9 CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE MAY REVOLUTION - HISTORY - 2025

To understand the causes and consequences of the May Revolution, it is necessary to know the situation in which this event took place.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the power of the European monarchy began to weaken due to the French Revolution. Added to this, the ideals promoted by the Enlightenment, as well as the echo of the independence of the United States, made the colonies in America aware of the subjugated position they had before their rulers.

For this reason, many societies decided to take advantage of the moment of weakness and rise in rebellion in order to separate themselves from the European empires.

In this context arises the May Revolution, a movement that occurred in Argentina in 1810. The purpose of this revolution was to remove Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo Cisneros (representative of the Spanish Crown in Argentina) and dissolve the Viceroyalty of Río de la Silver. In its place, the First Governing Board would have been installed.

Cause list

The causes of the May Revolution can be divided into two groups: external and internal. Among the external causes, the loss of authority of the Spanish Crown and two movements stand out: the independence of the United States and the French Revolution.

With regard to internal causes, in the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata there were two rival groups: those who supported the monarchy and those who were against it. The struggle between these groups was one of the elements that gave rise to the May Revolution.

1- Independence of the United States

The United States became independent from Great Britain in 1776. The fact that a colony had been able to separate from an empire made societies under the Spanish yoke realize that it was not impossible to sever relations with the Spanish Crown and become independent.

Before this event, the idea that disrespect for the Empire's authority was a crime had spread in the colonies.

However, Spain assisted the Americans in the fight against the English, a situation that diminished the credibility of this argument.

2- Enlightenment and French Revolution

The May Revolution was influenced by the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that sought to promote ideas of emancipation and equality.

Many authors (such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire) wrote treatises expressing these concepts.

Added to the Enlightenment, the ideals of the French Revolution also had repercussions in the colonies. The execution of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette showed that the monarchies were not as stable as had been thought.

3- Weakening of the Spanish Empire

After the execution of the French kings, Spain and England declared war on France. However, the French army had an advantageous position and invaded Spain.

With the abdications of Carlos IV and Fernando VII, the French obtained the Spanish throne. In his place, Joseph Bonaparte, brother of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, began to reign.

When news of the weakening of the Spanish Crown arrived, the colonies in America saw this as their chance to rebel against the empire and become independent from it.

The Crown tried to recover by forming the Council of Regency of Spain and the Indies. However, many colonies refused to recognize the authority of said council, since they had not been participants in said decision.

4- Ignorance of the authority of Baltasar Hidalgo Cisneros

The coronation of the French José Bonaparte made the Argentine colonies begin to doubt the authority of Baltasar Hidalgo Cisneros, viceroy of Río de la Plata.

After all, the viceroy had been appointed by a king who had been deposed by the French.

5- Fights between the patriots and the royalists

In the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, there were two opposing groups. On the one hand, there were the royalists, who were supporters of the Spanish monarchy.

On the other hand, were the patriots, who were fighting for independence from the Crown and achieve a state of autonomy.

The struggles between these two groups was one of the internal causes that unleashed the May Revolution.

Consequence list

The May Revolution was the first step towards the creation of the Argentine State and the declaration of independence of this country, which was made on July 9, 1816 in the Congress of Tucumán.

The immediate consequences of this movement were the disappearance of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, the separation of the monarchy and the introduction of the concept of sovereignty.

1- Removal of Baltasar Hidalgo Cisneros

The May Revolution was a success as far as the fulfillment of its objectives is concerned. He managed to dismiss Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo Cisneros and the First Government Junta was installed in his place.

2- Dissolution of the territory of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata

From a geographical point of view, the May Revolution resulted in the disintegration of the territory of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata.

This viceroyalty was made up of multiple cities and communes that had no elements in common, except for the fact that they had been subjected by the Spanish yoke.

Therefore, when the authority of the Spanish Crown was unknown, the departments of the Viceroyalty distanced themselves from each other. With the passage of time, these were to form the nations of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru.

3- Sovereignty

The revolution introduced the concept of sovereignty in Argentina. That is, now the rulers would not be imposed, but the people would be in charge of electing their leaders.

4- Freedom of thought

Under Spanish rule in the colonies there was no freedom of the press. The censorship and the prohibition of opposition texts were one of the strategies used by the Spanish Crown to avoid rebellions in its dominions.

With the Revolution, oppression ended and written texts began to be published. Not only newspapers but also books. Some of the most relevant periodicals of the moment were El Correo del Comercio and the Argentine Lira.

References

1. Argentina: The May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from thoughtco.com
2. Argentinian Independence - May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from donquijote.org
3. Causes of the May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from revolvy.com
4. Causes of the May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from wikipedia.org
5. Historiography of the May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from wikiwand. com
6. May Revolution. Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from wikipedia.org
7. May Revolution - Argentine history (1810). Retrieved on October 28, 2017, from britannica.com