Book Review of Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent (original) (raw)

an astonishingly informative study about the history of exploitation of Latin American countries, their people and resources by imperialist and colonialist powers. Starting his study five hundred years ago with the arrival of the colonizing Spanish conquistadors and their desire for gold, Galeano's work traverses from this initial invasion up to modern times with the current invasion by neocolonial powers, such as America and other oil hungry nations, and the unscrupulous methods of exploitation perpetrated by these countries' multinational corporations, such as Standard Oil and Shell, and the continuing violence that these entities enact against Latin America, its people, and resources. Galeano's thesis is clear. His goal is to reveal the cycle of violence that has led Latin American countries into a state of dependency and poverty due to the plundering and profiteering of their vast natural resources by a revolving door of colonial and imperial powers. However, as much as Galeano points his finger outwards at these countries, he is also quick to point his finger inwards at the petit bourgeoisie, a cabal of "native overseers" or, that is, local politicians, 1 military leaders, opportunistic intellectuals, and corrupt capitalists who form an oligarchy that Galeano, Eduardo. Open Veins of Latin America, Pg. 2.