"the governments of latin america after 1860 represented a swing "

The best answer is, a swing away from Caudillo type rule. 

After 1860 and until the end of the 19th century, the governments of Latin America experience a shift in political rule and leadership away from a dictatorial style, known as caudillo rule instead insisting on more types of representative government instead. This was a large shift in ideas and was driven by the economic, social, and political opportunities democratic based nations experience. The specific term, caudillo is usually attributed to Spanish colonial rule and the subsequent periods of American Spanish rule which ended with the independence movements in the late 19th century.