Latin America: A French Idea That Outlived Its Empire

Latin America: A French Idea That Outlived Its Empire

As a name and a concept, Latin America was a creation of the court of the former French Emperor Napoleon III. It was a notion linked to France’s intent to conquer Mexico. A process that took place between 1861 and 1867.  On October 9, 1861, Napoleon III wrote to his Ambassador in London, Count Flahaut, that if Mexico could be regenerated under the influence of France, they would have erected an insurmountable barrier against the encroachments of…