Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Etymologically, caudillo comes from the latino term capitellus or caput , which means head. A political system or political regime based on caudillaje is named caudillismo and is under the mandate of a caudillo (political leader). C audillo means the boss or leader of an army at war. However, political and military leaders who lead emancipation or popular movements are also designated with the same word. Different authors have analyzed caudillismo from two main orientations: as a social movement or institutional regime, and as a reflection of the action of a leader or caudillo . It has been a phenomenon associated mainly with Latin American politics. Nevertheless, various movements or regimes have been recognized by the name of their caudillo (e.g., Peronism in Argentina, Cardenism in Mexico, Cesarism in Rome, Bonapartism in France, Bismarckism in Germany, Franquism in Spain, Duce to Mussolini, Führer to Hitler, etc.). The main issue in this characterization is not the fact that the caudillo or leader maintain a rightist or leftist ideology, nor that they consider themselves, at the same time, fascist, nationalist, populist, democratic, revolutionary, or authoritarian. The personal characteristics of leadership and the social-historical context are transcendental. There are also other social types that have been associated with the notion of caudillo , such ... log in or subscribe to read full text