This edited volume studies the relationship between big business and the Latin American dictatorial regimes during the Cold War. The first section provides a general background about the contemporary history of business corporations and dictatorships in the twentieth century at the international level. The second section comprises chapters that analyze five national cases (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Peru), as well as a comparative analysis of the banking sector in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay). The third section presents six case studies of large companies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Central America. This book is crucial reading because it provides the first comprehensive analysis of a key yet understudied topic in Cold War history in Latin America.
Author(s): Victoria Basualdo, Hartmut Berghoff, Marcelo Bucheli
Series: Palgrave Studies In Latin American Heterodox Economics
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: XXII, 408
Tags: Latin American And Caribbean Economics
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Crime and (No) Punishment: Business Corporations and Dictatorships
References
Chapter 2: Business and the Military in the Argentine Dictatorship (1976–1983): Institutional, Economic, and Repressive Relations
The 1976–1983 Dictatorship in Argentina
Intellectual and Institutional Relations Between the Military and Big Business
Economic and Financial Relations Between the Military and Big Business
Business Leadership Participation in Repressive Policies
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 3: Building the Dictatorship: Construction Companies and Industrialization in Brazil
Introduction
Dictatorship, Business Community, and Economic Policies in Brazil
Contractors and Dictatorship: Helping Build Authoritarianism
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Authoritarian Rule and Economic Groups in Chile: A Case of Winner-Takes-All Politics
Introduction
Economic Modernization in Dictatorship
The Dictatorship’s Economic Transformation: Objectives
“First Wave” Privatizations (1974–1979): Reversing the Nationalizations and Company Interventions by the Allende Government
The Privatization of the Pension System
Second Wave Privatizations (1984–1989)
The Continuity of the Economic System Imposed by the Dictatorship
The Weaknesses of the Economic System
Conflicts of Interest
The Revolving Door
Illegal Financing of Politics
Collusion
Use of Privileged Information
Use of Tax Evasion Practices Using Companies Bankrupted in 1982
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Big Business and Bureaucratic Authoritarianism in Uruguay: A Network-Based Story of Policy Infiltration for Self-Preservation
Introduction
From Domestically Oriented Industrialization to Market Liberalization
Big Business and the Mutation of Rent-Seeking Strategies
Historical Evolution of Business Groups and Their Political Influence
The Structure of the Business Community According to a Network Analysis
Direct Political Linkages in Influential Business Groups
Short-Term Budgetary Balance Via Financial Mismanagement
Conclusions
References
Chapter 6: From Business Associations to Business Groups: Business-Government Relations and Corporate Networks During the Military Dictatorship, Peru 1968–1980
Context of the Military Government
Credibility and Trust
Business Associations and the State
Business Associations in the Peruvian Corporate Network Before the Military Junta
Business Associations in the Peruvian Corporate Network During the RGAF
Major Businesses and Business Associations
Conclusions
References
Chapter 7: Banking Southern Cone Dictatorships
Introduction
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Uruguay
Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 8: Confronting Labor Power: Ford Motor Argentina and the Dictatorship (1976–1983)
Introduction
Ford in Argentina Up to the Mid-1970s
Labor Repression Against Ford Workers During the Last Dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983)
The Evolution of the Company During the Dictatorship (1976–1983)
Prosecuting Human Rights Violations Perpetrated Against Ford Workers
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 9: A Typology of the Collaboration Between Multinational Corporations, Home Governments, and Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from German Investors in Argentina
Introduction
On the Eve of the Military Coup
The Coup of 1976 and the Argentine Regime’s New Policies
Doing Business Directly with the Military Regime
Promoting Acceptance for the Military Regime in the Home Country
Promoting the Home Country’s Support of the Military Regime
Corporate Direct Collaboration with the Military Regime’s Repressive Apparatus
The Corporate Gains of Collaboration
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 10: Class Conflict and the Ascent of Globalized Business Groups Under Chile’s Dictatorship: A Case Study of the Copper Manufacturing Industry
Introduction
MADECO’s Origins and Development Prior to the 1973 Coup
Industry Origins and Early Labor Conflicts
Government Control Under Popular Unity
MADECO Under the Dictatorship and Subsequent Civilian Administrations
Repression and Industrial Restructuring, 1973–1978
Privatization, Industrial Conflict, and Technological Modernization, 1979–1992
Democratic Transition, Globalization, and the Luksic Group’s Ascent, 1992 to Present
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 11: The Limits of Repression: State-Owned Enterprises, Corruption, Environmental Activism, and the Brazilian Tucuruí Dam (1974–1984)
Introduction
Business and Economics Under the Brazilian Dictatorship
Eletronorte, a State-Owned Company, and the Secret Service
Resistance to Eletronorte
Corruption and Dilettantism: The Case of Capemi
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 12: Business as Usual Under a Military Regime? Volkswagen Do Brazil and the Military Dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1980)
Introduction
The Establishment of a Car Factory in Brazil
A Profitable Investment: Volkswagen and the Motorization of Brazil
Volkswagen and the Perception of the Military Coup
The Impact of the Military Dictatorship on Labor Relations and Economic Performance
The Economic Order of Brazil and the Dependency Theory
Doing Business in a Dictatorship: The Attitude of the Volkswagen Management
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 13: Securing the Expansion of Capitalism in Colombia: Canadair and the Military Regime of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953–1957)
Introduction
The Rise of the Military Dictatorship in Colombia
Economic Change and Foreign Direct Investment During the Rojas Pinilla Dictatorship
Cracks in the Dictatorship and International Reactions
The Dictatorship’s Struggle to Survive and the Sale of Canadian Jet Fighters to Colombia
Conclusion
References
Archival Sources
Bibliography
Chapter 14: Slippery Alliances in Central America: Multinationals, Dictators, and (Under) Development Policies
Introduction
Central America: Coffee, Bananas, and Elusive Development
The Shifting Alliance of Foreign Capital and the Central American Dictators: The Case of United Fruit Company
The Era of the “Banana Republics” and the American Hegemony in the Caribbean Basin, 1900–1945
Reforms, Nationalism, and Rebellion in Honduras and Guatemala, 1945–1954
Cold War, Alliance for Progress, and United Fruit’s Retreat, 1954–1974
The Oil Crisis and the Collapse of the Political Coalition
The Central American Sultans: The Somoza Dynasty and Foreign Investors
Conclusion
References
Index
