In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Politics of Giving in the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata Donors, Lenders, Subjects, and Citizens Latin America | History isbn 978-0-8263-5446-4 University of New Mexico Press unmpress.com 800-249-7737 2 “By analyzing the individuals and corporate bodies in the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata that provided gifts or donations (donativos) to the Spanish crown and the city council of Buenos Aires between 1793 and 1810, this unique study illuminates ‘the politics of giving’ and reveals how the crown succeeded in raising income without increasing taxes or provoking a colonial revolt such as occurred in England’s colonies of North America. This book is essential reading for all colonialists—not only for scholars of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata but also for historians of the Spanish Empire under Bourbon rule as well as those interested in comparative imperial history.” —mark a. burkholder, author of Spaniards in the Colonial Empire: Creoles vs. Peninsulars? and coauthor of Colonial Latin America “An innovative and original contribution to the history of the Spanish imperial reform period as well as to the history of the Rio de la Plata region on the eve of independence . The author shows clearly how Spain’s fiscal crisis generated an era of political dynamism in the Spanish South Atlantic.” —lyman l. johnson, coauthor of Colonial Latin America and coeditor of The Faces of Honor: Sex, Shame, and Violence in Colonial Latin America gr i e c o The Politics of Giving viviana l. grieco 2 2 During the eighteenth century, a time of almost constant international warfare, European states had to borrow money to finance their military operations. Servicing public debt demanded the collection of more taxes in a newly efficient manner, resulting in the emergence of what scholars call European “tax states.” This book examines a different kind of state finance, based on voluntary donations rather than taxes. Relying on Spanish and Argentine archival research, the author analyzes the “gifts” (donativos) that residents of the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata gave to the Spanish Crown and the city council of Buenos Aires. She examines the cultural, political, constitutional, and legal practices associated with loans and donativos in comparison with the practices of other Atlantic states, emphasizing the quid pro quo offered by the crown in the form of appointments to office and other favors. Examining donors, donations, and expectations, she argues that the Spanish system achieved at the imperial level what the British empire and the French monarchy failed to accomplish. Grieco’s study analyzes money trails from donors to the crown, revealing that funds raised within the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata remained in the Americas rather than being forwarded to Spain. The crown, Grieco shows, sent surplus funds raised through loans and donativos from one treasury to cover shortfalls in another. viviana l. grieco is an associate professor of history at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. ...

Share