The Plundered Continent

Abstract

The following is an abridgment of an article which appeared in the London New Statesman of September 17, 1960. Mr. Johnson is one of the editors of the New Statesman. His vivid description of conditions in the main South American countries should be enough to convince even the most hard-boiled imperialist that United States policy, aimed as it is at maintaining the status quo in Latin America, is failing and is bound to fail. By the same token, Mr. Johnson's article helps to explain the tremendous impact of the Cuban Revolution throughout Latin America. To avoid misunderstanding, it should be added that we are not convinced, as Mr. Johnson appears to be, that Brazil can successfully develop on a capitalist basis in the second half of the 20th century as the United States did in the second half of the 19th century. There are, it seems to us, decisive differences, both internal and international, between the two cases. Apart from this one point, however, we are in general agreement with Mr. Johnson's analysis. —The EditorsThis article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.