1750-1914: An Age of

Revolutions

Latin American

Independence Movements

Found on Slide Share

Modified by Pamela Hammond

Brantley Co. HS Nahunta, GA

Background• Indigenous peoples and civilizations

– Maya, Aztec, Inca

• European Colonization, 1500s– Spain, Portugal, France

• American Revolution, 1776

• French Revolution and Enlightenment, 1789

• Napoleon’s conquests within Europe, 1800s– Colonial possessions of Spain and Portugal

“ignored”

Latin American Independence Movements, 18th & 19th C.

French colonies: Revolution in Haiti• Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti

• Western third of island of Hispanola in Caribbean Sea.

• Plantation slavery, sugar

Toussaint L’Ouverture• Former slave, self-educated.

• Untrained in military and political matters, but became a skilled general and diplomat.

• Allegedly got name (“opening” in French) from being able to find openings in enemy lines.

• Took leadership of a slave revolt that broke out in 1791.

• 100,000 slaves in revolt.

• By 1801, L’Ouverture moved into Spanish Santo Domingo (the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispanola), took control of territory and freed slaves.

• In January 1802, French troops landed.

• Toussaint agreed to an end of fighting if the French would end slavery

• French accused him of planning another uprising.

• Sent him to a prison in the French Alps.

• He died 10 months later, April 1803.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines• Toussaint’s general; took up the fight.• Jan 1, 1804 - declared an independent

country.• First black colony to free itself from

European control.• He called it Haiti, “mountainous land,” in

the language of the native Arawak inhabitants.

• Became first emperor of Haiti; later assassinated in a revolt.

• 1820: Haiti became an independent republic

Spanish Colonies

Revolutions against Spanish Rule

European Empires: 1660sEuropean Empires: 1660s

Latin American social classes• Peninsulares - men born in Spain

– held highest offices

• Creoles - Spaniards born in Latin America– officers in army, but not in government– often resented power of the peninsulares

• Mestizos - mixed European and Indian• Mulattos - mixed European and African• Indians

SOCIAL HIERARCHY

P

C

M & M

I & A

Peninsulares:Native Spaniards

Creoles:People of pureEuropean bloodBut born in theNew World

Mestizos: Indian +European blood

Mulattos:African +European blood

Indians and AfricansCAUSES

16c-18c: 16c-18c: New Ideas Brewing in New Ideas Brewing in

EuropEuropee

16c-18c: 16c-18c: New Ideas Brewing in New Ideas Brewing in

EuropEuropee

THE ENLIGHTENMENT

* Government is based on a contract between the ruler and the ruled.

BEFORE: Kings are placed on the throne by G-d. Only G-d can remove them.

* Government exists to protect the citizens’ natural rights of life, liberty, & property.

* If the government violates the natural rights of the people, the citizens have a right to revolt against that tyranny.

CAUSES

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

* The success of the American Revolution showed others that colonies could succeed in overthrowing their more powerful mother countries.

CAUSES

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

* Napoleon crowns himself emperor of France in 1804.

* In an attempt to rule all of Europe, he puts family and friends in charge of the territories he has conquered.

* In 1810, Napoleon puts his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain. The Spanish royal family flees.MENU

CAUSES

European Background: Napoleon

• Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808.

• Removed Spain’s King Ferdinand VII and made Joseph (Nap’s brother) king of Spain.

• Creoles used it as a reason for revolution.

• 1810 rebellion across Latin America.

• 1814, Napoleon defeated and Ferdinand returned to power, but creoles cont’d their movement.

Preoccupation of Spain & Preoccupation of Spain & Portugal In Fighting Portugal In Fighting

Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars

Napoleon on the MarchNapoleon on the March

Provides a model & a diversion!Provides a model & a diversion!

Simon Bolivar

• Wealthy Venezuelan creole.

• “The Liberator”

SIMON BOLIVAR

* Called the “George Washington of South America.”

* Liberated territories of modern day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia

* Plan for a federated Latin America was crushed by political in-fighting.

* Elite Creole planter Military General

LEADERS

Venezuelan Independence, 1821

• Venezuela declared independence, 1811.

• Bolivar’s armies unsuccessful at first.

• 1819: Bolivar marched armies over Andes into today’s Colombia, defeated Spanish army.

• 1821: Venezuelan independence.• Marched north to Ecuador to meet

Jose de San Martin.

• Simple, modest man.

• Born in Argentina, spent time in Spain as military officer.

Jose de San Jose de San MartinMartin

JOSE DE SAN MARTIN

* Creole officer who had trained in European armies.

* Liberated Argentina from Spanish control.

* Met with Bolivar in Guayaquil in 1822. While Bolivar favored democracy, San Martin felt only monarchy could work. Turned over command.

* Died in obscurity in Europe.

LEADERS

• Argentina declared independence in 1816.

• San Martin led army across Andes to Chile, joined by Bernardo O’Higgins, and freed Chile.

• Ecuador, 1822: San Martin met with Bolivar to decide how to remove remaining Spanish forces in Lima, Peru.

Argentinean Independence

BolivarSan Martin

• Bolivar’s vision of a united South America.• Present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

and Panama.• Short-lived due to dissension amongst

various factions.• Bolivar resigned in 1828.• In 1830, Bolivar’s Gran Colombia divided

into Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.• Panama later split from Colombia with US

assistance, 1903.

Gran Colombia, 1820-1830

Mexico

• Indians and mestizos, not creoles, played the key role in independence movements.

• Creoles sided with Spain to avoid violence of lower-class rebellions (until 1820).

