Book excerpt: Introduction: Latin America in world history -- Entry -- The invasion -- The search for new connections -- The Ibero-American world -- The international context -- The components of the Ibero-American world -- Revival -- The international context : continuity and discontinuity -- The new states are born -- The Euro-American world -- From European to international concert -- Latin America in the international order -- Latin America in the international economy -- Toward a new society -- The liberal-republican political order -- Westernization -- From international disorder to the new diplomacy -- Latin America in the international economy -- The secularization of society -- The westernization of politics -- Conclusion: Latin America in world history : historical forms and trends.