Book Report and Review: Robert G. Williams “States and Social Evolution: Coffee and the Rise of National Governments in Central America
The problem of the existing differences in socio-economic and political development
of countries of Central America has been always discussed in works of many specialists.
Among them Robert G. Williams has made probably the most significant contribution
in the understanding of the entity of the problem and its causes and his thoughts
concerning this theme he developed in his book “States and Social Evolution:
Coffee and the Rise of National Governments in Central America”.
The book represents a very skillful historical analysis of the emergence of
democracy in Central America, its political and socio-economic basis. The book
is quite interesting from the point of explanation the causes of the variety
that are observed in countries situated in Central America. Basically the author
agrees that the basis for the development of the countries of this region was
coffee planting which gradually get the status of ‘strategic’ plant
for Central American countries since it provided the main part of the national
GDP.
In other words, coffee has become the economic basis, which provided the countries
with the possibility to develop not only economically and socially, but politically
as well. As a result new democracies has started to appear in Central America.
However, the author underlines that despite significant economic growth and
an impressive leap in political, namely democratic, development of the countries
there still remained differences in their development and particularly contrasting
was the situation with democratic changes in the countries. Practically the
same may be said about social development of the countries and political repression
that were the characteristic of many of them.
In his book, Robert G. William analyzes the development of the world coffee
market in the late 19th century, which was extremely profitable for the countries
of Central America and he attempts to understand the responses of the countries
to such economic progress in political and social life. Basically, on discovering
the differences between the countries, the author tends to explain such differences
in their political and democratic development by differences in socio-economic
structure of the countries.
He stands on the ground that many products may be compatible with varying industrial
and social structure, which eventually effects political structure of the countries,
but he states that coffee as the main product of the region may be flexible
in some countries while inflexible in others that also affects political structure
and social development of the society. He explains such differences socio-economic
reasons.
His main idea is that political development and structure basically depend on
class structures and land-holding patterns. As a result it is difficult to expect
development of democracy in socially polar society when the opposition between
rich landholders possessing enormous territories for planting coffee and poor
peasants and workers is so contrasting that the latter is a deprived class which
practically totally depends on ruling class of landholders.
Thus, in conclusion, it is possible to say that Robert G. William suggests his
own particular view on the problem of political development of the countries
of the Central American region and he mainly explains differences in political
structure and democratic development by socio-economic reasons and inequality
existing in the countries due to economic development of the country, where
coffee plays the most important role.
Bibliography:
1. Williams, Robert G. States and Social Evolution: Coffee and the Rise of National
Governments in Central America. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998.
