Inevitable Revolutions

Inevitable Revolutions. *Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America* is a seminal historical work by American historian Walter LaFeber. First published in 1983 and expanded in 1993, the book presents a critical analysis of United States foreign policy in Central America, arguing that U.S. economic and political intervention created the conditions that made revolutionary upheavals in the region inevitable. LaFeber's thesis directly challenged conventional Cold War narratives that framed instability as a product of external Soviet or Cuban subversion, instead placing primary responsibility on over a century of American imperialism and support for repressive regimes.

Historical context and origins

The book's analysis is rooted in the long history of U.S. involvement in the Caribbean Basin, dating back to the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary. LaFeber traces the origins of systemic instability to the era of dollar diplomacy and the creation of "banana republics" under the influence of American corporations like the United Fruit Company. Key events such as the Spanish–American War, the United States occupation of Nicaragua, and the CIA-orchestrated 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état are presented as foundational moments where U.S. actions prioritized economic control and anti-communism over democratic development. This historical pattern, LaFeber contends, entrenched corrupt oligarchies and military dictatorships, such as the Somoza family dynasty in Nicaragua and the series of juntas in El Salvador, while systematically suppressing populist and reformist movements throughout the 20th century.

Key arguments and theoretical framework

LaFeber's central argument is structural and revisionist, positing that Central America's revolutions were not aberrations but logical consequences of U.S. policy. He employs a framework of dependency theory, arguing that the region was integrated into the American economic system as a dependent periphery, supplying commodities like coffee, bananas, and sugar while remaining politically subordinate. The theoretical underpinning challenges the domino theory espoused by administrations from Harry S. Truman to Ronald Reagan, instead viewing the Nicaraguan Revolution and the Salvadoran Civil War as internal responses to decades of exploitation and political exclusion. LaFeber emphasizes the role of the National Security Council and institutions like the School of the Americas in perpetuating a cycle of intervention that guaranteed long-term instability.

Case studies and examples

The book provides detailed examinations of several Central American nations to illustrate its thesis. The analysis of Guatemala focuses on the aftermath of the Jacobo Árbenz overthrow, which radicalized opposition and led to the protracted Guatemalan Civil War. The case of Nicaragua chronicles U.S. support for Anastasio Somoza Debayle and the subsequent backing of the Contras against the Sandinista National Liberation Front. In El Salvador, LaFeber details how American military aid to the Salvadoran Army during the José Napoleón Duarte presidency prolonged a conflict with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). The narrative also extends to Honduras, which was used as a base for U.S. operations, and touches on the Iran-Contra affair as a quintessential example of covert policy overreach.

Criticisms and scholarly debate

*Inevitable Revolutions* sparked significant debate within the field of diplomatic history. Critics from a more traditionalist perspective, such as Mark Falcoff, argued that LaFeber downplayed the agency of local actors and the genuine threat posed by the Soviet bloc in the Western Hemisphere. Some scholars contended that the dependency theory framework was economically deterministic and failed to account for variations in Central American societies. Others, while sympathetic, suggested the "inevitability" thesis was overly teleological. The book was also part of a larger historiographical conflict with works like Jeane Kirkpatrick's "Dictatorships and Double Standards," which defended U.S. support for anti-communist authoritarian regimes during the Cold War.

Legacy and influence

The book remains a cornerstone of critical Latin American studies and revisionist U.S. diplomatic history. It influenced a generation of scholars, including William Appleman Williams and Stephen Kinzer, and provided an intellectual foundation for opposition to Reagan-era policies in Central America, such as those advocated by the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. Its arguments entered mainstream discourse through media and informed congressional debates over aid to the Contras. The expanded 1993 edition, which covered the end of the Salvadoran Civil War and the changing post-Cold War landscape, ensured its continued relevance. *Inevitable Revolutions* is frequently cited in analyses of enduring U.S. involvement in the region, from Plan Colombia to contemporary politics in Honduras and Nicaragua. Category:History books about the United States Category:History books about Latin America Category:1983 non-fiction books