Final answer:
Imperial policies in Latin America resulted in the region's economic dependence on commodity exports to Western nations, enforcing a class divide and leaving countries vulnerable to foreign influence and debt. The consequences of neo-imperialism and historical land tenure systems like the Spanish Land Grant system exacerbated socio-economic inequalities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Imperial economic policies in Latin America primarily resulted in regional dependence on exports to Western powers. The new Latin American nations, after achieving independence, relied extensively on the sale of cash crops and raw materials to the United States and Europe, which favored the planter class while exacerbating the class divide within these societies. This economic reliance was furthered by the influx of European and U.S. capital for infrastructural projects and the importation of necessary equipment, which left little wealth for domestic development.
Additionally, the region's involvement in neo-imperialism meant that, while enjoying nominal independence, the economic structures and policies of Latin American countries were significantly influenced by foreign investment and interference. These countries faced the challenge of external debt, predatory lending practices, and were subject to 'gunboat diplomacy', further entrenching their subordinate position in the global economic order.
The Spanish Land Grant system provided a structural basis for these problems, contributing to the dominance of plantation economics and the creation of an entrenched class divide, with rural workers and indigenous people often being marginalized or dispossessed of their lands.