****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Professor Robert H. Dix is unquestionqably one of the world's foremost experts on Colombia. To this end, Professor Dix (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Harvard in 1951, 1953, and 1962, respectively) is highly regarded by students of Colombian politics in Europe, Canada, Asia and the United States.Consequently, it will come to a surprise to many experienced Colombian readers to discover that the author is highly critical of Colombia's, "Elitist" Democracy. In fact, Dix concludes that for many years Colombia became "like a Aristocratic Republic," and that "to call Colombia's politics democratic is to stretch the meaning of the word.""The Politics of Colombia," (a Hoover Institution 1987 Study) is clearly one of the finest American publications on Colombia and must be examined by all attempting to unlock the complexities of Colombian politics. "Colombia has historically been, and remains today, one of the most violent societies in the world in its internal politics," according to Dix.The author attributes this to many factors, first and foremost to its heritage and, "an important part of the heritage was the corporatist and patriarchal pattern of governance that pervaded Spanish imperial rule." Moreover, Dix explains that Colombia was colonized by a mother country (Spain) that had experienced little of the Renaissance and none of the Reformation.Another subject of great significance in understanding Colombia is the Church. Professor Dix details how, "The Roman Catholic Church has had a political and social importance beyond that of the Church in virtually any other country of the region, at times helping to make and unmake presidents, influencing elections (as well as more violent forms of political combat), and generally having a profound impact on the political socialization of Colombians." In my opinion, Dix has gone where few other historians have dared.Colombia's "Intellectual Lion's" are dismissed by Dix for allowing "Continuismo"...(corrupt practices) and for not challenging the undemocratic party politics in Bogota. Ultimately, the study of Colombia in this text asks many probing questions...and correctly points a finger at the elite families who dominated the rule of government in Colombia and who commonly resorted to violence to keep power. In conclusion, it is obvious from the meticulous work of Professor Dix that the first terrorists in Colombia were agents of the Elite State. Highly recommended.Bert Ruiz
