Abstract:
The terms “Simon Bolivar” and “Latin American Independence” are interrelated. The assignment includes the struggle of Simon Bolivar in order to establish a free LatinAmerica. The contents of
the paper are the analysis of events and occurrences which has been centralized by the efforts of Simon Bolivar. The first few sections of this assignment include the descriptive knowledge about Simon Bolivar and his political ideology. In the latter parts there is a brief discussion about the Latin American Independence movements on the basis of their occurrence. In the final parts some evaluations are provided about the achievement of Simon Bolivar’s dream which was a Unified Latin America.
the paper are the analysis of events and occurrences which has been centralized by the efforts of Simon Bolivar. The first few sections of this assignment include the descriptive knowledge about Simon Bolivar and his political ideology. In the latter parts there is a brief discussion about the Latin American Independence movements on the basis of their occurrence. In the final parts some evaluations are provided about the achievement of Simon Bolivar’s dream which was a Unified Latin America.
Introduction:
Simon Bolivar, byname The Liberator or Spanish El Libertador (born July 24, 1783, Caracas, Venezuela, New Granada (now in Venezuela) was Venezuelan soldier and statesman who led the revolutions against Spanish rule in the Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was president of Gran Colombia (1819–30) and dictator of Peru (1823–26). He was instrumental in the continent’s revolutions against the Spanish empire. Born into wealth, Bolivar was sent to Spain for his education, soon deciding to immerse himself in the political sphere in Europe. After France invaded Spain in 1808, he became involved in the resistance movement and played a key role in the Spanish American fight for independence. In 1825, the “Republic of Bolivia” was created in honor of the inspirational leader, hailed by many as El Libertador (The Liberator).
Political beliefs
The Spanish crown had ruled its American colonies through vice regencies, with the former Aztec Empire, the former Incan Empire, and Buenos Aires being the three largest. One-fifth of all of the gold, precious stones and other wealth extracted from the Americas were the property of the King. The viceroys, who represented the King and were appointed for five year terms, and other key holders of power had to be not only pure Europeans but they had to have been born in Europe. Europeans born in Latin America were referred to as criollos or Creoles. Although they might accumulate great material wealth, they could not hold political office. This sense of political disenfranchisement, as well as Spain’s insistence on being Latin America’s only European trade partner, led to a growing sense of alienation and to the calls to follow the example of the colonies of North America by gaining independence from Spain. Simon Bolivar lived in a time when words like “liberty” and “equality” were powerful concepts. He was greatly influenced by the American Revolution yet was a harsh critic of the French Revolution. In fact he agreed with many of what the Founding Fathers had in mind for their fledgling country. The only thing he disagreed with was that although he grew up in a wealthy, slave-owning family, he was obstinately anti-slavery. Bolivar was so moved by the North American Revolution he set out to create a federation of several independent South American States. Bolivar had always considered himself “a classical liberal” and defender of the free market economic system”. What can be derived from his speeches, Simon adhered to limited government, separation of powers, religious freedom, property rights, and rule of law. Despite staunchly agreeing in these concepts, he did not believe South America was not “mature” enough to be ruled by many of aforementioned concepts. In South America Bolivar remains immortal, being known as one of the greatest military leaders in history. In fact, an entire political Idea, aptly named Bolivarianism, based after his political ideals, is commonplace in many South American States.
El Libertador (The Liberator)
Simon Bolivar returned to Venezuela from Spain in 1808. Soon afterwards, he joined and became a leader of the Patriotic Society of Caracas that was responsible for numerous revolts that ultimately resulted in independence. That occurred in April, 1810, when the colonial governor was deposed and a junta independent of Cádiz was established. Two months later, Bolivar was promoted to the rank of colonel in the militia and appointed head of a diplomatic mission to London.
This mission to London marked the beginning of Bolivar’s twenty years career as a public servant on behalf of freedom and independence. Bolivar returned from London in June, 1811, and spoke to the Patriotic Society in favor of independence. On July 5, 1811, the Patriotic Society of Caracas declared independence and founded the first republic of Venezuela. The constitution for the new republic provided for a federal structure, the legal equality of citizens of all races, and the abolition of clerical and military privileges. Yet, in reality, it did little for non-whites: most were excluded from voting by a property qualification, slavery was retained, and the llaneros, the free-ranging horsemen of the plains, were alienated by policies designed to bring the llanos (plains) under private ownership. In March, 1812, a small Spanish force arrived from Puerto Rico, and the non-whites and royalists helped them combat the republican army. Within a few months the republican army had surrendered. Bolivar escaped to New Granada and avoided prison.
In New Granada, Bolivar enlisted the help of the United Provinces of New Granada for a renewed campaign against the royalists of Venezuela. In 1813, Bolivar reentered Venezuela and declared a “war to the death” against the authority of Spain. He did this with the intent of forcing undecided creoles to choose between independence and submission to unyielding colonialism. He reached Caracas in August and declared a second republic, assuming the role of military dictator. The Second Republic collapsed within a few months, however, because Bolivar had failed to win the support of the non-whites, many of whom were instead recruited to fight with those loyal to the king. After the defeat, Bolivar returned to New Granada, where he stayed shortly before going to Jamaica in 1815.
