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The Wars of Independence in Latin America
• Reasons for Revolution– Social Structure of Latin America– Upper Class
• Peninsulares – people of European descent born in Europe sent over to the Americas to rule the colonies
– Middle Class• Creoles – people of European descent born in the
Americas• Creoles resented second class status to peninsulares,
high taxes, and mercantilist policies
– Lower Class• Mestizos – part European and part Native American• Mulattoes – part European and part African• Native Americans – original people living in the Americas• Slaves – mostly Africans
• Immediate reason – Spain and Portugal are attacked by Napoleon
• Enlightenment ideas• Haiti’s struggle (1791-1804)
– slave revolt inspired by French Revolution and led by Toussaint L’Overture
– rebel forces win because of leadership, desire, and luck (yellow fever)
• Wars of Independence on the South American Continent
– Creole elite led revolutions against Spanish and Portuguese rule
– Creoles feared French-controlled Spain – liberal class reforms – so they formed Creole juntas or political committees, ended peninsulares rule and took over South America
• San Martin in Rio de la Plata
– The junta in Buenos Aires not only succeeded in defeating Spain n what would become Argentina but also sought to liberate Paraguay and Uruguay
– A revolutionary force led by Jose de San Martin helped Bernardo O’Higgins liberate Chile then liberated the loyalist stronghold of Peru
• Simon Bolivar’s Liberation of Venezuela
– Simon Bolivar helped establish the liberating junta in Venezuala; civil war breaks out between royalists and republican supporters – llaneros (cowboys) and slaves
– Bolivar is exiled but eventually returns to liberate modern day Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuala
– Bolivar and San Martin disagreed on the future political structure of Latin America; San Martin eventually quietly left and went into exile in Europe
– Battle of Ayacucho – marked the end of Spain’s effort to retain South American Empire
• Independence in New Spain– the lower class is united by a Creole priest Father
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (a poor parish priest) against the local junta; many atrocities are committed by the revolutionaries and royalist forces
– Father Hidalgo is captured and executed; Jose Morelos y Pavon, a mestizo priest and much more radical than Hidalgo, becomes the leader of the revolution
– the popular uprising ends after five bloody years of fighting
– fear of liberal reforms unites conservative forces behind a former royalist general, Agustin de Iturbide; he declares independence from Spain and is declared emperor
• Brazilian Independence – nonviolent revolution– owned by Portugal – after Portugal is invaded by Napoleon
the ruling family flees to Brazil; Prince Joao makes reforms to appease locals
– after Napoleon is defeated King Joao VI returns to Portugal but leaves his son Dom Pedro behind to rule; eventually Dom Pedro declares an independent Brazil and becomes emperor