Independence in Spanish America, 1808-1826
Alienation of Americanos; exploitation of plebs
- Fear/Hope of social rebellion: Tupac Amaru (Peru, 1780s), Haiti (1791), Coro (Venezuela, 1795), Guanajuato (New Spain, 1810)
Chaos in Spain: 1 invader, 2 cortes, 2 absolutists
4 independence movements, 4 regions
- New Spain: Hidalgo revolution to conservative coup
- Rio de la Plata: Early victory (1810), delayed peace
- New Granada: One nation or three?
- Peru: 2 royalist armies, the last patriot victory (1826)
Independence, not revolution
- Bolivar (1830): “Independence is the only benefit we have gained, at the cost of everything else.”