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