This
paper provides an historical review of
political leaders in Latin America and examines how many of them were leaders of the authoritarian school. It begins with a brief look at the Spanish
conquistadores who carved out the great Spanish Empire in the Americas. It then discusses the political leaders of the 19th
century: Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin, and Francisco de Miranda - all soldiers first and "liberators" of their countries later. The paper then focuses on the 20th century the leaders of the this period.