The history of Latin America in modern times was spectacular and full of dynamism: uprisings against colonial powers, the early establishment of nation-states, the rule of autocratic leaders, revolutions and guerrilla movements, and finally, democratization within a few decades. The book addresses the history of Latin America along these lines, with a particular focus on dictatorship, revolution, reform, and populism, in order to narrate the history of state and society in Latin America in the 20th and 21st centuries along these paths. It provides a concise, orienting political science overview of the diverse history and present of the Latin American continent from a historical wide-angle perspective.