Caudillo

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/caudillo

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the leadership archetype?A personalist leader wielding significant military and political authority
2. What is the mechanism of power?Charisma, patronage networks, paternalistic relationship with followers, and military backing
3. Why did Caudillos become popular in Latin America?After the old colonial governments fell, Caudillos filled the power gap and gave people a sense of order and protection.
4. How did Caudillos keep people loyal to them?They rewarded supporters with land, money, or jobs and acted like a caring family head, so people felt close to the leader.

Personalist Rule: A system of governance where political power and influence are concentrated in an individual leader, rather than institutions.
Patronage: The support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another, often in exchange for loyalty or service.
Reconquista: The centuries-long period during the Middle Ages when Christian kingdoms gradually retook territory in the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.