Causes of Increased Nationalism in Colonial Latin America
1) In the Spanish-American social hierarchy, an exceptionally well-defined pecking order based on birth, the Creoles come second. At the top of the society were Spaniards born in the Iberian peninsula who have come to America to take up an official position in government or church, or else to make their fortunes; they are known as peninsulares . It has always been Spanish policy to favor the peninsulares, in terms of appointments to high and profitable office, above the Creoles - the term for people of pure European origin born in the American continent. The Creoles resented being discriminated against in this way. If there is to be a nationalist rebellion against Spain, its leaders will come from their class.
2) More than a few people in Spain's colonies were influenced by the Enlightenment and the American and French revolutions the American Revolution was seen by many in South America as a good example of colonies throwing off European rule and replacing it with a more fair and democratic society.
3) There was a growing dislike of Spain's restrictions over economic matters. There were restrictions on trading with foreigners, restrictions against growing crops that would compete with crops grown in Spain, and restrictions on making goods that would compete with goods made in Spain. Taxes imposed by Spanish authorities were also annoying. The vast Spanish New World Empire produced many goods, including coffee, cacao, textiles, wine, minerals and more. But the colonies were only allowed to trade with Spain, and at rates advantageous for Spanish merchants. Many took to selling their goods illegally to British and American merchants. Spain was eventually forced to loosen some trade restrictions, but the move was too little, too late as those who produced these goods demanded a fair price for them.
4) People of Spanish heritage born in Latin America were not participating in government the way that people of British heritage had been in Britain's colonies. Criólles (those born in America claiming pure Spanish blood) were living under the more authoritarian (Government with complete power) tradition of the Spaniards. Spaniards dominated the Church and its Inquisition. So too was the military in Latin America. The families of Spain's officials enjoyed their authority and higher status. They looked down on the creoles as well as toward Indians, and the creoles resented it. Many of them had a non-white in their family sometime in the 200 years since the Europeans had arrived in the New World, while people born in Spain prided themselves on their purity.
5) There was a growing sense in the colonies of being different from Spain: these differences were cultural and often took the form of great pride in the region that any particular creole belonged to. By the end of the eighteenth century, the visiting scientist Alexander Von Humboldt noted that the locals preferred to be called American.
6) Napoleon invaded in 1808 and quickly conquered not only Spain but Portugal as well. He replaced Charles IV with his own brother, Joseph Bonaparte. A Spain ruled by France was an outrage even for New World loyalists: many men and women who would have otherwise supported the royalist side now joined the insurgents. Those Spaniards who resisted Napoleon begged the colonials for help but refused to promise to reduce trade restrictions if they won. The chaos in Spain made the perfect excuse to rebel and yet not commit treason: many said they were loyal to Spain, not Napoleon. In places like Argentina, colonies "sort of" declared independence: they claimed that they would only rule themselves until such a time as Charles IV or his son Ferdinand were put back on the Spanish throne.
Name________________________________________________ Social Structure of Latin America
Read and analyze the following documents and answer the guided questions that follow.
|
of Bartolome de las Casas
1) How did las Casas describe the Spanish treatment of Native Americans?
2) What was the response by the Native Americans ? How did the Spanish react?
3) How would others reading this respond?
Document #4 Description of the classes.
| Class | Description |
| | People born in Spain and immigrated to colonies, has the fewest numbers and most power. controlled the government and economic affairs of the colonies. |
| | People of European ancestory but born in the colonies, meaning their parents were European but this group was born in the colonies. |
| | people of mixed Native American and European descent. Offspring of one (white) Spanish parent and one Indian parent |
| | people of mixed African and European descent Offspring of one Spanish parent and one African/Black parent |
| Castizo | Offspring of one Spanish parent and one Mestizo parent |
| Morisco | Offspring of one Mulatto parent and one Spanish parent |
| Zambo | Offspring of one Black or Mulatto parent and one Indian parent |
| Coyote | Offspring of either one Mestizo parent and one Indian parent |
1) Match the following classes with their description: Creole, Mestizo, Mulatto, Peninsulare.
2) According to the chart how is class determined?
3) How could this effect the social, political and economic growth of the colonies?
4) Would Spain encourage or not? Explain.
Summary: Finish the statement. The society of Latin America was......................
BIOGRAPHY OF SIMON BOLIVAR Read this biography and identify six important moments in Bolivar’s life for your story board.
→Born to wealthy Creoles in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 24, 1783, his father died when he was three and his mother six years later. Simon was raised by an uncle with a tutor who exposed him to the writers of the Enlightenment, such as Voltaire and Rousseau, who were inspirations for the French Revolution. The tutor, Simon Rodriguez, fled the country when he was suspected of conspiring to overthrow Spain's colonial rule in 1796. At 16, Bolivar was sent to Spain to complete his education. In 1802, he married the daughter of a nobleman in Spain and returned to Caracas, only to have her die a year later from yellow fever. As a way of keeping his mind off of his grief, Bolivar decided to return to Europe to immerse himself in the intellectual and political world he had found so stimulating.
→While in Paris, he met Alexander von Humboldt, the great naturalist who had just returned after five years in South America. As von Humboldt spoke of the enormous natural resources and wonders of the continent, Bolivar remarked, "In truth, what a brilliant fate--that of the New World, if only its people were freed of their yoke (a device that confines cattle)." Von Humboldt responded, "I believe that your country is ready for its independence. But I can not see the man who is to achieve it." It was a fateful comment Bolivar was to vividly recall the rest of his life. He also witnessed the coronation of Napoleon as emperor on December 2, 1804. Bolivar was appalled at what he felt was a betrayal of the principles of the Revolution, yet he took note of the ability of one man to change the course of history.
