Open Veins of Latin America (1997) by Uruguayan journalist, writer, and poet Eduardo Galeano is a historical nonfiction book about the political and economic development of Latin America. The book celebrated its 25th year anniversary in 1997 by issuing a new edition; it features additional writing from Galeano reflecting on the book and the state of Latin American politics seven years after the book’s first release. This study guide refers to the 25th year anniversary edition of the book (1997), translated by Cedric Belfrage.

Plot Summary

Eduardo Galeano sets out to write a book that will incite the most marginalized people of Latin America towards a social revolution in which there will be the “overthrow of its masters, country by country” (281). In three parts, Open Veins of Latin America tackles different aspects of Latin American political and economic history, beginning with the discovery and exploitation of resources of Latin America, the transition from primarily European to US foreign investment in the region, and a reflection on Latin American politics seven years after the book’s first publication.

In Part 1, Galeano provides a comprehensive overview of how Spanish colonization of the Americas led to the continuous exploitation of its resources in present-day Latin America. The arrival of the Spanish brought violence, disease, and forced labor to the native people of Latin America. It was the discovery of gold in Latin America that captured interests of Spain and other European countries. Eventually, the Europeans would mine the lands for silver, tin, and petroleum before forcing a monoculture of sugar and coffee production.

While the Spanish and British featured prominently in the first part of the book as foreign figures with power and control over Latin American exports, it was eventually the US that took over as the most dominant Western country overseeing the region’s production. The evolution of capitalism in a global market also enables the US to exercise protectionist policies for itself while wielding the power of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to keep Latin American countries economically dependent on the US.

Part 3 is a 25th-year anniversary edition addition to the original book, which features Galeano’s reflection on how political and economic circumstances have only worsened in Latin America since he last published the work seven years ago. Despite the growing social and economic inequities, Galeano remains hopeful that there are enough examples throughout history of resistance led by the region’s marginalized people to encourage future structural change.