SDEb1113 South American Dictatorships after World War II

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Nevio Moreschi (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 P24a
Prerequisites (in Czech)
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives (in Czech)
The course focuses on 4 experiences of dictatorial rule in the countries of Argentina (1966-1973) (1974-1983), Peru (1990-2000) and Venezuela.
The course will highlight the actors and factors which contributed to the establishment of the authoritarian regimes in the countries in question; the major events which characterized the dictators’ rule; and the lingering effects of those years which can still be seen in those countries’ societies.
A comprehensive historical overview of South America will also be sketched by framing these authoritarian experiences within the broader historical trajectory of the region.
Learning outcomes (in Czech)
At the end of the course the student will be able to:
1) Identify and describe the key historical developments which preceded, characterized, and followed, the authoritarian rule in selected South American countries;
2) Evaluate and recognize the enduring social, political, and institutional legacies of these authoritarian periods in contemporary South American societies.
3) Situate individual country experiences within broader regional and global contexts, including Cold War Politics and economic development debates.
Syllabus (in Czech)
  • 1- Introduction to the course and the syllabus / Introduction to political regime classifications I
  • 2- Introduction to political regime classifications II / Political and Economic Macro-Trajectories of the Southern American Region. 1945-2015
  • 3- Argentina: Peronism, the Cold War, and other factors behind the Military Coup.
  • 4- Argentina: The First Military Junta, ideological factionalism, and the return of Peron. 1966-1973
  • 5- Argentina: The Second Military Junta, the Return to Democracy, and their legacy in Contemporary Argentina. 1974-1983
  • 6- Reading Week
  • 7- Mid-term Quiz
  • 8- Peru: The Lost Decade, the Shining Path Insurgency, and the Rise of Fujimori 1983-1990
  • 9- Peru: Fujimorismo and its legacy in Contemporary Peru 1990-2000
  • 10- Venezuela: Puntofijismo and the Venezuelan Democratic Exceptionalism 1960-1998
  • 11- Venezuela: Chavismo and the country's democratic breakdown 1999-2015.
  • 12- Looking at the region's contemporary landscape: Middle-income trap, failed projects of regional integrations, and faltering democracies 2015-2024
  • 13- Final Exam
Literature
    required literature
  • • O’Donnell, Guillermo, James McGuire, and Rae Flory. Bureaucratic Authoritarianism: Argentina 1966-1973 in Comparative Perspective. 1st ed. University of California Press, 1988.
  • • Ellner, Steve. 2008. Rethinking Venezuelan Politics: Class, Conflict, and the Chávez Phenomenon. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner.
  • • Conaghan, Catherine M. Fujimori’s Peru: Deception in the Public Sphere. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005.
Teaching methods (in Czech)
The course consists of frontal lectures.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Final Grade will be based on attendance (10%), in-person mid-term Quiz (20%) and a final written examination at the end of the course (70%).
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2025/SDEb1113