→As he returned to Venezuela, Bolivar joined the group of patriots that seized Caracas in 1810 and proclaimed independence from Spain. He went to Great Britain in search of aid, but could get only a promise of British neutrality. When he returned to Venezuela, and took command of a patriot army, he recaptured Caracas in 1813 from the Spaniards. Royalist (loyal to the king) forces defeated him again in 1814, and he went into exile in Jamaica. In December of 1815 he took refuge in Haiti's southern territories. There, he received a hero's welcome by General Marion, the military commander of the South. He received weapons and ammunitions and was allowed to enroll several Haitians soldiers and freedom fighters who also wanted to set free all colonial territories. Haitian president Petion made only one request to Simon Bolivar namely: the freedom of all slaves in the countries that he was going to set free. It was here that the The Carta de Jamaica (English: Letter from Jamaica) was written by Simón Bolívar in response to a letter from Henry Cullen. In it, Bolívar began by analyzing what had been until that time the historical successes in the struggle for liberty in the Americas. In general terms, it was a balance of force achieved by the patriots in the years from 1810 to 1815. In the middle part of the document are explained the causes and reasons that justified the "Spanish Americans" in their decision for independence, followed by a call to Europe for it to co-operate in the work to liberate the Latin American peoples. In the third and final part, he speculated and debated on the destiny of Mexico, Central America, New Granada, Venezuela, Río de la Plata, Chile, and Peru. Finally, Bolívar ends his reflections with an imprecation that he would repeat until his death: the necessity for the union of the countries of the Americas. This would be called Grand Colombia.
→Bolívar again invaded Venezuela in 1817. He established a revolutionary government at Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar), and he was elected president of Venezuela. In 1819 Bolívar's army defeated the Spanish at Boyacá. Several months later he became president of the newly formed republic of Colombia, consisting of Venezuela and New Granada.In 1824 Bolívar led the revolutionary forces of Peru in their fight for independence. He was elected president of Peru in 1825 and later organized in southern Peru a new republic, which was named Bolivia in his honor. Bolívar resigned the presidency of the republic of Colombia in August 1828. He later assumed dictatorial control. Unable to pacify contending factions, he relinquished power in 1830.
→Today he is known as "The Liberator" ("El Libertador"). His integrity, high morals, and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds made him a role model to many. Simon Bolivar was the first President of Bolivia, which became independent of Spain in 1824, and gave his name to the country.
After Napoleon’s defeat, the Congress of Vienna broke Italy into many small kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms were ruled by powerful families. The Catholic Church, under the leadership of the pope, ruled a block of territory in Italy known as the Papal States. Most of the other kingdoms in Italy were ruled or controlled by Austria. The rulers of the various Italian kingdoms often had conflicting interests and were always fighting each other. Many Italians fought the foreign domination of their country. They wanted a Risorgimento, or revival of the glory Italy had known during ancient Rome and the Renaissance. Patriotic societies, mostly secret, were formed to spread nationalistic ideas among the people. One
secret society known as the Carbonari started rebellions throughout Italy to overthrow foreign rulers. Another patriotic group was Young Italy. Young Italy attempted to create a republic, but both France and Austria sent troops to crush the rebels.
Northern Italy United under Sardinia
Almost all of the revolutions of 1848 failed in Italy. In the Kingdom ofSardinia, which included the island of Sardinia and the mainland regions of Savoy, Piedmont, and Nice, revolution did succeed. Sardinia gained independence and developed a constitutional monarchy, similar to that of Great Britain. Beginning in 1859, the Kingdom of Sardinia began the process of unification. Only the Kingdom of Sardinia was strong enough to unite Italy into an independent nation. Sardinia was led by a very clever prime minister named Camillo di Cavour, nicknamed The Brain. Cavour worked hard to bring reforms to the people in the Kingdom of Sardinia. He took much power away from the Church. He strengthened the country by promoting industry, building railroads, improving agriculture, supporting education, and enlarging the army. He carried out a series of diplomatic moves to achieve Italian unity. Perhaps most importantly, Cavour took steps to break Austria’s hold on
Italy. He formed an alliance with France and offered Italian lands in exchange for French help if war broke out between Sardinia and Austria. Cavour then provoked Austria into declaring war against Sardinia. With France's help, Sardinia defeated Austria and gained control of Lombardy, a territory in northern Italy. By 1860 Cavour had united most of northern Italy with Sardinia. Only the two sections in southern Italy and the Papal States remained under the Austrian monarch’s control.
In 1860 an Italian freedom fighter named Guiseppe Garibaldi wanted to bring the southern Italian states into a unified Italy. With his army of 1,000, called the Red Shirts, Garibaldi sailed south to Naples to help overthrow its French ruler. Garibaldi defeated the army of the Kingdoms of Naples
and Sicily. Garibaldi then made plans to march north towards Rome and Venice. At this time, Cavour was worried that France and Austria might send an army to stop Garibaldi and destroy the efforts of unification. On its way south, Cavour’s army defeated the army of the Papal States. A few months later, Cavour’s army united with Garibaldi’s army in Naples. Except for the capture of Venetia and Rome, the unification effort had succeeded. In early 1861, an Italian Parliament similar to Great Britain’s established the Kingdom of Italy. Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia became king of Italy. The unification of Italy was not yet complete, however. Venetia and a few of the other northern states were still ruled by Austria. Rome was still ruled by the pope and occupied by the French. Italy gained Venetia in 1866 after siding with Prussia against Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War. French soldiers stayed in Rome until the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 forced them to leave. When French troops left, Italian soldiers entered Rome. The Italian Kingdom then annexed most of what was left of the Papal States and named Rome as the capital of Italy. The pope was given the right to rule a small area in Rome called the Vatican. It took 12 years of fighting and diplomacy, but by 1871, Italy had achieved unification.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.