S2 / Study 3.4.5: Independence Movements in Latin America

What does Mexico's situation following independence demonstrate about the challenges facing the newly independent Latin American countries?

After having won independence, Mexican leaders had difficulty maintaining stability and democracy in the country. Shortly after achieving independence, Agustín de Iturbide made himself emperor of Mexico. Not long afterward, Antonio López de Santa Anna ruled as a dictator.

Who do you believe was more influential in South American independence movements, Simón Bolívar or José de San Martín? Why?

Answers will vary. For example, you might say Bolívar was more important because he influenced independence movements both militarily and politically.

What role did the wars of Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe play in bringing about revolutions for independence in Latin America?

Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808 affected the outbreak of independence movements in Latin America in two main ways. First, Spain's preoccupation with war in Europe gave the colonies the opportunity to rebel. Second, the role of the Spanish people when the king fled inspired revolutionaries in Latin America to realize their own power.

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

(1753 - 1811) A Mexican priest who was an early leader in the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule. On September 16, 1810, he gave a speech that inspired the war, and that date is now celebrated as Mexican Independence Day.

José de San Martín

(1778 - 1850) The Argentine general who helped liberate modern-day Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.

Simón Bolívar

(1783 - 1830) A Venezuelan general who led the people of South America in their movement to gain independence from European powers.

Do you think the Latin American independence movements were successful? Why or why not?

Answers will vary. You might say that the Latin American independence movements were successful because countries became independent. But you could also argue they were a failure because some countries, like Mexico, struggled to institute democracy in the years following independence.

In one or two sentences, write the "big idea" or main point of this study.

In the early 19th century, Spain's American empire collapsed under the weight of unstable social hierarchies, the emergent ideas of the Enlightenment, and the revolutions in both France and the newly formed United States. Creole leaders around the former empire rose up to lead the newly independent nations of Latin America.

Describe the relationship between peninsulares and creoles in late colonial Spanish America.

Peninsulares, who were born in Spain, were given more privileges and had a better chance at church and government offices. Creoles, who were of Spanish descent but born in the Americas, resented their lack of opportunities.

How did Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín influence independence movements in Latin America?

Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín were both military leaders who helped the colonies fight for independence from Spain. Bolívar also served as a political and intellectual leader.

How did the revolutions in the English colonies and in France contribute to revolutions in Latin America?

The American Revolution represented the first American colony to successfully rebel and achieve independence from a European power, so independence-minded people in the Spanish colonies watched the struggle closely. The French Revolution eventually led to struggles between France and Spain and Portugal. These struggles gave Latin American colonies the chance to rebel and become more economically independent.

How was Brazil's independence movement different from that of former Spanish colonies?

While Spanish colonies turned away from royalists, in Brazil it was the royalists who ultimately brought independence. This was primarily because the royal family in Portugal fled to Brazil after Napoleon's invasion.