Miguel Hidalgo

• A village priest, believed

in Enlightenment ideals.• 1810, called for

revolution.• Hidalgo’s Indian and

mestizo followers marched to Mexico City.

• Spanish army and creoles acted against Hidalgo and defeated him in 1811.

Jose Maria Morelos

• Took leadership after Hidalgo’s defeat.

• Defeated by creoles.

Mexican Independence, 1821

• 1820 revolution in Spain put a liberal government in power.

• Mexican creoles feared loss of influence, so they united against Spain.

• Agustin Iturbide declared himself emperor, but was overthrown.

• 1824: Establishment of the Mexican Republic.– Compromise between conservatives and liberals– Presidential system, bicameral legislature

Monroe Doctrine, 1823

• US watched with interest as new independent countries were forming in Latin America

• Concern arose when Britain and France began to try to influence struggling democracies

• James Monroe, 5th President, issued doctrine to protect Latin America– No new colonies allowed in Western Hemisphere– Attempts to recolonized would be seen as an act of war– USA would step in to aid Latin American countries

• Could the USA interfere????

INTERNATIONAL: THE MONROE DOCTRINE

“The American continents…are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.” - James Monroe, 1823

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

• A caudillo, strong military leader.• Fought for independence from Spain in

1821 and again in 1829 when Spain tried to reconquer Mexico.

• Between 1833 and 1855, president four times– switched sides to keep himself in

power• Was Emperor for a short time – until

Texas defeated Mexico in its War of Independence, but never really had control of his empire

Remember the Alamo

Benito Juarez• Poor, orphaned Zapotec

Indian; law degree and local governor.

• La Reforma: reform movement

• redistribution of land, separation of church and state, education

• Set up a liberal government, but plagued by conservative rebels.

French Rule• Conservative rebels plotted with France to

reconquer Mexico.• Napoleon III sent armies to Mexico.• Cinco de Mayo, 1862:

– Zaragoza won the Battle of Puebla against the French, but the French won the war.

• Napoleon III appointed a relative, Austrian archduke Maximilian, as emperor of Mexico.

• Juarez resisted, US sent troops to Mexico - French gave up in 1867.

• Juarez continued reforms.•Can you say Monroe Doctrine????•Why did it take us so long to intervene?

Portuguese Rule• Treaty of Tordesillas

of 1494 divided the Atlantic between Spain and Portugal.

• Portugal was mostly focused on routes to Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Brazilian Independence

• In 1807, Napoleon In 1807, Napoleon marched on Iberian marched on Iberian peninsula, forcing peninsula, forcing Portuguese royal Portuguese royal family of King John VI family of King John VI to escape to Brazil, to escape to Brazil, Portugal’s largest Portugal’s largest colony.colony.

• From 1807 to 1815, From 1807 to 1815, Brazil was center of Brazil was center of Portuguese empire.Portuguese empire.

Brazilian Independence• With defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Portugal

wanted Brazil to become a colony again.• By 1822, creoles demanding

independence signed a petition asking Portugal’s prince, Dom Pedro, to rule Brazil.

• On Sept 7, 1822, Dom Pedro agreed, and declared Brazil’s independence– “Constitutional monarchy”

• 1889, Brazilians overthrew Pedro’s successor and declared their country a republic.

United Provinces of Central America

• Several other Central American states declared their independence from both Spain and Mexico to create the United Provinces of Central America.

Period of Consolidation, 1825-1850• Breakdown of original nations and groups:

– Gran Colombia– an original union between Bolivia and Peru– United Provinces of Central America

• Instability of internal politics– Bolivia experienced 60 revolts and coups.– Venezuela experienced 52 revolts and coups

• Liberals - free trade, representative government, federal government system

• Conservatives - protect church and upper classes– controlled most regimes between 1830 and 1870.

• Independence movements and new governments run by Creoles

• Spanish administrators had excluded Creoles from political leadership, so few leaders could actually run a government.

Latin American Revolutions!Latin American Revolutions!

Results of Latin American Independence Movements

• Political/Social:– Continued battles between liberals, conservatives and the

military over how to best rule.– Tensions between articulate political forces and the separate

masses.

• Economic:– Unable to free itself from dependence on Western-controlled

economic patterns.– Cash crop economies Banana Republics

• Cultural/intelligent:– Distinct cultural entity

• combination of Western styles and values plus its racial diversity, colonial past, and social structure of a semi-colonial economy.

Summary

Before After

Political Dictatorship of the Council of the Indies and the Viceroys

•Dictatorship of the Caudillos•Constant disagreement about how best to rule.•Monroe Doctrine•New constitutions written•Civil wars break out

Economic

•Unequal trade relationship with Spain benefiting •Colonies only allowed to trade with Spain. Were not allowed to industrialize.

•Unequal trade relationship with Great Britain and the U.S. Benefiting•Foreign loan debt•Cash-crops- banana republics

Social Native Spaniards at the top of the social ladder,

followed by creoles, and with the rest of the

population at the bottom

•Creoles at the top of the ladder with the rest of the population at the bottom.•New governments seized lands and sold them off-only creoles could afford.•Distinct cultural identity

BOLIVAR’S LAST WORD

* Simon Bolivar had taken up the cause of independence hoping to establish a new order where Latin American countries would be free, democratic, and federated (in agreement to work together.) Instead, upon his death, he saw a world in which dictators ruled and disunity reigned. Disgusted by what he saw, he gave this warning to future generations:“America is ungovernable for us. He who serves a revolution plows the sea.”