Independence Movement of Latin America

1. Independence Movement of Latin America Presentation created by Robert Martinez Primary Content Source: A Short History of the World Images as cited.

2. In the late 18th century, Spain’s Bourbon monarchs sought ways of increasing the flow of revenue from their American colonies. Spain needed more money to defend its empire from European rivals, particularly Britain and France. flickr.com

3. Pressure was placed on the colonies to increase production in agriculture and mining; and equally to reduce administration and defense costs, and expand frontiers. mind42.com

4. This led to discontent among the creole population (those of Spanish descent, born in the colonies), made worse by Spain’s attempts to monopolize commerce with European and American markets at the expense of creole traders, and by increasing creole exclusion from positions within the colonial administration in favor of peninsulares (Spanish-born Spaniards.) mediarumba.com

5. By the late 18th century, many creoles had grown resentful of Spanish authority. Influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and the American and French Revolutions, they began to desire independence from Spain. bicycle2011.com

6. However, few creoles rebelled because of fear that without Spanish protection, they would be unable to defend themselves from uprisings by the African, indigenous and mixed-race communities, which together comprised some 80 percent of Spanish America’s population. withfriendship.com

7. Their fear was reinforced by two events: the 1780 Inca uprising in Peru, led by Tupac Amaru; and the 1791 slave revolt in the French Caribbean colony of Saint Domingue, which led to the foundation of the Africa-Caribbean republic of Haiti in 1804. bloglavozdelreservista.blogspot.com

8. The event that changed creole attitudes and accelerated moves towards independence was Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808. Napoleon replaced the Spanish Bourbon king Ferdinand with his own older brother, Joseph Bonaparte, causing a major conflict of loyalties throughout Spanish America. creaciondeunanacion2a.blogspot.com

9. Did they recognize the new king, pledge allegiance to Ferdinand, or form self-ruling governments? In most cases, creoles preferred the third option – as a temporary measure at least – until Bourbon rule was restored. royaltyguide.nl

10. A war of independence began in Mexico in 1810, led by the priest Miguel Hidalgo. After Hidalgo’s execution the following year, the movement was led by the military commander Agustin de Iturbide. Miguel Hidalgo commons.wikimedia.org

11. By 1822, Iturbide had driven the Spanish royalists from the country and founded the Mexican Empire, with himself as emperor. porinsurgentes.com

12. Around this time, Spain’s Central American colonies also declared their independence, forming themselves into the United Provinces of Central America. The union lasted until 1838, when it separated into the independent states of today. mediahex.com

13. Two figures dominated the story of South American Independence. In the north, Simon Bolivar led the struggle to free present-day Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. filosofiayeducacion.uncu.edu.ar

14. Bolivar began his fight against Spain royalist forces in 1811. After many fierce battles, he established the independent republic of Gran Columbia in 1822. In 1830-1831, Gran Columbia separated to form Venezuela, Ecuador and New Granada. taringa.net

15. In 1816, Argentina declared its independence from Spain. Jose de San Martin realized that if Argentina was to remain a free state, the rest of the continent would have to be liberated as well. latinamericanstudies.org

16. In 1817, he invaded Peru over the high Andean passes, surprising royalists and defeating them at the Battle of Chacabuco. liveseycompany.com

17. Inspired by San Martin’s example, Chilean patriot Bernado O’Higgins invaded Chile in 1818, defeating the royalists at the Battle of Maipu and securing the country’s independence. encontrarte.aporrea.org

18. By 1821, San Martin had taken Peru’s capital Lima and proclaimed independence, although most of the countryside and highlands remained under royalist control. historiadenuestroperuydelmundo.blogspot.com

19. San Martin asked Simon Bolivar to complete the liberation of Peru, which he and his general Antonio Jose de Sucre achieved at the Battles of Junin and Ayachucho in 1824-1825. patriagrande.com.ve

20. Upper Peru, which declared its independence in 1825, renamed itself Bolivia, in honor of Bolivar. es.wikipedia.org

21. Paraguay, in northern Argentina, achieved liberation in 1811. In Uruguay, which lay between Brazil and Argentina, independence was proclaimed in 1816, but the country was then occupied by Brazil in 1820 and only managed to liberate itself in 1828. every-day-is-special.blogspot.com

22. By 1826, the last royalists had been driven out of South America, and the once-mighty Spanish-American Empire consisted merely of Cuba and Puerto Rico. repeatingislands.com

23. The U.S. government’s Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which declared U.S. hostility to any European attempts to re-colonize the Americas, guaranteed the continued independence of Central and South America. deskofbrian.com