Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (in ) is a book written by Uruguayan journalist, writer, and poet Eduardo Galeano, published in 1971, that consists of an analysis of the impact that European settlement, imperialism, and slavery have had in Latin America.
The book was published during the ideological divide caused by the Cold War, when most of Latin American countries had brutal, right-wing dictatorships. Open Veins was banned in several countries and quickly became a reference for an entire generation of left-wing thinkers.
In the book, Galeano analyzes the history of the Americas as a whole, from the time period of the European settlement of the New World to contemporary Latin America, describing the effects of European and later United States economic exploitation and political dominance over the region. Throughout the book, Galeano analyses notions of colonialism, imperialism, and the dependency theory.
Open Veins illustrates Latin America's resistance literature of the twentieth century, characterized by opposition to imperialism and a heightened Pan-American sentiment. The book has sold over a million copies and been translated into over a dozen languages. It has been included in university courses "ranging from history and anthropology to economics and geography."
Background
Before gaining international recognition for Open Veins of Latin America, Galeano was a commentator on social and political issues, journalist, novelist, essayist, historian, and also a writer of children’s literature.
His work encompasses a wide array of literary genres, including journalism, political analysis, documentaries, fiction, and history. When questioned about the latter, Galeano stated that he does not identify as a historian. "I am a writer who would like to contribute to the rescue of the kidnapped memory of all America,” Galeano defended, “but especially of Latin America, a despised and endearing land."
Galeano wrote Open Veins of Latin America in the context of the 1970s, when right-wing, US-sponsored dictatorships were ruling in the majority of Latin American countries. At the time, Galeano was working in Uruguay as an independent journalist and editor, and in the publishing department of the University of the Republic. He said, "It took four years of researching and collecting the information I needed, and some 90 nights to write the book".
Historical context
The publication of Open Veins in 1971 arrived amid a fast process of militarization that had deep consequences in Latin America between the 1960s and 1970s. This period in Latin America’s history continues to influence the political, social, and economic transformations the region has experienced in the last five decades.
Such a process of militarization manifested in the shape of military coups, which were commonplace in the region during the 1960s. Although some Latin American countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, previously had complex histories of military dictatorships, this time period was characterized by regional integration and an expansive character of repression. Latin American dictatorships were aligned under the anti-Soviet, anti-communist National Security doctrine promoted by the United States during the Cold War.
The integration of Latin America’s military dictatorships occurred through international programs, such as Operation Condor, that sought to eradicate from the region all influences from the left, communism, and revolutionary utopianism. This integration led to widespread violence and repression, and a massive effort to “destroy, torture, and make disappear” the ideological left from Latin American politics.
Plot summary
Structure
Open Veins of Latin America has a foreword written by Chilean writer Isabel Allende, followed by a preface by Galeano titled “In Defense of the Word” and a series of acknowledgments. The book has an introduction titled “120 Million Children in the Eye of the Hurricane,” and it is then divided into three parts: “Part I: Mankind’s poverty as a consequence of the wealth of the land;” “Part II: Development is a voyage with more shipwrecks than navigators;” and “Part III: Seven Years After.”
Each of the first two parts has subcategories. Part I is divided into “Lust for Gold, Lust for Silver,” “King Sugar and Other Agricultural Monarchs,” and “The Invisible Sources of Power.” Part II is divided into “Tales of Premature Death” and “The Contemporary Structure of Plunder.” Lastly, Part III is considered to be the conclusion of the book, and it was written seven years later and annexed to future editions.