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Change in the Americas The South American Revolutions -… 1/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Red, Swo
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Open The Spread of Revolution
The Latin American Wars of Independence, which took place during the
late 18th and early 19th centuries, were deeply in uenced by the
American and French Revolutions and resulted in the creation of a
number of independent countries in Latin America. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Relate the South American Revolutions to the American and
French Revolutions KEY TAKEAWAYS Key Points The revolutionary fervor of the 18th century, in uenced
by Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality, resulted
in massive political upheaval across the world, starting -… 2/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History with the American Revolution in 1776 and the French
Revolution in 1789.
The principles expounded by the revolutionaries in
Europe and their political success in overthrowing the
autocratic rule of the monarchy inspired similar
movements in Latin America, rst in Haiti (then the
French colony of Saint Domingue), whose revolution
began just two years after the start of the French
Revolution.
At rst, the white settler-colonists were inspired by the
French Revolution to gain independent control over
their colonies, but soon the revolution became
centered on a slave-led rebellion against slavery and
colonization, a trend that would continue throughout
the America with varying degrees of success.
Soon after the French Revolution and its resulting
political instability, Napoleon Bonaparte took power,
further destabilizing the Latin American colonies and
leading to more revolution.
The Peninsular War, which resulted from the Napoleonic
occupation of Spain, caused Spanish Creoles in
Spanish America to question their allegiance to Spain,
stoking independence movements that culminated in
the wars of independence, which lasted almost two
decades.
At the time of the wars of independence, there was
discussion of creating a regional state or confederation
of Latin American nations to protect the area’s new
autonomy, but after several projects failed, the issue
was not taken up again until the late 19th century.
Key Terms Libertadores: Refers to the principal leaders of the Latin American wars of independence from Spain and
Portugal. They are named in contrast with the
Conquistadors, who were so far the only
Spanish/Portuguese peoples recorded in the South -… 3/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History American history. They were largely bourgeois criollos
(local-born people of European, mostly of Spanish or
Portuguese, ancestry) in uenced by liberalism and in
most cases with military training in the metropole
(mother country).
Napoleonic wars: A series of major con icts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against
a uctuating array of European powers formed into
various coalitions, primarily led and nanced by the
United Kingdom. The wars resulted from the unresolved
disputes associated with the French Revolution and the
Revolutionary Wars, which raged for years before
concluding with the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. The
resumption of hostilities the following year paved the
way for more than a decade of constant warfare. These
wars had profound consequences for global and
European history, leading to the spread of nationalism
and liberalism, the rise of the British Empire as the
world’s premier power, the independence movements
in Latin America and the collapse of the Spanish
Empire, the fundamental reorganization of German and
Italian territories into larger states, and the
establishment of radically new methods in warfare.
Haitian Revolution: A successful anti-slavery and anti- colonial insurrection that took place in the former
French colony of Saint Domingue from 1791 until 1804. It
a ected the institution of slavery throughout the
Americas. Self-liberated slaves destroyed slavery at
home, fought to preserve their freedom, and with the
collaboration of mulattoes, founded the sovereign state
of Haiti. The Latin American Wars of Independence were the revolutions that
took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and resulted in
the creation of a number of independent countries in Latin America.
These revolutions followed the American and French Revolutions, which
had profound e ects on the Spanish, Portuguese, and French colonies -… 4/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History in the Americas. Haiti, a French slave colony, was the rst to follow the
United States to independence during the Haitian Revolution, which
lasted from 1791 to 1804. From this Napoleon Bonaparte emerged as
French ruler, whose armies set out to conquer Europe, including Spain
and Portugal, in 1808.
The Peninsular War, which resulted from the Napoleonic occupation of
Spain, caused Spanish Creoles in Spanish America to question their
allegiance to Spain, stoking independence movements that culminated
in the wars of independence, lasting almost two decades. The crisis of
political legitimacy in Spain with the Napoleonic invasion sparked
reaction in Spain’s overseas empire. The outcome in Spanish America
was that most of the region achieved political independence and
instigated the creation of sovereign nations. The areas that were most
recently formed as viceroyalties were the rst to achieve independence,
while the old centers of Spanish power in Mexico and Peru with strong
and entrenched institutions and the elites were the last to achieve
independence. The two exceptions were the islands of Cuba and Puerto
Rico, which along with the Philippines remained Spanish colonies until
the 1898 Spanish-America War. At the same time, the Portuguese
monarchy relocated to Brazil during Portugal’s French occupation. After
the royal court returned to Lisbon, the prince regent, Pedro, remained in
Brazil and in 1822 successfully declared himself emperor of a newly
independent Brazil. Spanish America: Hope for a Uni ed Latin America
The chaos of the Napoleonic wars in Europe cut the direct links between
Spain and its American colonies, allowing decolonization to begin.
During the Peninsula War, Napoleon installed his brother Joseph
Bonaparte on the Spanish Throne and captured King Fernando VII.
Several assemblies were established after 1810 by the Criollos to recover
the sovereignty and self-government based in Seven-Part Code and
restore the laws of Castilian succession to rule the lands in the name of
Ferdinand VII of Spain.