In 1814, Joseph Bonaparte had been removed from the Spanish throne, and Ferdinand VII had retaken his place there. In 1815, a Spanish army of 10,000 men was sent to the Indies with the intent of pacifying the area, and by 1816, both Venezuela and New Granada were back under royalist control. Now that the Spanish king had regained the throne from the French, the choice of the creoles was more difficult. Any opposition to the colonial administration could no longer be construed as anything but treason. The leaders of the radical minority realized that in order to gain the support of the majority of the creoles, they had to make their revolutionary ideas more appealing to their desires. It seemed that this would somehow require a monarchical solution.
Bolivar, an unwavering republican, even gave his independence program a marked conservative slant. After witnessing the anarchy in New Granada, he had determined that republicanism in South America could not follow the North American model. Bolivar believed that the South American societies had been kept in a condition of political immaturity through “Spanish tyranny”, and, therefore, were unqualified to handle an electoral democracy. In his Jamaica Letter of September 6, 1815 he discussed his ideas for American independence, and he stated that South America should ‘not adopt the best system of government, but the one that is most likely to succeed.” Bolivar, along with José de San Martín, decided that instead of direct confrontation with royalist armies, seizing vulnerable territories and setting up an independent government there would be a more fruitful endeavor. By 1817, Bolivar and San Martín were each ready to undertake new campaigns for independence: San Martín in the south, and Bolivar in the north.
The Spanish-American revolutions
In 1817 Simon Bolivar had returned to Venezuela to again fight for its independence. Starting his campaign in the west, Bolivar took the strategic town of Angostura. He established headquarters there and collected recruits and supplies. The location of Angostura on the Orinoco allowed him to receive assistance by sea as well as providing him with a route upriver into the central plains. This time in Venezuela, Bolivar gained the assistance of the llaneros, who had been conducting a guerrilla war against the royalists. To gain their cooperation, Bolivar provided certain limited incentives to the Indians and black slaves. This widened the ethnic base of the revolution, and it allowed Bolivar access to the central plains of Venezuela which proved to be very valuable in the fighting.
From time to time, Bolivar tried to gain a foothold in northern Venezuela, but without success. Then he came up with a more daring plan. He would cross the vast central plains and then the Andes Mountains during the rainy season and make a surprise attack on Bogotá. Bolivar began the long march on May 26, 1819, just as the rainy season started. The long trip across hundreds of miles of plains, swamps, and swollen rivers would prove to be at least as difficult as expected, but Bolivar would not be deterred. Many men died of hunger, disease, and exhaustion as they made their way across the plains. At the end of June, they began to climb the Andes. They were forced to cross at Pisba, 13,000 feet above sea level, because the lower passes were heavily guarded by royalist forces. None of their horses survived the mountain pass, and more than 1,000 men perished as well. But Bolivar and the rest marched on. On August 7, they encountered and routed the royalists’ main forces at Boyacá. The patriots were considerably outnumbered, but they fought valiantly and won the decisive battle. The Spaniards and loyalists fled from Bogotá after their defeat at Boyacá, and on August 10, 1819, Bolivar occupied Bogotá.
The victory at Boyacá liberated New Granada, and in December the independence of all the provinces of the viceroyalty was declared and Gran Colombia (which encompasses present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador) was created with Simon Bolivar as president.
In June 1821, Bolivar won the battle of Carabobo, and when Caracas fell a few days later, Venezuela was finally completely free from Spanish rule. Bolivar next went south and conquered the province of Quito. On July 27, 1822, Simon Bolivar and José de San Martín met at the city of Guayaquil. Bolivar came in as the triumphant leader of a series of resounding military victories and the head of the vast new Gran Colombia. San Martín on the other hand was struggling with his campaign in Peru and his control in Chile was uncertain. Bolivar was in a far superior position, so after their secret discussions, San Martin left South America altogether and when to Europe. Bolivar’s political victory over San Martin signified the demise of monarchism as an option for a post-independence settlement.
After the meeting with San Martín, Bolivar prepared to march across the Andes to Peru to fight the final offensive against the royalists. By the middle of 1824 he launched his campaign and won an important battle at Junín, which opened the door to Lima. Patriot forces also were victorious at Ayacucho, and Spain’s presence in South America was eliminated. The wars of Independence in South America were concluded.
Presidency of Colombia
Bolivar had great difficulties maintaining control of the vast Gran Colombia. During 1826, internal divisions had sparked dissent throughout the nation and regional uprisings erupted in Venezuela, thus the fragile South American coalition appeared to be on the verge of collapse. An amnesty was declared and an arrangement was reached with the Venezuelan rebels, but political dissent in New Granada grew as a consequence of this. In an attempt to keep the federation together as a single entity, Bolivar called for a constitutional convention at Ocana, Colombia, during April 1828.
