Latin America and Caribbean
Revolutions follow the American Example
End of Habsburgs in Spain
 War of the Spanish Succession (170114)brought the Bourbon Monarchy to rule Spain
 Bourbons reasserted control of colonies after
years of Habsburg neglect
 Colonial reforms part of a larger effort to
modernize the govt. & econ. of declining Spain
 Bourbon reforms included limiting power of
Catholic church, imposing taxes, maintaining
royal monopolies, adding standing armies,
limiting power of Creole elite and tightening
mercantilist practices
 Caused unrest and seeds of rev. by Creole elite
Bourbon Reorganization
• Administrative Reorganization
– Created two new viceroyalties
• New Granada (1717) based in Bogotá
• La Plata (1776) based in Buenos Aires
– Introduced intendancy system
• Intendants were Peninsulares
• Appointed to oversee military leadership, implement imperial laws
and collect taxes from Creoles and natives
• Directly responsible to the Crown – not viceroys
• Tightened control of colonies but Creoles angered by reduced
standing – looked for opportunities to overturn or circumvent new
tax codes and rules
– System led to outflow of gold and therefore riches to Spain
Bourbon Reorganization
• Economic Reorganization
– 1779 free-trade decree allowed Spanish-American ports
to trade directly with each other & most ports in Spain
– Forbade production of certain goods in colonies to
prevent competition with Spanish goods
– Resources available in Spanish America could not be
traded with other Euros and British colonies in NA &
Caribbean
– Efforts to stop illegal trade were largely futile
– Trade was monopolized by Peninsular traders
• Further cut Creoles out of benefits
Bourbon Reorganization
• Religious Reforms
– Efforts to limit power of Catholic Church
• Force sale of church lands – deprives clergy of income from
rents charged to tenants
• Church deprived of political authority – Bourbons appointed
career military officers to oversee colonies
– Unlike Habsburgs who appointed clergy
• 1767 – Jesuits expelled from Americas to limit their influence
on education
– Expelled priests were Creoles – deprived of homeland and church
missions
• Creole clergy permanently alienated from Crown – they
become ripe for recruitment into insurgency against Spain
Bourbon Reorganization
• Military Defense
– Created a more organized defense force
– Not enough Peninsular officers willing to serve in
Americas – had to rely on colonial-born officers
– Creoles held in secondary levels of command
Tension across the Spectrum
• Creoles most restricted by changes but all sectors of
colonial society resented reforms
• Some open resistance – even riots and revolts
– Perú – Túpac Amaru II rebellion (1781-1793)
• 100,00 deaths and widespread property damage
– Comunero uprising (1781) in New Granada
• Indians and mestizos rose up against Spanish Crown
• Napoleon’s invasion of Spain
– Placed Joseph Bonaparte on Spanish throne (1808)
– American Creoles refused to recognize Bonaparte rule of
Spain – still loyal to crown but sought autonomy
Creole Discontent
Simón Bolívar
Inspiration of American &
French Revolutions
Declaration of the
Rights of Man & of the
Citizen, 1789
Declaration of
Independence, 1776
Preoccupation of Spain &
Portugal In Fighting
Napoleonic Wars
Haitian Revolution – 1791-1804
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French colony of Saint Domingue
Sugar producer dependent upon slaves
Population divided by race
Non-whites (gens de coleur) discriminated against
500,000 slaves made up vast majority of population
– Some granted more privileges than others
• During French Revolution – whites divided between
wealthy and middle- to lower-classes
• Inspired gens de coleur to seek and get political
rights from French National Assembly
Haitian Revolution
• Effort to prevent non-white political power
– Results in uprising, riots based on race and class
• Slave revolt developed in 1791 & grew larger than
conflict between whites and non-whites
• By 1793 – French attempted to put down revolt, now
led by Toussaint L’Ouverture
– In turn defeated the French, British, and gens de coleur, then
the French again
– Toussaint was captured and died in prison but his revolution
