1. Causes of Latin American Independence

2. Long-Term Factors
Implementation of Bourbon Reforms (undermined strength of Crown, rather than strengthened)
Growing class consciousness (tensions between Creoles and Peninsulares) and growth of merchant middle class
Unequal access to wealth
Success of American and French Revolutions provided inspiration, justification and hopes for Latin America autonomy
Theory of rising expectations (elites briefly held power, all experienced higher standard of living, then power and living standards declined)
Enlightenment ideas encouraged revolutionary spirit
Increasing and unequal taxation effected creoles, mestizos and Native Americans
Anger over taxation issues led to native rebellions
Rebellions led to the creation of a larger colonial militia
Creation of a militia that would be prepared to fight against the Crown

3. Enlightenment ideas… Right to self-government
(branches of gov, federal or
parliamentary system,
constitutional government)
Reality… strong elites remained powerful, no female
suffrage, no real native participation,
assemblies not very representative
Free labor and trade system
Reality… saw logic of a capitalist system, but didn’t want to
implement because elites feared foreign
competition, lower classes lost land and became
labor forces, worried Britain would take
advantage of Latin American trade

4. Increased access to education
Reality… private, access only for wealthy, church still
powerful in educational realm
Progress = modernization = “order” and “growth”
Reality…associated urban Creole elites with “progress” and
rural masses with “backwardness”, immorality and laziness,
followed European models, favored “growth” over
“development” – belief was what would benefit elites would
benefit masses)

5. Immediate Causes
1796 Spain (allied with France) went to war with Britain
- unsuccessful, had disastrous results for Spain
- convinced many Creoles in the colonies that
Spanish interests were not their interests
Increased colonial taxation to pay for war
British blockade of Spanish ports caused extreme shortage of consumer goods from Spain into the colonies and a loss of income from exports out of colonies
- (1797 Spanish decree allowed foreign trade with
neutral countries- disaster- revoked in 1799 – revocation
was ignored, creating an even bigger problem)

6. This led to confusion and chaos in the colonies!
War again with Britain in 1804
- by 1806 Spain was barely trading with colonies
Napoleon’s invasion of Spain
- France turned on Spain during invasion of Portugal
- Napoleon put his brother, Joseph, on the throne and
overthrew Ferdinand VII (1808)
- Spanish nationalists opposed
this and set up a junta in Seville
- This junta declared that the Spanish
territories in the Americas were free
This led to confusion and
chaos in the colonies!