IB History: Independence Movements—Venezuelan Independence

Name four significant contributors to the Venezuelan independence.

Francisco de Miranda (led initial movement), Simon Bolivar (The Liberator), José Tomás Boves (llaneros crushing resistance), and José Antonio de Paez (see Boves bad).

State three short term causes for the revolution.

(1) Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, placing his brother on the throne. The Spanish colonies were devoted to King Ferdinand VII; thus, the cabildos did not accept him and they decided to create a junta in 1810 in place of their king. Nonetheless, 3/10 cabildos remained loyal to the French king, making the First Republic fail under Miranda's rule. This was also caused by the earthquake of 1812 killing only the revolutionaries. (2) Tensions between peninsulares and creoles led to Bolivar's independence in 1813, but as Bolivar did not think for the non-whites, the Second Republic failed. (3) Desire for social equality which was not obtained with Boves fueled the creation of the Third Republic which declared independence in 1819 and ended the war in 1821.

Name four significant events neighboring the Venezuelan Independence

(1) Napoleonic Wars (2) Other Latin American wars of independence (such as the independence of Colombia, where Bolivar was from) (3) American Revolution (4) Haitian Revolution

Explain the political changes after the revolution.

(1) Rather than having a king, the country now had a president (2) Just like before, the government was corrupted: in 1857, Monagas tried to install a family dynasty until he was overthrown (3) There was very weak leadership by 1863 with the federalist government (4) By 1870, the government became a dictatorship (5) There was conflict between those who wanted a strong, central government (liberal) and those who wanted more independence (conservative).

Explain the effects the revolution had on the economy.

(1) The cocoa economy was ruined after years of neglect during the war, but after a shift to coffee, the country made massive profits (until 1840 where prices dropped) (2) Later, oil became the major export until prices plunged Overall, the revolution allowed for an economic pivot to now produce coffee.

Describe Francisco de Miranda.

A creole who led an expedition from New York to Coro to gain independence in 1806, but he was resisted. He was convinced by Simon Bolivar to return in 1810, where he led a junta in power in 1811 (with the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence) and fell from power in 1812 when he was unable to unify the nation (only some juntas seceded from Spain, and then the 1812 Caracas Earthquake, which only killed revolutionaries, shifted public opinion in favor of

Describe José Atonio Paez

A mestizo who realized Boves would not be granting social equality. He allied with Bolivar from 18160-1820, later becoming president and developing social and economic infrastructure. He organized the country's cession from Gran Colombia.

Describe Simon Bolivar.

An aristocratic creole who led a war to the death in 1813 Venezuela, called the "Admirable Campaign". This resulted in the creation of the Second Republic of Venezuela, which did not last because of Spanish reconquest and local uprising. He re-declared independence in 1819 after a trek over the Andes to capture Caracas during his creation of Gran Colombia. Fighting ensued until 1821 when it was officially separate from Spain.

Describe José Tomás Boves.

Leader of the Llaneros (think cowboys in the country) who crushed resistance to the crown in 1814, promising social equality. He became ruler, and he did not give social equality.

State the main long term cause for the movement.

Social inequality, especially between the Spanish Peninsulares and their descendants, the Creoles. The divide was even greater between these upper-class men and the mixed-race mestizos, mulattos and slaves.

Explain how the social hierarchy shifted after independence.

The defined caste system with the peninsulares and creoles at the top, mestizos and mulattos below, and slaves at the bottom (and natives below the bottom) remained fairly similar, but the peninsulares and creoles finally had parity with each other. It was not until 1854 that slavery was abolished.