was successful in the end
– Jean-Jacques Dessalines became the ruthless dictator of Haiti
and massacred any remaining whites
– Dessalines assassinated in 1806 – gens de coleur replaced
whites as dominant group over black masses
– Haitian Revolution was an inspiration to American slaves
Toussaint L’Ouveture
Leads a Revolution
in Haiti
(1804)
Spanish America
• Creole rebellion began as a push for autonomy rather
than independence
– Creoles in viceroyalties created juntas to rule until the
Spanish monarchy was restored
– Peninsular officials resisted Creole-run governing bodies –
pushed Creoles further to independence
• Many concurrent uprisings but independence wars
varied from place to place
– Own leaders, philosophies, agendas
– When Spanish monarch Ferdinand II was restored he tried to
turn back changes in Spanish America
– Failure to recognize autonomous govts. by King left no resort
but full independence
Mexican Independence
• Revolution started in Sept. 1810 by Father Miguel
Hidalgo
– Mass insurrection that was strong with lower classes and
mixed races, Indians, slaves
– Peninsulares and Creoles allied to stop Hidalgo (1811)
• Father José Maria Morelos continued revolution
– 1814 – Constitutional Decree for Liberty of Mexico
• A Mexican Declaration of Independence
• Morelos also captured and executed like Hidalgo
– Followed by years of guerilla warfare
• Mexican élites, Creoles, Catholic hierarchy and
military leaders joined to make independent Mex.
Augustín de Iturbide
• Plan de Iguala
– Three guarantees
• Clear independence from Spain
• Supremacy of Catholic Church
• Equality for Peninsulares and Creoles
• Treaty of Córdoba – Mexican Independence
– August 24, 1821
• Iturbide becomes Emperor of Mexico - 1822
Latin American
Revolutions!
Simón Bolivar: The “Brains” of the Revolution
 Creole-led revolution in Venezuela
 Liberal agenda – preserve pwr base
 Independent Republic of Venezuela declared on
July 5, 1811
 Royalists recruited non-whites against creole
patriots – Spanish retook Caracas in May
1815
 Diverse forces united against Spanish occupation
under Simón Bolivar
 Welcomed all races in movement – freed his
own slaves as example
 Army coup in Spain let to negotiations with
patriots in Venezuela.
 Old viceroyalty of Nueva Granada became Gran
Colombia – Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela
– until 1830 – Venezuela and Ecuador
independent republics
Bolivar coming
from the
North.
The “Muscle” of the
Revolution
José de St. Martín and
Bernardo O’Higgins cross the
Andes Mountains to fight for
Chilean independence.
Bolivar & San Martin Fight
for Independence!
Bolivar’s Accomplishment
Bolivar’s Failure
 After uniting Venezuela,
Columbia, & Ecuador into Gran
Columbia, he left to help free
the rest of Latin America.
 He died a year later, with his
goal of uniting all of South
America unfulfilled!
Latin
American
States
After the
Revolutions
Brazil Freed from Portugal
 The Portuguese royal
family escaped
Napoleon by fleeing to
Brazil.
 Pedro I set up a new,
independent kingdom in
1821 when his father
returned to Portugal.
 Pedro II assumed full
power after Pedro I
abdicated his throne.
No Unity!
 Failure of Bolivar’s dream for a united
South America:
$ Many newly independent countries
struggle with civil wars.
 By 1830s, geographic factors (mts.,
the Amazon, etc.) plus cultural
differences defeated attempts at
unification.
$ Gran Columbia.
$ United Provinces of Central
America.
Independence Brought
More Poverty
 The wars
disrupted trade.
 The wars
devastated the
cities and the
countryside.
Left Many Countries in the
Control of Caudillos
 WHO WERE THEY?:
$ Mid-19c dictators  military
authoritarianism.
$ Mostly wealthy creole aristocrats.
$ Immediately followed the fight for
independence.
$ Posed as reformers with goals to
improve the economy and better
the lives of the common people.
Left Many Countries in the
Control of Caudillos
 WHO WERE THEY?:
$ BUT…Overthrew governments and
took away basic human rights.
$ Some attempted to make
improvements, but most just cared
about themselves and their families
and friends [nepotism].
$ Power changes usually occurred at
bayonet-point [coup d’etats!]