Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0382/03826.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 18KB | 313 lines

$Unique_ID{COW03826}
$Pretitle{297}
$Title{Uruguay
Chapter 1.    General Character of the Society}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{The Director Foreign Area Studies}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{government
class
country
social
areas
number
population
small
society
spanish}
$Date{1971}
$Log{}
Country:     Uruguay
Book:        Area Handbook for Uruguay
Author:      The Director Foreign Area Studies
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1971

Chapter 1.    General Character of the Society

     The Oriental (Eastern) Republic of Uruguay, situated on the east coast
of South America between Argentina and Brazil, is a land of low hills and
rolling grassy plains with abundant pastureland, a temperate climate, and an
adequate water supply-all of which combine to make stockraising the basic
element in the economy. The designation "Oriental Republic of Uruguay"
derives from the location of the wedge-shaped country on the east bank of the
Rio Uruguay, which forms the country's frontier with Argentina and flows into
the great estuary of the Rio de la Plata, on the shores of which both
Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, the capital of
Argentina, are located. The undulating grasslands slope gently upward from
the 120-mile Atlantic coastline to the boundary with Brazil in the northeast.
With an area of approximately 72,000 square miles, Uruguay is the smallest
country in South America.

     The country is the only one in South America with no extensive
uninhabited areas, but population distribution is characterized by a heavy
concentration in and around Montevideo, where almost half the people live.
There are no other cities of comparable size.

     The population, approximately 3 million in 1970, is almost entirely of
European descent. Many of the people are of Italian origin, but Spanish is the
national language, and the cultural background is predominantly Spanish.

     In 1970 the character of the society directly mirrored the history of
the country. Along with the language, Roman Catholicism, the prevailing
religion, was a legacy of the Spanish colonial period. Since the Spanish
settlers had not superimposed their rule on an existing Indian civilization
and since most of the Indians who roamed the territory had been eliminated in
the early days of the colony, the population as a whole was homogeneous.

     A spirit of independence and devotion to democratic ideals reflects to
some extent the traditional life of the wide-ranging gauchos (cowboys) who had
opened up the country. The territory, neglected by the conquistadors in their
search for precious metals, was first exploited by hardy pioneers who
gained a livelihood by killing cattle and horses for their hides who were
largely a law unto themselves.

     The people's love of independence also reflects their experience as
citizens of a buffer state. During colonial times Portugal and Spain were
rivals for control of the territory and, subsequently, Argentina and Brazil
made it an object of contention. A national hero is Jose Gervasio Artigas,
who led an unsuccessful attempt to achieve autonomy for the country within a
regional federation. Independence was gained in 1828 at the end of a war
between Brazil and Uruguayan patriots who were supported by Argentina. Civil
wars, invasions, and foreign intervention, however, harassed the country
until the end of the nineteenth century.

     The pattern for the country's future political development was set in
1903, when Jose Batlle y Ordonez was elected president. Batlle advocated
political and social reforms that were very much in evidence in
1970-extensive welfare measures and government participation in many sectors
of the economy. A system of government by a presidential board or council
advocated by Batlle was in effect from 1919 to 1933 and again from 1952 to
1966. The Colorado Party, which had controlled the government since 1865,
lost the election of 1958 to the Blanco Party but returned to power after the
elections in 1966. At this time the voters approved a constitutional
amendment that reestablished a one-man presidency.

     In 1970 the growth of the urban population and a decline in the rural
population represented a trend that had started in the colonial era. Criollos
(descendants of Europeans who settled in the New World during the Spanish
colonial period) were the dominant element in the interior; immigrants and
first- and second-generation citizens were in the majority in the coastal
areas.

     The people are proud of the country's outstanding educational system.
There is, however, an oversupply of professional people in most fields and a
limited number of persons with vocational skills. In spite of overcrowding in
professional fields, most students prefer academic courses to technical
training.

     In the late 1960s the central government expended more than twice the
Latin American average on education, which was free for primary and secondary
students and virtually free at the university level. The overall literacy
rate was the highest in Hispanic America-over 90 percent.

     The society is noted for its tolerant attitudes, and European immigrants
arriving in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have easily assimilated.
Most immigrants came from Spain and Italy and became the backbone of the urban
middle class, whose standards have tended to dominate the social and cultural
life of the country. Characteristic of these attitudes are respect for social
mobility, trade unionism, and education.

     Although the society as a whole is homogeneous, differences between
immigrant groups and criollos-in traditions, occupations, and historical
background-tend to create misunderstandings. These differing approaches are
partially reflected in the two traditional political groupings: the Colorados,
traditionally supporting the cause of middle and lower class citizens; and the
Blanco Party, traditionally representing large landowners, the church
hierarchy, and big business. Mestizos (persons of mixed European and American
Indian ancestry), Negroes, and mulattoes are so limited in numbers that they
do not form distinct ethnic groups, nor do they play any significant role in
the society. The standard of living is higher than the levels found in most
parts of the world. For all but the small number of people with the lowest
incomes the food supply is varied and ample, and the average daily per capita
intake of calories and protein is rated as among the world's highest.

     The people enjoy the use of extensive medical facilities, particularly
in Montevideo, along with ample retail outlets and recreational
opportunities. Good medical care and sanitation, combined with ample diet,
have contributed to one of the world's highest longevity rates. Even in rural
slum conglomerates and on small farms in the interior, living conditions are
generally better than those in similar areas in many other countries.

     Most of the people have considerable time for recreation because of the
short working hours in offices, banks, and stores and a  remarkable number
of national holidays. Among the many sports soccer is the most popular.
Other recreational opportunities are found in the form of extensive beaches
such as those on the Rio de la Plata estuary, sports and social clubs,
theater and ballet, and almost universal gregariousness-in cafes, in homes, at
carnivals, and in the exchange of visits in rural areas.

     The society is noted for its advanced welfare system, which provides
retirement and pension benefits for virtually everyone and is so all-embracing
that private welfare activities play a relatively small part in the lives of
the people. Criticisms of the welfare structure include the contention that
the large number of family allowance and retirement plans, conducted under
separate legislative authorizations, have led to high costs and to abuses and
confusion. Also, the government employs a remarkably large number of people-in
excess of 20 percent of