Capitalism and Development in the Americas

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This class examines the history of capitalism and development in the Americas and its relationship with the political history of its societies. The American continent was at the forefront of capitalist expansion, decolonization, the construction of nation-states, and the emergence of new imperial powers. We will study the history of economies and how entrepreneurship, business, and commerce shaped the structures of societies in South and North America: from the coffee plantations in Brazil Empire to the Banana plantations in Central America of mid 20th century; from the colonial silver mines in Central Mexico in late 18th century to the gold dredge exploitations in Alaska in the early 20th century; from the consumption of English textiles in Argentina in the early 19th century to the creation of Latinx markets in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. There are no prerequisites.