Uruguay

A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to military control of his administration in 1973. By the end of the year the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.

Western European tradition is widespread in Uruguay today. By the 19th century most of the Native Americans had been supplanted by Europeans, chiefly Spaniards and Italians. Since then the country has adopted the cultural institutions of these immigrants. As in Argentina, which has folk music and dances similar to those of Uruguay, the gaucho has been the subject of folklore and music. Colonial literature was largely limited to science, education, and religion. Juan Zorrilla de San Martín wrote Tabaré (1886, translated 1956), considered one of the genuine epic poems of America. Folk and popular music reflect the mood of the people and of the land. Both the government and the middle class support the theater, concerts, museums, and literary publications. Popular sports include soccer, polo, swimming, tennis, and golf.

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