This experience of self-government, along with the in uence of -… 5/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Liberalism and the ideas of the French and American Revolutions,
brought about a struggle for independence led by the Libertadores. The
territories freed themselves, often with help from foreign mercenaries
and privateers. United States, Europe and the British Empire were
neutral, aiming to achieve political in uence and trade without the
Spanish monopoly.
In South America, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín led the nal
phase of the independence struggle. Although Bolívar attempted to
keep the Spanish-speaking parts of the continent politically uni ed, they
rapidly became independent of one another as well, and several further
wars were fought, such as the Paraguayan War and the War of the
Paci c. At the time, there was discussion of creating a regional state or
confederation of Latin American nations to protect the area’s newly won
autonomy. After several projects failed, the issue was not taken up again
until the late 19th century.
A related process took place in Spain’s North and Central American
colonies with the Mexican War of Independence and related struggles.
Independence was achieved in 1821 by a coalition uniting under Agustín
de Iturbide and the Army of the Three Guarantees. Unity was maintained
for a short period under the First Mexican Empire, but within a decade
the region had also split into various nations.
In 1898, in the Greater Antilles, the United States won the SpanishAmerican War and occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico, ending Spanish
territorial control in the Americas. Impact of the French Revolution: Haiti
The Haitian Revolution was a successful anti-slavery and anti-colonial
insurrection that took place in the former French colony of Saint
Domingue from 1791 until 1804. It a ected the institution of slavery
throughout the Americas. Self-liberated slaves destroyed slavery at
home, fought to preserve their freedom, and with the collaboration of
mulattoes, founded the sovereign state of Haiti.
From the beginning of colonization, white colonists and black slaves -… 6/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History frequently came into violent con ict. The French Revolution, which
began in 1789, shaped the course of the ongoing con ict in SaintDomingue and was at rst welcomed in the island. In France, the
National Assembly made radical changes in French laws, and on August
26, 1789, published the Declaration of the Rights of Man, declaring all
men free and equal. Wealthy whites saw it as an opportunity to gain
independence from France, which would allow elite plantation-owners to
take control of the island and create trade regulations that would further
their own wealth and power. There were so many twists and turns in the
leadership in France and so many complex events in Saint-Domingue
that various classes and parties changed their alignments many times.
However, the Haitian Revolution quickly became a test of the ideology of
the French Revolution, as it radicalized the slavery question and forced
French leaders to recognize the full meaning of their revolution.
The African population on the island began to hear of the agitation for
independence by the rich European planters, the grands blancs, who
resented France’s limitations on the island’s foreign trade. The Africans
mostly allied with the royalists and the British, as they understood that if
Saint-Domingue’s independence were to be led by white slave masters,
it would probably mean even harsher treatment and increased injustice
for the African population. The plantation owners would be free to
operate slavery as they pleased without the existing minimal
accountability to their French peers.
Saint-Domingue’s free people of color, most notably Julien Raimond, had
been actively appealing to France for full civil equality with whites since
the 1780s. Raimond used the French Revolution to make this the major
colonial issue before the National Assembly of France. In October 1790,
Vincent Ogé, another wealthy free man of color from the colony,
returned home from Paris, where he had been working with Raimond.
Convinced that a law passed by the French Constituent Assembly gave
full civil rights to wealthy men of color, Ogé demanded the right to vote.
When the colonial governor refused, Ogé led a brief insurgency in the
area around Cap Français. He and an army of around 300 free blacks
fought to end racial discrimination in the area. He was captured in early
1791, and brutally executed by being “broken on the wheel” before being
beheaded. Ogé was not ghting against slavery, but his treatment was
cited by later slave rebels as one of the factors in their decision to rise -… 7/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History up in August 1791 and resist treaties with the colonists. The con ict up to
this point was between factions of whites and between whites and free
blacks. Enslaved blacks watched from the sidelines.
The Revolution in Haiti did not wait on the Revolution in France. The
individuals in Haiti relied on no resolution but their own. The call for
modi cation of society was in uenced by the revolution in France, but
once the hope for change found a place in the hearts of the Haitian
people, there was no stopping the radical reformation that was
occurring. The Enlightenment ideals and the initiation of the French
Revolution were enough to inspire the Haitian Revolution, which evolved
into the most successful and comprehensive slave rebellion. Just as the
French were successful in transforming their society, so were the
Haitians. On April 4, 1792, The French National Assembly granted
freedom to slaves in Haiti and the revolution culminated in 1804; Haiti
was an independent nation comprised solely of free people. The
activities of the revolutions sparked change across the world. France’s
transformation was most in uential in Europe, and Haiti’s in uence
spanned across every location that continued to practice slavery. John E.
Baur honors Haiti as home of the most in uential revolution in history. Haitian Revolution: Battle at San Domingo, a painting by January -… 8/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Suchodolski, depicting a struggle between Polish troops in French service
and the slave rebels and freed revolutionary soldiers. Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader who played
a leading role in the Latin American wars of independence and was a
major proponent of a uni ed Latin America. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Recall Simón Bolívar and his contributions to South American
independence movements KEY TAKEAWAYS Key Points The military and political career of Simón Bolívar, which
included both formal service in the armies of various
revolutionary regimes and actions organized by himself
or in collaboration with other exiled patriot leaders from
1811 to 1830, was important in the success of the
independence wars in South America.
