Few nations in the world have trekked such a dramatic political path as Peru. Its relatively neglected post-1821 history comes alive in this concise and timely illustrated survey.

Opening chapters address the complex struggle for independence, the chaotic age of the caudillos, nascent stability under Ramón Castilla, and the War of the Pacific. Middle chapters look at state-building under Cáceres and Leguía, the Aristocratic Republic, labor and social unrest, the radical thought of Mariátegui, and the political dynamism of Haya de la Torre's APRA. Later chapters look at the Odría Ocenio, the governments of Belaúnde and García, the Sendero war, the Fujimori dictatorship, and the rise and fall of Pedro Castillo. Stand-alone chapters also explore Peruvian culture. Sensitive to issues of gender, ethnicity, and class, Peru since Independence fills a glaring gap in our understanding of a vital Latin American and Pacific Rim nation.