Most studies on the role of foreign powers in Latin America assume a very straightforward process: during the early nineteenth-century wars of independence from Spain, the British gave financial and military support to the rebels. After independence, the narrative continues, the British provided the newly independent republics with much-needed loans; Latin American governments opened their doors to British merchants and investors (particularly in the infrastructure and natural resource sectors) and increased their trade links with Britain. Starting in the late nineteenth century, the United States gradually replaced Britain as the region's most influential power in a process that culminated in World War I, when American hegemony was consolidated and Britain (not interested in confronting the United States) realigned its global interests toward the empire and Europe.

The volume Britain and the Growth of US Hegemony in Twentieth-Century Latin America, edited by Thomas C. Mills and Rory M. Miller, challenges this narrative with a collection of archival-based original essays written by renowned historians. Briefly, the essays in this book convincingly show, first, that Britain did not voluntarily cede power in the Western Hemisphere to the United States but rather resisted the increasing American influence and continued to protect its interests. Second, World War I was not the turning point that ended British influence in Latin America; rather, throughout the 1930s and even during World War II, British interests in Latin America played an important role in shaping the region's political economy. And, third, when Britain and the United States cooperated with each other in Latin America, Britain did not play a subordinate role but cooperated with the Americans because of a convergence of interests. These findings promise to make this edited collection an essential reference to those studying the political economy of the relationship between Latin America and the rest of the world.

The editors make a solid case for the need of this study in their introduction (chapter 1), in which they provide a very concise but thorough review of the historiography. This chapter, which unfortunately is modestly titled simply “Introduction,” is a wonderful source for those interested in locating their own research in the wider historiography of the Anglo-American rivalry in the world. Researchers will benefit not only from the introductory chapter's literature review but also from the excellent ones in chapters 2, 3, 6, and 7, which I discuss below.

Most chapters in this volume explicitly (and convincingly) challenge accepted views of Anglo-American relations in the Americas using novel primary sources. For instance, Phillip Dehne (chapter 2) shows how during World War I the British and American agendas did not necessarily coincide and that the British did not acquiesce to the United States. As a result, the American business community perceived the British in Latin America not as allies but as foes. Gaynor Johnson (chapter 5) shows that after World War I Britain made important efforts to reinforce its trade relations with Latin America, as in the case of the D'Abernon Trade Mission (which tried in particular to reinforce links with Argentina, the main producer of the meat consumed in Britain) and the controversial Roca-Runciman Treaty of 1933 with Argentina, analyzed by David Rock (chapter 6). This treaty has been traditionally portrayed as one that made Argentina dependent on Britain, mostly benefiting the latter. However, Rock shows how the treaty generated heated debate on both sides of the ocean, with some members of the British community opposing it while some relevant Argentine sectors supported it. In the long term, those opposing the treaty in Argentina succeeded at mobilizing different forces against it around the idea that the treaty only benefited the British Empire.

The American dominance in the Western Hemisphere became stronger with World War II. However, as Mills (chapter 3) shows, this did not mean that Britain considered itself as a subordinate actor in the region. There were frictions between both powers when some members of the American business community accused the British of using U.S. aid to fund British competitors in Latin America. Once the Americans entered the war, they had different opinions regarding Latin American neutrality: the British wanted Latin America to remain neutral, to secure the safety of ships bringing Latin American foodstuffs to Britain, while the Americans wanted Latin America to join the allies. Additionally, while the British wanted to keep good relations with Argentina (its main meat provider), the Americans wanted to impose sanctions on that country because of its government's fascist tendencies and continental ambitions. In other areas, however, the British and Americans cooperated, as in the case of Venezuela, where the two powers created a common front to prevent Venezuela from developing nationalist policies in the oil sector, as Mark Seddon shows (chapter 4). The war, however, increased the influence in Washington of those who believed that the British should simply stay out of the region (chapters 3 and 4).

After World War II most developing countries went through a wave of expropriations of foreign property, and Latin America was no exception. However, as Miller (chapter 7) shows, the British were not victims of expropriation in the continent despite a very strong anti-British rhetoric by some governments. Using a categorization that will be useful for other scholars studying expropriations, Miller shows that this was partly because the British decided to rid themselves of easy targets of expropriation (mainly railways) before the expropriation wave started. Britain, however, continued investing in the region in areas favored by nationalist governments, such as manufacturing. Even though investments in manufacturing were consistent with import substitution industrialization agendas, it was not always easy for investors to find common ground with the governments, as Alexandre Moreli shows in the case of Brazil in the 1940s (chapter 9).

During the Cold War, Britain still had its own Latin American agenda. As James Lockhart (chapter 8) shows, Britain played a crucial role in aiding Chile's ambitious program of developing nuclear power, which was abruptly interrupted during the Salvador Allende administration (1970–1973). In the case of Cuba, Christopher Hull (chapter 10) shows how Britain could count on an ally in the government of Fulgencio Batista, but (as the United States did), it abandoned Batista at the end of his rule, shortly before Fidel Castro took over power on the island. After the revolution, however, Britain was willing to keep trade relations with Cuba in spite of American opposition. Britain also followed its own independent agenda with Bolivia's revolutionary government in the 1950s, which Olivia Saunders (chapter 11) explores. While the United States sought to keep Bolivia away from Soviet influence and cared little about the Bolivian government's economic agenda, the British strongly opposed potential statization of the economy. Saunders explains this in terms of the fact that Britain simply had more investments in Bolivia than the United States. The book also covers Guyana, a country often ignored by those studying Latin America, who likely do not consider it “Latin American” enough. Stephen Rabe (chapter 12) beautifully describes the fascinating story of the United States’ covert actions against the movement led by Cheddi Jagan even before the country's independence from Britain in 1966. As Rabe shows, the Americans were much more obsessed with what they perceived were Jagan's “Communist” tendencies than were the British, for whom the colony had become a drain on political energy and resources. The book closes with a good overview of the differing American and British interests in Latin America after the Cold War, how they depend on the political affiliation of the British prime minister, and the new challenges facing both powers with the increasing influence of China in the region.

This volume is one of those that show the usefulness of edited collections in opening new lines of research. The chapters can be read individually or as part of a whole and provide excellent literature reviews. The book reopens a debate considered long closed and promises to be highly cited in the future.