The leading survey in its field, this lively interpretive history has been brought up to date in all areas, especially in its treatment of recent developments in this vastly important region. The new edition examines the implications of the end of the Cold War on U.S.-Latin American relations, such recent developments as international drug trafficking, and the ongoing trend away from authoritarian regimes towards civilian leaders and elected governments. The authors illustrate such central themes as European-Indian and European-African interaction, large-scale immigration in the late 19th and 20th centuries, populist political leadership, military takeovers, and U.S. intervention in Latin America, examining the influence of economic forces and social tensions on political conflict in each case and discusses recent economic developments in clear, jargon-free language. Lucidly written and enhanced by insights from social science, Modern Latin America remains the preeminent treatment of this crucial subject.