Latin American Revolution Teaching Notes
Latin American social classes
 Peninsulares – men born in Spain
o Held highest offices
 Creoles – Spaniards born in Latin America
o Officers in army, but not in government
o Often resented power of the peninsulares
o Sided with Spain to avoid violence of lower-class rebellions (until 1820)
 Mestizos – mixed European and Indian
o Played the key role in independence movements
 Mulattos – mixed European and African
Napoleon
 Invaded Spain 1808
 Removed Spain’s King Ferdinand VII and made his brother king of Spain
 Creoles used this as a reason for revolution
 1810 rebellion across Latin America
 1814 – Napoleon defeated and Ferdinand returned to power, but creoles continued their
movement
Venezuelan Independence
 Venezuela declared independence 1811
 Bolivar’s armies unsuccessful at first
 1819: Venezuelan independence
Argentinean Independence
 Declared independence in 1816
 San Marin led army across Andes to Chile
Gran Colombia
 Bolivar’s vision of united South America
 Present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama
 Short-lived due to dissension amongst various factions
 Bolivar resigned in 1828
 Bolivar’s Gran Colombia divided into Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela
 Panama later split from Colombia with US assistance 1903