1800 - 1830

 Part One :
Latin America in 1800
 Part Two:
Causes of Latin
American Revolutions
 Part Three:
 The Revolutions
 Part Four:
Results of the
Revolutions

Part One: Latin America in 1800
 A. Geography of an
Empire

Spanish colonies - 1/3 of the Americas

Portuguese -
Controlled Brazil

Part One: Latin America in 1800
 B. Government

1. Run by peninsulares
(Royalists)
• Spanish or Portuguese appointed
• Supported by the military

2. Majority of people had no voice

Part One: Latin America in 1800
 C. Economic

1. Mercantilism
• Support Mother country
• Supply raw materials to mother country
• Manufacturing restricted
• Peninsulares run mines and trade

Part One: Latin America in 1800
 D. Social Order

Stratified - Based on blood
• 1. Peninsulares -
Spanish born in Spain
• 2. Creoles - Spanish born in America
• 3. Mestizo - Spanish and Indian blood
• 4. Mulattoes - Spanish and African blood
• 5. Indians
• 6. Africans

1800 - 1830

Part Two: Causes of Revolution
 A. Political Causes


1. Napoleon’s takeover of Spain &
Portugal - 1808
2. “Taxation without consultation” - angers creoles (no say)

Part Two: Causes of Revolution
 B. Economic Causes

Trade Restrictions
• Supply raw materials to mother country (e.g. coffee, sugar, hides, silver)
• Hurt development of manufacturing
• Forced to remain dependent

Part Two: Causes of Revolution
 C. Social Causes

1. Peninsulares and
Creoles - racist attitude on lower classes



2. 3/5ths of population -
Indians (except Chile &
Argentina)
3. Freed Slaves - forced military service and taxes
4. Indians - Forced labor in mines (mita) and taxed goods (repartimiento)

Part Two: Causes of Revolution
 D. Intellectual Causes

1. Enlightenment ideas
• Free trade & speech, equality before law

“Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”
(Rousseau)

American and French
Revolutions successful

“My children, this day comes to us .
. . Are you ready to receive it? Will you be free?
Will you make the effort to recover from the hated
Spaniards the lands stolen from your forefathers 300 years ago?”
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1810)

1800 - 1830





A. 1807 - 1825 - All
Spanish & Portuguese colonies in N. & S.
America gain their independence
B. Led by Simon Bolivar
( Bolivia , Colombia , Peru ,
Ecuador , Panama , and
Venezuela ) and Jose de
San Martin (Peru,
Argentina, Chile)
C. Never able to unify all peoples
D. Peninsulares driven from power

Part Four: Results of Revolutions
 A. Political Results

1. Creoles assume power



2. Republics proclaimed in name only
3. Military dictators
(caudillos) emerge
4. Political instability
• Venezuela 52 different governments in 1800s

Part Four: Results of Revolutions
 A. Political Results
Continued


5. Fight over borders
6. Catholic Church vies for control

7. Monroe Doctrine -
Europeans don’t come back - U.S. and Britain will dominate new states

Part Four: Results of Revolutions
 B. Economic Results

1. Wars disrupt trade with Spain - hurt state economically



2. Peasants forced into military - hurts farm production
3. Private farms
(haciendas) seized
4. Countries exploited by Great Britain and
U.S.

Part Four: Results of Revolutions
 C. Social Results

1. Some slaves granted freedom for military service



2. Legal Equality in name only
3. Racism remains
4. Indians, blacks, mestizoes & mulattoes
- few gains