1. Effects of Independence
General Outcomes
Inquisition ended
Often ended all de jure (legal) discrimination, but not de facto- which remains an issue even today in many areas)
Furthered the efforts and successes of abolitionist movements
Created constitutional governments that reflected Enlightenment ideals and principles (reality was more often the creation of an aristocratic/authoritarian regime)
Church lost some wealth, increase in attempts to reform and weaken its power
No real land reforms – in fact, land ownership became even more concentrated in the hands of a few elites

2. Political Outcomes Most nations were politically unstable
Caudillo rule (both creole and mestizo)
- both conservative and
liberal (most not truly
committed to an ideology)
- relatively successful ($$ helped)
- manipulated law to own ends
Caudillo legitimacy came from forcefully taking power, being able to support allies, maintain loyalty of army
Caudillo rule started to end in late 1800s as governments became more stable
- legal and political reforms
- expansion of suffrage
Juan Manuel de Rosas (Argentina)
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Mexico)

3. Social Ramifications Increased Power Decreased Power
Creole aristocracy
Replaced peninsulares and moved into powerful positions opened by Spanish departure
Military
Became a means by which creoles could advance, continued development of many private armies
Caudillos
Took power and created alliances, were a threat to the official centralized governments
Decreased Power
Small farmers
No changes short term, but did start to improve once the economy started to diversify
Local merchants
Lost business due to increased foreign commercial presence
Mulattos, Mestizo, Native Americans
Institutional protections on Indians were removed, allowing creoles to exploit them more directly- violence and drunkenness continued to be problems and with no police force to control them it got worse (banditry, homicide common)

4. Beef remains a major part of the Argentine economy.
Economic Effects
Economic stagnation
- except in those countries with marketable
resources (Argentina – hides and beef)
Continued economic regionalism
- Latin American countries didn’t coordinate their economic development or integrate markets
Increased opportunity for foreign investment
- This benefitted the British. There was
suppressed local development due to a flood of
cheaper foreign goods
Increased corruption
- political control gave the new rulers access to
taxes, custom duties (pattern started in colonial
times)
Beef remains a major part of the Argentine economy.

5. Economic Effects
United States
Latin America
Increasingly integrated (American System, railroads, banking, standard currency)
Increasingly industrialized
Free labor and slavery
Influxes of immigrant labor kept labor prices low
Highly capitalist
Opportunities and resources for innovation
All of this moved US toward a greater share of global market
Limited integration
Poor infrastructure
Church played a large role in distributing capital/loans
Agricultural (cash crops)
Limited capitalism
Debt peonage/slavery
Wealth remained concentrated in elites- restricted innovation
Remained dependent on industrial centers in US and Europe (Britain)

6. Overview 19th century Latin America was characterized by:
- political instability (internal disputes)
- violence
- class tensions (issues of “national identity”)
- dependency on relationships that favored foreign powers
- regional conflicts
- existence of privileged groups that protected their own power
(church, military, elites)
- border disputes (lack of officially defined borders)
- rising war debt
“predatory” elites and caudillos started to lose power in the 2nd half of the 19th century (in many cases, these changes led to modern revolutions – Mexico 1910, Cuba 1950s)
Latin America feared invasion by European powers (esp. Spain and France, and in some ways, the US)