He had seen his dream of eventually creating an American Revolution-style federation between all the newly independent republics, with a government ideally set-up solely to recognize and uphold individual rights, succumb to the pressures of particular interests throughout the region, which rejected that model and allegedly had little or no allegiance to classical liberal principles.
Bolivar wanted to implement in Gran Colombia a more centralist model of government, including some or all of the elements of the Bolivian constitution he had written (which included a lifetime presidency with the ability to select a successor, though this was theoretically held in check by an intricate system of balances). This move was considered controversial and was one of the reasons why the deliberations met with strong opposition. The convention almost ended up drafting a document which would have implemented a radically federalist form of government which would have greatly reduced the powers of the central administration.
Unhappy with what would be the ensuing result, Bolivar’s delegates left the convention. After the failure of the convention due to grave political differences, Bolivar proclaimed himself dictator on August 27, 1828, through the “Organic Decree of Dictatorship.” He considered this as a temporary measure, as a means to reestablish his authority and save the republic, though it increased dissatisfaction and anger among his political opponents. An assassination attempt, in September 1828, failed. Although he emerged physically intact, this nevertheless greatly affected Bolivar. Dissident feelings continued, and uprisings occurred in New Granada, Venezuela, and Ecuador during the next two years.
Bolivar’s Dream
Simon Bolivar’s dream was to unite Latin America. This would allow the people that were under the rule of the colonialists to rule themselves and avoid outside influence. Throughout Latin American History, the ideas of Latin American unification have given rise to many interpretations of Bolivar’s dream. This is in part because of the bridge Bolivar’s politics made between the liberal and conservative and in part by the history that has occurred since then. Bolivia has become a hero in many parts of Latin America because of the dream he created. Bolivar established Gran Colombia in his attempt to unify Latin America. This country spanned all or part of modern day Colombia, Panama, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venzuela. It would ultimately fail before Bolivar’s death in 1930. This may have contributed to the legacy of Bolivar’s dream in countries like Venezuela.
Despite efforts to achieve Bolivar’s noble dream, many obstacles stand in the way of accomplishing unity, so Latin America remains as a fragmented region. One of the most significant hindrances to unity is autonomy. Groups such as the Crucenos in Bolivia and the Indians in Peru desire to be acknowledged as independent people-nations. Therefore, they are fighting for the right to self-rule and are a threat to the progress of their respective countries. Cultural groups like these demonstrate the key role that minority groups play in Latin America.
Political legacy
On his deathbed, Bolivar asked his aide-de-camp, General Daniel Florencio O’Leary to burn the extensive archive of his writings, letters, and speeches. O’Leary disobeyed the order and his writings survived, providing historians with a vast wealth of information about Bolivar’s classical liberal philosophy and thought.
A great admirer of the American Revolution (and a great critic of the French Revolution), Bolivar described himself in his many letters as a classical “liberal” and defender of the free market economic system. Bolivar’s defense of the free market system is understandable, given the tight control exercised on Latin America’s markets by Spain. Among the books he traveled with when he wrote the Bolivian Constitution were Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Bolivar’s many speeches and writings reveal him to be an adherent of limited government, the separation of powers, religious freedom, property rights, and the rule of law. Nevertheless, Bolivar did not feel that Latin America was sufficiently mature to be ruled by such principles.
Death and legacy
Bolivar finally resigned his presidency on April 27, 1830, intending to leave the country for exile in Europe, possibly in France. He had already sent several crates (containing his belonging and his writings) ahead of him to Europe. He died before setting sail, after a painful battle with tuberculosis on December 17, 1830, in La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, in Santa Marta, Colombia. His remains were moved from Santa Marta to Caracas in 1842, where a monument was set up for his burial. The Quinta’ near Santa Marta has been preserved as a museum with numerous references to his life.
Conclusion
Bolivar’s greatest political mistake was his failure to recognize the forces of nationalism which were soon to vitalize the Latin American countries. His desire to give his world a firm and stable foundation was justified, even though his methods were often erroneous. Latin America has continued to foster pronunciamentos and revolutions, in confirmation of Bolívar’s most somber apprehensions. Since Bolivar passed into history, South America has not produced his equal. But the ideologies and beliefs of Simon Bolivar will keep helping people to dream of establishing freedom and tranquility irrespective of their situation in the world atlas.
References:
- Bolivar, Simon. El Libertador: Writings of Simon Bolivar. Edited by David Bushnell and translated by Fred Fornoff. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Lynch, John. Simon Bolivar: A Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006.
- Masur, Gerhart. Simon Bolivar. Alburquerque, NM: University of New Mexixo Press, 1969.
- http://www.historytoday.com/john-lynch/simon-bolivar-and-spanish-revolutions