of Economic Elites. 11

1.3.       Effects of Economic Elites Cohesion and Popular Mobilization. 14

1.4.       A Comparative Historical Design. 17

2.      Economic elites, historical paths and links to the electoral arena. 22

2.1. The cohesion of economic elites. 22

2.2. Mobilization of popular sectors. 25

2.3. Causal factors in historical junctures. 29

3. Chile: Economic Elites and Conservative Parties. 38

3.1. The Colonial Roots of Elite Cohesion. 40

3.2. The Independence Juncture: Cohesive Elites and Popular Demobilization. 48

3.3. A Long and Stable Oligarchic Order. 54

3.4. Gradual democratization: cohesion above and demobilization below.. 61

3.5. The Functional Stability of Elite Forms of Political Involvement 74

4. Argentina: Economic Elites and Politics Without Parties. 85

4.1. Late Colonization and Territorial Fragmentation. 86

4.2. The War of Independence: Fragmentation from Above, Mobilization from Below.. 93

4.3. The Long Road to Short-Lived Stability. 103

4.4. Divided Elites, Popular Mobilization and Accelerated Democratization. 116

4.5. Economic Elites and the Strategy of Politics Without Parties. 125

5. Uruguay: Economic Elites Within Polyclass Parties. 135

5.1. Colonial Roots of Elite Weakness. 135

5.2. The Independence process: Popular Mobilization and Volatile Elites. 138

5.3. Economic Elites and the Birth of a Stable Party System.. 147

5.4. The Period of Incorporation, Democracy, and Social Reformism.. 156

5.5. Economic Elites, Polyclass Parties, and Democracy. 174

6.      Conclusions. 188

References. 202

 

O autorze

Felipe Monestier is Assistant Professor at Departamento de Ciencia Política at Universidad de la República del Uruguay. He received his PhD in Political Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and his research focuses on the linkages between Latin American economic elites and parties. 

Blurb

This book delves into the intricate dynamics between economic elites and the political party system in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, particularly during their democratization phases in the twentieth century. It introduces a novel framework for comprehending the diverse political strategies adopted by these countries' economic elites during this critical period. The central premise of this book is that the interplay between the cohesion of economic elites and the mobilization of popular sectors at specific historical junctures profoundly influences the nature of elite political involvement.

While existing literature has extensively discussed the strategies employed by economic elites to safeguard their interests, this book takes a fresh approach by considering three primary configurations of relationships between economic elites and political parties. It explores cases where economic elites are the primary constituency of parties they have founded, as well as instances where upper-class interests are predominantly defended outside the party system through mechanisms such as the armed forces, pressure groups, and lobbying. Additionally, it examines scenarios where economic elites align themselves with parties boasting a polyclass constituency, exerting limited influence over these parties.

This book goes beyond traditional analyses by proposing a theory that elucidates how the interaction between elite cohesion and popular sector mobilization determines the specific forms of elite political involvement. It also charts the historical sequences of this process, emphasizing the evolution of the causal relationship over time.

To illustrate this theory, the book employs a comparative historical analysis, scrutinizing the three aforementioned cases to identify factors that account for the different forms of economic elite political participation. It discerns that the level of cohesion among economic elites and the degree of mobilization among popular sectors are pivotal factors shaping elite-party relationships.

Felipe Monestier is Assistant Professor at Departamento de Ciencia Política at Universidad de la República del Uruguay. He received his PhD in Political Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and his research focuses on the linkages between Latin American economic elites and parties.