Latin American Independence
and Struggles in the 19th
Century
Influences of Change
Enlightenment
Deep class divisions
Peninsulares
Creoles
Mestizos, Mulattos
Indians
Causes of Political Change
American Revolution (1775-1783)
French Revolution (1789)
Slave revolt in St.Domingue led by
Francois L’Overture (1799)
Confusion in colonies over who was ruling
Spain after Napoleon invaded Spain and
Portugal
Independence is Won!
Mexico
– Father Hidalgo began fight for independence
in 1810 but the Creoles stopped him because
they feared radical social changes
– 1815 Revolution taken up by the Creoles
– Augustin de Iturbide declared emperor of
Mexico in 1821 (territory included Central
American States)
– 1824 Central American States break off
The Libertadores
 Simon Bolivar
– Venezuelan Creole
– 1817-1822 he won
Venezuela, Columbia,
and Ecuador (Gran
Columbia until 1830)
– Later he would lead a
joint force and oust the
Spanish from the
Americas for good
The Libertadores
 Jose de San Martin
– Argentine Creole
– Won victories in the
south in Rio de la
Plata
– By 1825 all of Spanish
America had won
independence and all
were republics with
representative
governments
Brazil’s Independence
French invasion of Portugal led the royal
family to flee to Brazil in 1807
King Joao VI stayed in Brazil until 1820
1822 Brazil declared its independence
under Pedro I (Joao’s son)
Established a monarchy (Everyone else
established republics)
Problems after Independence
Class division based on race persisted
Question of the role of the Catholic church
Which form of government?
Liberals vs. Conservatives
Rise of the Caudillos
Caudillos = dictator
Rose out of the instability, which lasted for
50 years after independence
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in Mexico