HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN WHICH MEXICO EMERGED AS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY - HISTORY - 2025

The historical context in which Mexico declared itself an independent country occurs after having fought for 11 years in the war of independence against the Spanish authorities in the colonies.

The war began on September 16, 1810 and was led by the Mexicans born of Spanish, with the participation of the mestizos, the Zambos and the aborigines.

The Enlightenment promoted the ideals of equality and freedom, which they unleashed in the independence movements in the colonies.

On August 24, 1821, after the Mexican forces defeated the Spanish army, the representatives of the Spanish Crown and the representatives of Mexico signed the treaty of Córdoba, by which the independence of the Mexican nation was recognized.

After three centuries under Spanish rule, Mexico finally began its history as an independent country. However, Mexico was not the only country that achieved its independence in this period; in the rest of the Spanish colonies, a similar process was taking place.

This stage is known as the decolonization of America, which began in the 17th century and culminated in the 20th century. This is the historical context in which Mexico emerged as an independent country.

General situation of America and Europe during the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries

The independence of Mexico and the other American nations did not occur in isolation, but rather it was a series of events that logically triggered the wars of independence.

Illustration

To begin with, discontent and hatred for the imperialist forces was a common characteristic among the common people of the colonies.

Added to this, in 1760, the ideals of the Enlightenment began to reach America, coming from authors such as Montesquieu, Rosseau, Voltaire, Locke, and Diderot.

These authors denounced the actions of absolutist regimes, highlighted the fact that all human beings should enjoy the same rights before the law, and affirmed that sovereignty, the source of authority, rested with the people and not with the person who had been. appointed as governor.

The ideology of the Enlightenment, added to the reality lived in the colonies, made the peoples begin to organize resistance movements against the imperialist authorities.

First independence movements

The process of independence in the American colonies began in the 17th century, with the United States being the first country to declare itself independent in 1776.

However, its independence was not recognized by the United Kingdom from Great Britain until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

After the French Revolution (1789), many of the ideals of emancipation (freedom, equality and fraternity) promoted by France, encouraging the other colonies to achieve their independence.

A short time later, slave-led independence movements took place in Haiti. These movements resulted in Haiti declaring itself a free nation, being the second American colony to gain independence.

The French Revolution and the invasion of Spain

The ideals promoted by the French Revolution were not accepted by the Spanish, so the circulation of the works of the Enlightenment and any other material that could be subversive was prohibited.

However, this did not prevent printed materials from continuing to be published clandestinely.

Similarly, the situation in Europe was not favorable to Spain. In 1808, the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, stormed into Spanish territory.

Faced with the threat of a possible invasion, the King of Spain, Carlos IV, decided to transfer the government to New Spain, the American colony. However, this decision did not please the people, so he had to abdicate in favor of his son Fernando VII.

But Carlos IV ignored the authority of his son and turned to Napoleon Bonaparte to regain power. Fernando VII did the same, so Bonaparte became a mediator between the two monarchs.

The French leader took advantage of the situation and forced and made the two kings abdicate, giving power to his brother José Bonaparte.

This generated lack of control in the colonies because the representatives of the Spanish Crown in America refused to recognize the authority of José Bonaparte, whom they considered a usurper. However, they did not dare to act against it.

For the revolutionary people of the colonies, the news of the French invasion was taken as the opportunity they had been waiting for to gain independence from Spain.

Propaganda against the Crown began to proliferate, challenging what little authority it still had, promoting the revolution.

Independence movements in the Spanish colonies

Most of the Spanish colonies achieved their independence between 1810 and 1825, with Paraguay being the first country to free itself from Spanish rule.

Starting in 1810, relevant figures emerged who developed organized independence movements, such as Miguel Hidalgo (Mexican), Simón Bolívar (Venezuelan) and José de San Martín (Argentine).

San Martín not only participated in the independence of Argentina (which was proclaimed independent on July 9, 1816), but also crossed the Andes mountain range to intervene in the war for the independence of Chile and the independence of Peru.

Likewise, Bolívar participated in Peru's war of independence, which freed itself from the Spanish yoke in 1821.

In addition to the presence of leaders who guaranteed victory, the colonies also had the support of the British Empire, which would be economically favored if the colonies achieved independence from the Spanish Crown.

For its part, Mexico was helped by Great Britain, by Germany, by Japan, even by the United States, nations that offered the necessary elements to start and win the war of independence (weapons, monetary support).

Once Mexico achieved its independence, many Catholic nations broke any type of relationship they had with this country as a show of solidarity towards Spain.

Years later, the head of state of Mexico decided to strengthen relations with the Vatican and that is how Pope Leo XII recognized the independence of the Mexican nation and relations with the other Catholic nations were reestablished.

References

1. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org
2. Mexican War of Independence beginsd - Sep 16, 1810. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from history.com
3. Struggle for Mexican Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from history, com
4. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from newworldencyclopedia.org
5. Mexican independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from tamu.edu
6. Mexican War of Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from tshaonline.org
7. History of Mexican Independence. Retrieved on June 21, 2017, from mexonline.com.