To what extent did the independence movements in Latin America draw inspiration from, and ultimately come to resemble, the American and French Revolutions? What, on the other hand, were the factors that were unique to these colonies and that ensured that their revolutions followed their own distinct trajectories?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
The revolutions in Latin America took to heart much of the Enlightenment literature, as well as the positive examples of the United States and France in overthrowing absolutist monarchies. Subsequently the perceived abuses by Napoleon's empire building and the placement of his family on thrones in Spain and elsewhere in Europe caused uprisings by Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America. These colonies had already been chaffing under the viceroy system and the lack of social mobility of the encomienda system; the favoritism for European-born elites over western born or indigenous populations; and the economic monopoly of Spain and Portugal on products from the "colonies." With the removal of the so-called legitimate monarch during the European wars, a number of areas took advantage of the opportunity to claim a junta in Spanish territories, reportedly to hold the throne in lieu of a monarch until the overthrow of the usurper (Bonaparte's brother). This in turn led to revolutions in Venezuela, Mexico, and Bolivia to overthrow Spanish rule; while these initial revolts failed and Spanish authorities repressed them, other revolutions soon followed, particularly those led by Simon Bolívar and the revolution of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata. While local versus traditional political traditions argued over the legitimacy of these territories, regional rivalries made it impossible to form a unified revolutionary opposition, and so the revolutions seen in Latin America were piecemeal and individual, relying on heroic figures and local radicals, often martyred, to push the independence movements forward.