This book focuses on a key period in Latin American history, the transition from colonial status, through revolutions for independence to national organization. The essays provide in-depth studies of 18th-century society, the colonial state, and the roots of independence in Spanish America. The relation of Spanish America to the age of democratic revolution and the reaction of the Church to revolutionary change are newly defined, and leadership of Simón Bólivar is subject to particular scrutiny.

Author Biography: John Lynch is Emeritus Professor of Latin American History, University of London.