WHAT WAS THE SPANISH AMERICAN REVOLUTION? - HISTORY - 2025

The Spanish-American Revolution was the result of a series of movements that took place in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in America, between 1808 and 1826, as a consequence of wars established in the old continent and their repercussions in the colonies.

What precipitated the Spanish American Revolution was discontent with the economic pressure imposed by the Bourbons. In the colonies, intellectual movements of Creoles were born who wanted to intervene in the government.

Simon Bolivar

As a result of the Spanish-American Revolution, the dominance of the Spanish monarchy over the colonies was dissolved and the free and independent American states were born.

Some referents of the struggle for the independence of the colonies were General José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar.

Internal and external factors of the Hispano-American Revolution

The Spanish American Revolution was not a sudden event. While the great imperialist powers like Spain, France and England struggled to consolidate their military power in the colonies and secure control of maritime trade, in America some Creole intellectuals wanted more control of the government.

External factors

In 1808, the kings of Spain were removed from the throne by Napoléon Bonaparte, who named his brother, José, king. This situation, a foreign monarch in the crown and Spain invaded by Napoleonic troops, moved to the colonies in America, producing uncertainty and discontent.

In addition, most of the Creoles were unhappy about the taxes that the crown imposed on the colonies to solve the war in the old continent.

Despite the fact that the news from Europe reached the colonies late, the ideas of separation began to be taken up by the separatist movements, who had access to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Internal factors

The criollos were unhappy about the discrimination they received from the Spanish, who did not consider them their equals.

The upper sectors of Creole society believed that they could belong to the government and make decisions like the Spanish, since they had wealth and lineage.

In addition, they could not market their products independently, they could only sell to Spain, which paid very low prices compared to other empires.

The independence of the Spanish-American colonies

While in Spain they tried to stop Napoleon's advance and return the legitimate king to the throne, in America they prevailed together to decide the future of the colonies. They were new organizations, with the participation of Creoles, who finally asked the viceroys to resign.

After some confrontations, Venezuela finally declared independence in 1811 and in 1816 the colonies of the Río de la Plata became independent.

Important military campaigns were developed. General José de San Martín led his army from the Río de la Plata to the north, passing through Chile, while Simón Bolívar did it from Venezuela to the south, to eliminate the Spanish armies in Peru.

Finally, the Spanish king Fernando VII was only able to maintain control over the colonies of Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Formation of Hispanic American boards

After the arrival of Napoleon to Spain and forcing Carlos IV and Fernando VII to abdicate (abdications of Bayonne), they were formed together in each Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire, for the formation of autonomous governments. These were:

• August 9, 1809: Junta de México, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Mexico.
• September 21, 1808: Junta de Montevideo, Virreinato del Río de la Plata, Uruguay.
• May 25, 1809: Revolution of Chuquisaca, Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, Bolivia.
• July 16, 1809: Junta Tuitiva in La Paz, Virreinato del Río de la Plata, Bolivia.
• August 10, 1809: First Junta of Quito, Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada, Ecuador.
• April 19, 1810: Supreme Board of Caracas, Captaincy General of Venezuela, Venezuela.
• May 22, 1810: Junta de Cartagena, New Kingdom of Granada, Colombia.
• May 25, 1810: First Board of Buenos Aires, Virreinato del Río de la Plata, Argentina.
• July 3, 1810: Extraordinary Meeting of Santiago de Cali, New Kingdom of Granada, Colombia.
• July 20, 1810, Junta de Santa Fe, New Kingdom of Granada, Colombia.
• September 16, 1810: Grito de Dolores, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Mexico.
• September 18, 1810: First National Board of Government of Chile, Captaincy General of Chile, Chile.
• September 22, 1810: Second Meeting of Quito, Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada, Ecuador.
• February 28, 1811: Grito de Asencio, Virreinato del Río de la Plata, Uruguay.
• May 15, 1811: Junta del Paraguay, Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, Paraguay.
• June 20, 1811: I side with the town of Tacna, Viceroyalty of Peru, Peru.
• November 5, 1811: First Cry for Independence of Central America, General Captaincy of Guatemala, Viceroyalty of New Spain, El Salvador.
• August 3, 1814: Rebellion of Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru, Peru.

References

1. Fernandez, Albeto, “la revolición hispanoamericana”, 2011. Retrieved on December 23, 2017 from revolucionhispanoamericana.blogspot.com
2. "The Independence of Latin America". Retrieved on December 23, 2017 from britannica.com
3. Rodriguez O, Jaime, “The Ispanic revolution: Sapain and America, 1808-1846, p 73-92. Retrieved on December 23, 2017 from journals.openedition.org