South American Power Politics During the 1820s
HIS study seeks to formulate some general statements concerning intra-South American relations during the 1820s. An appropriate point of departure for such an undertaking is the analytical framework of Robert N. Burr. Burr defines a system of power politics in sterns of efforts to maintain equilibrium, competition for relative advantage according to certain principles and techniques, primary concern with intra-system relations, and relative freedom from external influences. Focusing on the development of a continental system, he divides the nineteenth century into two periods: the era of regional power politics, from independence to the late 1860s, and the era of continental power