CREOLE NATIONALISM: ANTECEDENTS, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The nationalism Creole in New Spain encompasses all beliefs and feelings of belonging of the Creoles residents of this area and the subsequent independent republics that emerged after the wars. Creoles were all descendants of European families but born on American soil.

Creole nationalist sentiment began to emerge before the independence of the countries and was reinforced after this. It was caused by the cultural and economic differences between Spain and its American colonies, as well as the laws established by the King of Spain that were detrimental to the Creole inhabitants of the colonies.

Simón Bolívar, white Creole and hero of independence

The accumulation of Creole nationalist sentiment and internal factors in both Spain and New Spain were the catalyst for the emergence of the heroes of independence known today, such as Simón Bolívar or Agustín I.

What is Creole nationalism?

Creole nationalism is a concept widely used in research pertinent to the Latin American independence period. While the root of the term's emergence is unknown, the word "nationalism" in this context is much more like patriotism than the concept of nationalism per se.

The transformation from patriotism to nationalism is said to have occurred in the Congress of Chilpacingo in 1813, when the Act of Independence of the Mexican Empire was signed.

The Creole realization of an existence independent of the European one and the great differences between the Creoles themselves and the inhabitants of the colonies born in Spain, gave the colonialists a strong self-awareness. Furthermore, this feeling generated a sudden maturity in their identity as Americans; an abrupt cultural change.

Origin: love for the country

Although it is usually a topic of discussion among historians, it is in common agreement that the origin of Creole nationalism is linked to the Creole's "passion for their land" and a feeling of love for the country.

However, some American elites of the time took advantage of the sentiment to initiate political movements that would strip the Spanish of colonial control, to have greater control of the laws of the country and greater flexibility to rule the cities.

Background

At the end of the 18th century the reforms imposed by the Spanish leaders towards the colonies caused divisions and instability in the relations between the ruling inhabitants of Spain and those who controlled the colonies in New Spain.

Many of these colonial leaders saw the reforms as an attack on their economic freedoms and social status.

This new ideological gap that was created with the attempt to impose dominance by the Spanish rulers exponentially increased the ideological problems that both parties had had since the time of the Conquest.

The letters as drivers

The main architects of Creole nationalism and its promulgation were primarily the few Creoles who had access to education.

The creation of books in favor of a patriotic sentiment that spoke of the already long history of the colonies also promoted Creole nationalism.

The Mexican origin of the most important texts places Mexico as the main source of study of Creole nationalism. It is said that it was in the Central American country where this term was used for the first time.

Causes of Creole nationalism in New Spain

Little access to good jobs

The causes of the absolute emergence of a creole nationalism are deeply rooted in colonial history.

The struggle that Creole whites had against peninsular whites for the privileged access that the latter had to better-paying jobs is considered the main cause of patriot and nationalist sentiment in the colonies.

Derogatory treatment

The peninsular attitude towards the Creoles was considered contemptuous in New Spain. Creoles felt that they were treated as inferior people both morally and mentally.

This was countered by Creole intellectuals by bringing to the public spectrum an intellectual struggle that defended Creole values ​​and promulgated an American sentiment.

These Creole-peninsular tensions were very marked in Mexico, and it was there that Creole nationalism had its highest defenders. Among them, the historian Carlos María de Bustamante and the clergyman Fray Servando Teresa de Mier stand out, who publicly fought against the Spanish rulers who promoted anti-criollismo.

South American transnational projects

In addition to the differences between criollos and Spaniards by birth, there were different points of view between liberators and patriots within South America.

The causes were mainly political and economic, but it is also common to associate a properly regionalist identity when referring to these independence battles. However, this caused an attempted establishment of several countries that did not come into existence for more than a handful of years.

Among these countries is Gran Colombia, which lived for only 11 years; and the Central American Republic, which existed for 7 years and was dissolved together with Gran Colombia.

Why did they dissolve so quickly?

The short life of these countries is attributed to the different ideologies that their leaders had, particularly Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Miranda. They saw the South American continent as a single nation, while other regionalist leaders sought an independence of each country.

Only the failed Cuzco Revolution in 1815 had the unitary support of all social classes in the region, an unprecedented alliance between the highest classes of society and the poorest and most indigenous creoles in the region. This serves to demarcate the same differences of thought that existed within the inhabitants of the same area.

Consequences of Creole nationalism

- Creole nationalism was the missing ingredient for South American patriots to rise up against the Spanish Empire and against the regimes that controlled their lands.

- Helped in the establishment and promulgation of national patriotic symbols and was the basis in the creation of a national identity for each country in South America.

- It was one of the main causes of the independence of all colonial countries, since it markedly separated the ideologies of the Spanish from those of the Creoles.

- However, it is also considered a double-edged sword that served to enact a localism in each region, which separated the Latin continent into several independent republics.

Based on this, it is likely that Creole nationalism has served not only as a cause of South American independence, but also as a consequence of the non-unification of all the countries of the region under the same flag.

References

1. Creole Nationalism. Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. February 19, 2018. Taken from encyclopedia.com
2. The Independence of Latin America, (nd). Taken on February 20, 2018 from Britannica.com
3. Libertadores of America, (nd). Taken from de wikipedia.org
4. The Spanish American Revolutions, 1808–1826, John Lynch, New York: Norton, 1986. From Britannica.com
5. The First America: The Spanish Monarchy, Creole Patriots, and the Liberal State, 1492–1867. Brading, DA Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Taken from Britannica.com