subscribe to this page
KlareLn, Peter F., 1938- . Peru : society and nationhood in the Andes / Peter Flindell KlareLn. 0195069277 (cloth) series New York : Oxford University Press, 2000.
Call#: Van Pelt Library F3431 .K53 2000
Call#: Van Pelt Library F3431 .K53 2000
Chapter 8, entitled “The Aristocratic Republic: 1895-1919” gives an overview of the time period in Peruvian history. Viewed as a period of stability, the country entered a period of modernization and economic growth. After foreign investment slowed, domestic investment grew, prompting the growth of local manufacturing. Mining and textiles were two large industries that grew in the period. Foreign immigrants, particularly from Italy established some smaller manufacturing firms. During this period, the financial system of Peru greatly matured. While the economy advanced greatly, a paternalistic government maintained power in which only the literate could vote - hence the name “Aristocratic Republic.” The rubber boom had little connection to the rest of the economy during that time, triggered by growth in international demand. Beginning in the 1880s, rubber became to become an important sector in Brazil and the Peruvian Amazon. The boom came with huge profits as rubber came to be 30% of Peru’s exports by 1912. Iquitos went from a population of 200 in 1851 to 20,000 by 1914. The rubber boom ended, however during World War I as plantations began to producer rubber more cheaply in Asia. The author mentions Carlos Fitzcarrald as one of the wealthiest rubber barons. Additionally the boom “did help to perpetuate the myth of an Amazonian El Dorado of hidden potential wealth and resources.”
In looking at social structures at the time, one finds that the oligarchical system of government in Lima parallels the emergence of a class of wealthy rubber barons that Herzog portrays in Fitzcarraldo. The rubber boom, while separated from the rest of the economy falls into a period of growth in Peru, making the growth in the Amazon similar to that of the rest of the county. By knowing the rest of the political and economic climate of turn of the century Peru, one can understand why so many foreigners had come to be in Peru at the time. One can also better understand why the fictional Fitzcarraldo stayed in Peru after the failure of his railroad. Lastly the perpetuation of the myth of an Amazonian El Dorado likely influenced Herzog in his decision to film there, particularly in his earlier film Aguirre.
In looking at social structures at the time, one finds that the oligarchical system of government in Lima parallels the emergence of a class of wealthy rubber barons that Herzog portrays in Fitzcarraldo. The rubber boom, while separated from the rest of the economy falls into a period of growth in Peru, making the growth in the Amazon similar to that of the rest of the county. By knowing the rest of the political and economic climate of turn of the century Peru, one can understand why so many foreigners had come to be in Peru at the time. One can also better understand why the fictional Fitzcarraldo stayed in Peru after the failure of his railroad. Lastly the perpetuation of the myth of an Amazonian El Dorado likely influenced Herzog in his decision to film there, particularly in his earlier film Aguirre.