Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent

A classic, a deeply researched study on the long history of colonial plunder of Latin America by imperial - colonial powers. This book puts in perspective the centuries long affliction that countries south of the U.S. border have experienced. The saga continues, the gunboat diplomacy, the attempt to monopolize the resources of countries that have never been totally free from outside interference and domination.

Masterpiece!! As I grow older I continue to unlearn the propaganda, lies, half-truths and omissions the American school system poured into my head. The corporate media and the largely ignorant masses who surrounded me, of course, helped to propagate and reinforce this misinformation so that by the time I reached adulthood I was as stupid, misinformed and biased as everyone else. How easy the sheep are led!! Along the way, by sheer dumb luck, I begin to meet certain rare individuals who knew what was happening and went through certain life experiences that caused me to question everything I thought I knew and believed in. It was a traumatic time in my life. At first I resisted the truth. How could everything my teachers, parents, friends, the media and various authoritarian figures told me be wrong??? Once the truth stuck its foot in my door I was finally forced to question everything and forced also to search for the truth on my own. Its something everyone must do if they really want to know reality. One source of the truth can be found in certain select books and their authors who are courageous enough to face the powers of falsehood and deception. Galeano's "Open Veins" is one such book. It, together with Howard Zinn's People's History, should replace all the current history books in our schools and should be required reading for the President of the US and all the others who hold the fate of our nation and the world in their hands. That is why Hugo Chavez gave it to Obama, hoping it would be read so that the leader of the US might gain some modicum of understanding about the history of Latin America. I doubt he ever read it. This book is packed border to border with facts, figures and accounts all duly documented with a bibliography nearly as long as the book itself. How one man could put together, assemble such a wealth of information, in one book of 300 pages is mind-boggling. I knew our government's foreign policy record in Latin America was bad but didn't know how bad. Now, I know--and it has left me saddened and exasperated because there is no way we can undo the injustices of six hundred years--not even a way we can change the current and future policies that perpetuate those injustices for those who hold power are too entrenched. My thanks and gratitude to Galeano, a giant of a man, through whose book I now know the history of Latin America--through whose book I now know the truth. "And There I Was" by DH Koester

I would like to say "Muchas Gracias!" to our good friend, El Comandante Chavez, the same guy who gives heating oil to the slum communities of America, for making this book known to me. American education under free speech and expression had kept it hidden from me I'm afraid. The book presents many established historical facts documenting the exploitation of Latin America by the western powers of Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, and the great USA. These nations buy, and for cheap, Latin America's raw materials and pay hunger wages to Latin America's workers and then they sell the manufactured goods dearly, making some nice hefty profits in the process. Buy low, sell high! There is no benefit of foreign investments in Latin America when five times more in profit is exported out of Latin America, mainly to the great USA. The World Bank and the IMF are like the sub prime mortgage lenders to Latin America in the sense that the terms of the loans are predatory for Latin America. Speaking of cheap, for those who complain that the book is a waste of money, unless you work for hunger wages, don't be a cheap [...]! The book only costs around 10 US dollars. The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know (FDR), but unfortunately it will be very difficult for most Americans to accept the facts contained in this book since the history that is brainwashed and indoctrinated to school kids is biased towards portraying a more positive outlook of the great USA. Therefore, most Americans will dismiss this good book as being false. This book widened my liberal education. Free trade is a euphemism, for example. We see the word free, and perhaps from being cheap, think it must be good, sort of like thinking if some food says its fat free then it must be good. We need to look beyond free and understand whether the free trade is really fair trade and we will see that it has not been fair for Latin America. So then, free trade does not necessarily mean fair trade in the same way that many fat free foods are loaded with calories. The book changed my views of the Monroe Doctrine. The great USA was not really generous to Latin America by preventing foreign powers from re-colonizing. It was really planting the seeds of the future economic exploitation of the region. It is very interesting that the great USA demands no revolutions in its backyard (except for capitalist ones), but at the same time it meddles with Russia's sphere of influence. It's high time for Latin America to revolt against foreign exploitation. Though easier said than done, since the current system creates too much resistance and oppression, the people must force change to enact protectionist policies, build up the local industries and agricultural capacity to be able to feed their peoples, and after that, when they can produce surpluses of goods, can they engage in free trade that is fair. If anything, the book may help us see what is to come. In time perhaps the tables will turn and others will dominate us. The great USA has lost many manufacturing jobs, is outsourcing jobs overseas, experiencing a brain drain, borrowing lots of money from China, and so on and so forth and Great Britain has also been falling. Come now. Be brave. Dare to learn the truth. I know its hard, but concentrate. Focus. Turn off Fox News and Read The Opens Veins of Latin America today!

Galleano tells the story of the exploitation on Latin America since the discovery by Christopher Columbus up to the 1970s. The edition is a reedition of the book of 1972. Nethertheless it is actual and makes the reader understand what happens to this continent.

My only complaint is that since this book was published in the early 1970s no one has created an updated version. This book is horrifying and upsetting, you will never see certain industries and countries the same again. I think it is absolutely vital that everyone read this book.

One of the best books iv every read, an amazing journey through the history of South America

New, perfect condition!

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