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•Quiz

•Latin American Independence

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Quiz

Latin American Independence

•1808-1825

Latin American Society•Known as a sociedad de

castas - based on racial origins:

•peninsulares - born in Spain - Spanish government officials, church officials - the clergy: priests, monks

•Creoles - born in America - controlled local economies, owned haciendas (plantations) and mines

•Castas - mestizos and mulattos - those of mixed origins

•Indians and African slaves

4 outside events that prompted it:

•Enlightenment ideas of liberalism spread among Creoles

•American Revolution showed how it could be done - inspired revolutionary leaders

•French Revolution idea of “liberty, equality and fraternity”.

•Fear of Haiti’s slave revolt made Creoles act quickly.

Short-term cause - What sparked it?

•Napoleon forces invade Iberian Peninsula

•Problem of legitimacy - What is the legitimate government of Spain?

•Peninsulares do not recognize the government of Spain

3 separate revolutions:•Mexico

•Northern South America: Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador

•Southern South America: Argentina

Mexico• Mexico - Father Miguel de

Hidalgo - leads Indians and mestizos - Creoles fear this

• Augustin de Iturbide - Creole officer takes over - proclaimed emperor of Mexico 1821

• The rest of Central America separates from Mexico which becomes a republic.

Northern part of South America

•Simon Bolivar - Bolivar The Liberator: wealthy Creole - creates Gran Colombia by 1830.

• Is the George Washington of South America

Southern Cone of South America

•Jose de San Martin - Buenos Aires, Argentina and Chile, Peru

•By 1825 all of Spanish South America had gained its political independence.

¡VIVA CHILE!

Brazil• A totally different path

to independence.

• Napoleon forces in Portugal leads royal family to move to Brazil - Rio de Janeiro.

• When king returns to Portugal, youngest son stays - warns him if independence comes he should lead it.

• He does - 1825 he becomes Dom Pedro I

Independence of Latin America

• Except for Brazil - all become republics

• Mexico a temporary monarchy and then a republic

• Haitian revolution made Latin American revolutionaries very conservative - social revolutions were avoided

Early governments of Latin America

Problems: social inequalities, disagreements over political representation and the role of the church and regionalism

Debate over political instability and struggling

economies of Latin American nations:

Nations have been unable to rule themselves due to corrupt governments

leading to a lack of economic development.

VS.Western imperialist powers like the

U.S. have interfered with these nations leading to neocolonialism.