THE NEW WORLD OF THE GOTHI C FOX
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lowed the conquest and settlement of the sixteenth century. But it was
at the end of the colonial period, in the closing decades of the eigh–
teenth century, that the Indies reached their highest level of imperial
prosperity, and this may well have contributed to the vigor and ultimate
success of the secessionist revolution of independence. What's more,
during the nineteenth century the new republics of Latin America sup–
plied the growing markets of the industrializin g northern hemisphere
with every conceivable primary commodity, from beef and skins, to min–
erals, sugar and wheat, to precious metals, wool, nitrate of soda, coffee
and bananas.
The income from these booming sales was dissipated in urban em–
bellishments, good opera, and better living. None of these countries in–
dustrialized, mainly because there was no need for them to do so. The
wealth from the export of commodities more than sufficed to ensure a
solid standard of living for those in a position
to
have an opinion on the
matter, and this situ ation did not change until the boundary of the
Great Depression of 1929 had been crossed. After the catastrophe, more
keenly and bitterly felt in Latin America than anywhere else, the decision
for the central state to take the initiative in the process of industrializa–
tion was adopted with an enthusiasm that made the subsequent disap–
pointment all the more painful and embarrassin g. The uneven distribu–
tion of wealth does not attenuate the fact of the secular prosperity of
Latin America. This cannot be a good argument. Today some see evi–
dence of a declining American economy in the problems of urban
poverty, crime, drug abuse, and the like . This is on ly partly relevant. The
presence of beggars in the streets of New York and Washington does
not diminish the fact of the overwhelming preponderance of the United
States in the world economy. If one adds up the economic clout of
Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, the re–
sult is impressive, even though not every American is enabled to enjoy
the resulting prosperity.
Peter Berger:
Well you know in my house I have a shrine to Max
Weber and two sli ghtly small er ones to Durkheim and Simmel. I'm al–
most ready to add one of Claudio. But let me sli ghtly, mildly, question
one concept of his which I think is central, the Hellenistic one. And let
me also add intellectual exports to the discussion. Yes, there is a veneer
of habits and lifestyles, powerful, significant, but isn't there something
else? Isn't there also a non-Hellenistic cu lture at the same time in which
people participate in multiple ways?
Let me evoke an image from my own memory. When a few years
ago I was in Japan under the auspices of the Shinto Kokugakuin
