Caudillo

Caudillo, Spanish term which loosely translates into English as “political boss”, derived from the Spanish word for chief or leader. Usually, it has the connotation of a military leader, or a civilian leader with strong military backing and a highly personalist following. The phenomenon is known as caudillismo. In Spain, the title “El Caudillo” was adopted by General Francisco Franco (like Benito Mussolini's “Il Duce” in Italy), whose fascist movement defeated the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and who held office with an iron grip until his death in 1975. In Latin America, the term was used most commonly to describe the regional leaders who proliferated after the collapse of the Spanish Empire in the early years of the 19th century. This was a period commonly known as “the age of the caudillos”. The new nations of Spanish America failed to create strong centralized leadership, and the period was one characterized by feuding between powerful leaders with localized followings (many of them had participated in the wars of independence) and incipient regimes. While some were more principled in their motivation, others were mere adventurers paying lip-service to the republican notion. Their personalismo was both their strength and weakness. Egregious examples of caudillos at the time included Argentina's Juan Manuel de Rosas and Mexico's Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Towards the end of the 19th century, a different form of caudillo emerged in the shape of authoritarian presidents with military support who paid scant attention to constitutional norms. One example would be Porfirio Díaz in Mexico. The term is sometimes used to describe personalities like Juan Domingo Perón, who came to power in Argentina in the 1940s. It is thus linked to the notion of “populism”. Both tend to be more common in countries where democratic traditions and the rule of law are weak, and where—as a consequence—it is easier for personalist leaders to challenge the status quo. In the history of Chile, for example, there are many fewer caudillos than in neighbouring Argentina.