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The Napoleonic Wars instigated cycles of liberal revolutions in Spain and Portugal and found their echo and reinforcement in the anti colonial movements in Latin America.
The acquisition of empires in Latin America had given Spain and Portugal the status of great powers during the 16th century. However, both countries were in decline from the 17th century their places as great powers eventually taken over by Britain and France.
Both countries had retained their empires in Latin America although their power and control were declining. Latin America had a class of those descended from the original colonists or Creoles that had strong economic positions without political influence or power. These Creoles would form the basis of the anti colonial movements in Latin America.
The following discusses how the liberal revolutions in Spain and Portugal reinforced those movements or other factors such as British trade policy had influence. Spain and Portugal also faced changes due to their occupation by the French. The occupation of Spain and Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars almost certainly instigated cycles of liberal revolution in opposition to, or imitation of the French. That those liberal revolutions found their echo and reinforcement in Latin America is more debatable.
Latin America continued to be very important for Spain and Portugal but in many respects the importance of Spain and Portugal was declining in Latin America and its Creoles in particular. Spain's decline was much greater that Portugal's particularly as the Habsburg dynasty came to a close and she had more to decline from. The apparent revival and reforms of the new Bourbon dynasty both in Spain and Latin America stopped the rot but did not reverse it. Spanish administration in Latin America was corrupt and its formal exclusion of the Creoles caused resentment. Liberal ideas were not however completely alien to these groups due to the United States successful independence from Britain and Haiti's independence from France (Williamson, 1991, p.195).
It was Napoleon's invasion of Spain and Portugal and its consequences that allowed the anti colonial movements in Latin America to develop and expand. It instigated cycles of liberal revolution in the Iberian Peninsula but also had more immediate consequences for the anti colonial movements. Imperial garrisons could not be reinforced as Spanish and Portuguese forces were involved in the struggle to defeat the French thus allowing the anti colonial movements greater scope for success (Crystal, 2003, p.704). The Portuguese King fled to Brazil and ruled his empire from there, which would mean independence for Brazil was different from Hispanic Latin America. The situation in Spain was different as the Spanish were in open rebellion after Napoleon put his brother, Joseph in place of Ferdinand VII on the throne.
In Latin America there was confusion as to who was running things, was it the Bonapartists, the Spanish resistance groups or the Creoles themselves. That confusion gave the anti colonial movements their best opportunity to gain liberation; it was pragmatism not liberalism that got them to start their struggle (Williamson, 1991,pp.210-11).
Although the Creole's were not allowed senior political and administrative positions they were allowed to join the militias that maintained the security of Hispanic Latin America. Militia experience and equipment would prove useful to the future liberation of Latin America. It also gave the leaders of the anti colonial common experiences with shared political and military outlooks; they were already prone to liberal influences. Even before the outbreak of liberal revolutions Spain's long-term ability to hold onto Latin America was smashed with its navy at Trafalgar. In effect the Royal Navy decided which Spanish ships could reach or return from Latin America.
Until the Napoleonic Wars finished the Spanish forces in Latin America had to rely on their own resources and abilities to resist the anti colonial movements, as they could not expect reinforcements. By the time the Spanish had switched sides in the Napoleonic wars all their troops were involved in the war against the French invaders. Whilst the Spanish resistance to Napoleon cited liberalism and nationalism as their motivation it also proved to be the same for those in Latin America who wanted independence. The difference was that the anti colonial movements were fighting for their independence and liberalism at the same time, whilst the Spanish and Portuguese were fighting the French first then aiming towards liberal revolution after the French were defeated (Roberts, 1996, pp.314-15).
Both the pro-French and anti-French sides in Spain and Portugal expressed their support for liberalism and attempted to carry out liberal reforms. Liberalism was echoed in Latin America and the anti colonial movements both before and after the liberal revolutions in Spain and Portugal. Liberal ideas seemed dominant in the trade policies of Britain and the revolutionary politics of France and in the national resistance movements to the French. In many respects it seemed the logical choice for Latin American revolutionaries such as Simon Bolivar to adopt liberalism during their anti-colonial campaigns for independence.
