Latin American Revolutions Carys Thompson Anukruthi Venukadasula

Introduction ●Spanish colonies divided by class ●Spanish authoritarian rule ○ increasing and getting worse ○ events in Europe lead to Revolution ●Violence among Latin Americans along lines of race, class, and ideology, accompanied the struggle against Spain in many places

Who Fought Whom Peninsulares officials from Spain or Portugal governed Spanish colonies in the Americas Criollos (creoles) American-born people of Spanish descent Majority of colonies’ population established ranches and participated in trade with Spain and Portugal

Choosing Sides ●Both sides needed “their people” to fight for them ●Nativism ●Nationalist leaders lured people into their side by promises of freedom, end of legal restrictions, and social advancement ■ ideas influenced by Enlightenment, French Revolution, and Spanish liberalism ■ promises not kept - lower classes (native americans and slaves) did not get benefitted ■ imperial state was destroyed but colonial society stayed

Why They Fought Discrimination Though legally equal, peninsulares subjected the creoles under their rule exclusion from high office offended by Spanish monarchy’s efforts to establish greater power by establish heavier taxes and tariffs in the 18th century limited trade

Creoles’ Inspiration from European Enlightenment wanted popular sovereignty, republican government, and personal liberty wanted to remove the peninsulares from power but retain their own position in society led to protests, declarations of independence, wars

Napoleon’s Invasion ❏ Napoleon invaded Spain and Portugal in 1808 ❏ Spanish king Ferdinand VII was deposed and the Portuguese royal family was sent to exile in Brazil ❏ Latin Americans had to take action because of royal authority’s disarray ❏ independence for various states by 1826

Mexican Independence Movement 1810 ❏ Hunger for land and high food prices ❏ Peasant insurrection ❏ independence movement led by Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Morelos ❏ Creole landowners raised an army and crushed the insurgency ❏ brought Mexico to a socially controlled independence in 1821

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Father of Mexican Independence Publically proclaimed his revolt Sep.16, 1810 date of Mexico’s Independence Day Impact Initially a movement of independence Became a social and economic war against the upper class Executed by conservative creoles

Simon Bolivar creole elite born in 1783 in Caracas republican steeped in Enlightenment ideas experienced many reversals and went into exile twice Inspired by George Washington 1819: surprised and defeated Spanish army in Colombia Coordinated with leaders such as Jose de San Martin (Argentinian) and Bernardo O‘Higgins (Chilean) 1825: creole forces had defeated Spanish rulers throughout South America

Goal: create confederation like U.S. with the former Spanish colonies 1820s: Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador formed a republic, Gran Colombia 1830: Goal failed because of strong political and regional diff. Died of tuberculosis while en route to exile in Europe in 1830

Women’s Role ●Upper class women gave and raised money for expenses and provided safe places for meetings ●In Mexico, some women disguised themselves to help the men and others (working-class and peasant) worked as cooks and carriers

Women were not benefitted. In Columbia, many were punished for disloyalty to crown and about 48 were executed ●In Argentina, national recognition for women and modest improvement in educational opp. ●But Latin American women excluded from political life and remained under control of men in their families Benefits for Women?

Aftermath Disunity of the Colonies Distances between colonies, geographic obstacles, and lengthened colonial experience ○made it difficult to unite the Spanish colonies Aftermath/Overall Effects ●Latin American became the promising region till 19th century ●newly formed independent countries in both regions ○places in Latin America became underdeveloped, impoverished, politically unstable, and dependent