These wars, often under the leadership of Bolívar,
resulted in the creation of several South American
states out of the former Spanish colonies: the currently
existing Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
Bolivia, and the now-defunct Gran Colombia.
Bolívar rst found success in his native Venezuela,
taking advantage of the instability caused by
Napoleon’s Peninsular War and leading the -… 9/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History revolutionary forces to a victory in 1821, which resulted
in the creation of an independent Venezuela.
Throughout his military career, he also lead e orts to
oust Spanish rulers from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Bolívar was passionate about the creation of a uni ed
Latin America, through military and economic alliances
and various confederations to protect the area’s newly
won autonomy, but in the end, nationalistic enterprises
won out.
Key Terms Peninsular War: A military con ict between Napoleon’s empire and the allied powers of Spain, Britain, and
Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the
Napoleonic Wars. The war started when French and
Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugal in 1807,
and escalated in 1808 when France turned on Spain, its
previous ally. The war on the peninsula lasted until the
Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814, and is
regarded as one of the rst wars of national liberation,
signi cant for the emergence of large-scale guerrilla
warfare.
Creole: A social class in the hierarchy of the overseas colonies established by Spain in the 16th century,
especially in Hispanic America, comprising the locally
born people of con rmed European (primarily Spanish)
ancestry. Although they were legally Spaniards, in
practice, they ranked below the Iberian-born
Peninsulares. Nevertheless, they had preeminence over
all the other populations: Amerindians, enslaved
Africans, and people of mixed descent.
caudillismo: A cultural and political phenomenon rst appearing during the early 19th century in revolutionary
Spanish America, characterized by a military land
owners who possessed political power, charismatic
personalities, and populist politics and created
authoritarian regimes in Latin American nations. … 10/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Gran Colombia: A name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and
part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. It
included the territories of present-day Colombia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western
Guyana, and northwest Brazil. El Libertador: Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a Venezuelan
military and political leader who played a key role in the establishment of
Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama as sovereign
states independent of Spanish rule.
Bolívar was born into a wealthy, aristocratic Creole family and like others
of his day was educated abroad at a young age, arriving in Spain when
he was 16 and later moving to France. While in Europe, he was
introduced to the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers, which gave him
the ambition to replace the Spanish as rulers. Taking advantage of the
disorder in Spain prompted by the Peninsular War, Bolívar began his
campaign for Venezuelan independence in 1808, appealing to the
wealthy Creole population through a conservative process, and
established an organized national congress within three years. Despite a
number of hindrances, including the arrival of an unprecedentedly large
Spanish expeditionary force, the revolutionaries eventually prevailed,
culminating in a patriot victory at the Battle of Carabobo in 1821 that
e ectively made Venezuela an independent country.
Following this triumph over the Spanish monarchy, Bolívar participated in
the foundation of the rst union of independent nations in Latin America,
Gran Colombia, of which he was president from 1819 to 1830. Through
further military campaigns, he ousted Spanish rulers from Ecuador, Peru,
and Bolivia (which was named after him). He was simultaneously
president of Gran Colombia (current Venezuela, Colombia, Panamá, and
Ecuador) and Peru, while his second in command Antonio José de Sucre
was appointed president of Bolivia. He aimed at a strong and united
Spanish America able to cope not only with the threats emanating from … 11/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Spain and the European Holy Alliance but also with the emerging power
of the United States. At the peak of his power, Bolívar ruled over a vast
territory from the Argentine border to the Caribbean Sea.
In his 21-year career, Bolívar faced two main challenges. First was
gaining acceptance as undisputed leader of the republican cause.
Despite claiming such a role since 1813, he began to achieve acceptance
only in 1817, and consolidated his hold on power after his dramatic and
unexpected victory in New Granada in 1819. His second challenge was
implementing a vision to unify the region into one large state, which he
believed (and most would agree, correctly) would be the only guarantee
of maintaining American independence from the Spanish in northern
South America. His early experiences under the First Venezuelan
Republic and in New Granada convinced him that divisions among
republicans, augmented by federal forms of government, only allowed
Spanish American royalists to eventually gain the upper hand. Once
again, it was his victory in 1819 that gave him the leverage to bring about
the creation of a uni ed state, Gran Colombia, with which to oppose the
Spanish Monarchy on the continent.
Bolívar is, along with Argentine General José de San Martín, considered
one of the great heroes of the Hispanic independence movements of
the early 19th century. … 12/28 1/6/2021 The South American Revolutions | Boundless World History Simón Bolívar: A portait of Simón
Bolívar by Arturo Michelena. Bolívar is
considered one of the leading gures in
the
Latin
American
wars
of
independence. Failed Dream of a Uni ed Latin America
At the end of the wars of independence (1808–1825), many new
sovereign states emerged in the Americas from the former Spanish
colonies. Throughout this revolutionary era, Bolívar envisioned...
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