The liberal revolutions in Spain and Portugal just reinforced the idea that that liberalism would triumph. The French Revolution and Napoleon opened the floodgates to revolutionary activities even those like Spain and Portugal that resisted the French. The anti colonial movements drew their ideas from the same source as the revolutionaries in Spain and Portugal. They had already instigated their own liberal struggles for independence although the liberal revolutions in Spain and Portugal helped to reinforce their campaigns (Hobsbawm, 1962, pp.90-91).
The initial revolutions in Hispanic Latin America had started in 1810 were mainly defeated by Spanish forces in Latin America. The survivors of the anti colonial movements awaited new opportunities such as the cycle of liberalism that led to revolutions in the Iberian Peninsula. Whilst the Spanish Revolution's domestic effects were not of long term importance the renewed struggle for liberation in Latin America enjoyed rapid success. The forces under the command of Bolivar, San Martin and Bernardo O' Higgens had freed most of Hispanic Latin America in 1822. O' Higgens success in liberating Chile had been greatly assisted by the Royal Navy's Admiral Thomas Cochrane. Perhaps the one country in Latin America most directly effected by the Spanish Revolution was Mexico.
There the liberally inclined Spanish general Iturbide joined the anti-colonial movement and ensured the success of the liberation (Hobsbawm, 1962, p.110). Brazil too would be influenced by a revolution in Portugal. Whilst the Royal Family had moved to Brazil it opened up trade and attempts to build up industry had been successful. Brazil was in fact more prosperous and dynamic that Portugal. There was however, increasing unrest in Portugal and the revolution when it came in 1820 had its immediate consequences in Brazil.
The King had failed to appease the Portuguese revolutionaries with the offer he stayed in Brazil and that his son became King of Portugal. In fact the final compromise that satisfied both countries was that the King returned to Portugal while his son became Pedro I of Brazil. Demonstrations in Rio de Janeiro forced that change and the adoption of the same constitution as Portugal. Brazil was unique in Latin America in that it did not become a republic after the end of colonial rule (Harvey, 200, pp.475-77).
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Despite the Spanish Revolution, Spanish control of its Latin American colonies did not evaporate overnight just as it had not done after the French invasion of Spain. Bolivar did enjoy rapid success in New Granada and Venezuela that then formed the Republic of Colombia. Bolivar was in fact made the first President of Colombia. The Colombian constitution did have liberal aspects such as allowing the children of African slaves their freedom. Meanwhile the remaining Spanish forces in Peru and modern day Bolivia were not defeated until the end of 1824. Perhaps the liberalism that reinforced the anti colonial movements also inspired the Spanish to fight better but they must have known that they would lose all their Latin American colonies in the end (Bakewell, 1997, pp.369-70).
There were certainly echoes of the revolutions in Spain and Portugal within the anti colonial movements in Latin America. These revolutions certainly gave a boost to the liberation and anti colonial movements in countries such as Mexico and Brazil. In other countries in Latin America such as Argentina and Chile the revolutions had little impact as they had already gained independence. The initial campaigns for independence by the anti colonial movements began in 1810 following the invasion of Spain and Portugal by France that allowed the anti colonial movements their best opportunity to gain independence. Despite the inability of the Spanish to reinforce their garrisons in Latin America the rebels were only able to achieve independence for Argentina by 1811.
Chilean independence was later achieved with the help of the Royal Navy. The anti colonial movements were exposed to liberalism from various sources including the French Revolution and trading contacts with Britain and the United States. Where the revolutions in Spain and Portugal played their part was in re-energizing and reinforcing the anti colonial movements after the Spanish had resisted most of their liberation efforts. In Spain and Portugal the effects of the liberal were not as long lasting as the liberals would have hoped and could not halt their national declines.
Bibliography
Bakewell, P (1997) A History of Latin America, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, Oxford
Crystal, D (2003) The Penguin Concise Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, London
Harvey, R (2000) Liberators - Latin America's struggle for Independence 1810-1830, John Murray, London
Hobsbawm E (1962) the Age of Revolution 1789-1848, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London
Roberts J M (1996) A History of Europe, Penguin Books, London
Williamson, E (1992) The Penguin History of Latin America, Penguin Books, London
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