Spanish 19th Century: From Absolutism to Liberalism
Causes of Latin American Emancipation
The 17th-century crisis in Spain fueled Latin America’s alienation. Reduced trade fostered inter-American connections and decreased reliance on Spain, alongside reduced Spanish migration. Creoles gained economic, social, and religious power, eventually seeking political influence. The 18th-century Bourbon reforms faced Creole resistance. The Bourbons’ absolute monarchy clashed with Enlightenment ideals, and new viceroyalties (Nueva Granada and Río de la Plata) were established, controlled by Spain. Military reforms integrating local militias increased Creole social influence, eventually leading to conflict with Spain. Monopoly-based economic exploitation and communication difficulties due to Spain’s Trafalgar defeat, US independence, and the French Revolution further fueled independence ideologies.
The Independence Process
1st Stage (1808-1815)
The power vacuum after Ferdinand VII’s abdication and the French invasion led to Creole-controlled juntas loyal to Ferdinand VII acting independently. This stage saw clashes between separatists and royalists, ending with royalist victory but establishing key rebellion centers in Caracas and Buenos Aires.
2nd Stage (1815-1824)
When Fernando VII was installed on the throne, the army of the mother was devoted to fight the separatists. In this context, two figures stood out: the Argentine General San Martín (Buenos Aires starting from liberated Argentina, Chile and Peru) and Simón Bolívar (Caracas to ally with the British achieved the independence of Venezuela, Bogota and Quito) Do not forget the importance of the support provided to foreign powers, the independence movements. Great Britain contributed arms and capital, and the U.S. was quick to recognize the independence of Mexico and Mexican Colombia.El independence process began as a social revolt led by Miguel Hidalgo Dolores The priest who had forced the union of Spaniards and Creoles. Both groups approved the Plan of Iguala, which established a constitutional monarchy which guaranteed the independence of Mexico. The plan was endorsed by España.Al end the reign of Ferdinand VII, the American emancipation process was nearly completed, only Cuba and Puerto Rico testified to the former Spanish colonial empire in America.
2el reign … the Sexenio ABSOLUT (1814-1820): In December 1813 he signed with the consent of the Regency Valençay Treaty, which ended the war with France and Ferdinand VII was committed to abide by the Constitution 1812. Three months later, in March 1814, Ferdinand returned to Spain.Thanks contacts with deputies absolutist monarch, he arrived in Spain, revealed the reactionary mood of the King, unwilling to accept the legitimacy of the Cortes of Cadiz and the Constitution and ready to restore the absolutist order that existed before the war delayed the monarch Independencia.El all he could the oath of the Constitution and opened the door towards absolutism to sign the Royal Decree of 4 May 1814. This document was supported by the most conservative sectors of the army and the Church, assuming a real coup against the liberal regime by annulling the 1812 Constitution and dissolve the Cortes. It also influenced the drafting of the Manifesto of the Persians, by requesting that 69 deputies to Ferdinand VII’s return to the Old Régimen.Fernando VII ruled at will. Important government decisions correspond to a clique close to Rey characters who acted like a real shadow government. If from the political point of view, the measures taken by Ferdinand suffered a setback, since the economic situation was not mejor.La War of Independence meant the ruin of agriculture and the destruction and dismantling of the small national industry. The situation was aggravated as a result of the struggles of the American colonies by independencia.La economic policy, far from resolving the problems, worsened. His refusal to disentail church property and the opposition of the privileged classes to establish a system of proportional contribution to income from canda contributor to public finances led to a very difficult situation. “The commercial and industrial bourgeoisie of the country, for its inability to stop the process of independence of America-Part of the peasantry, the stagnation of the process undertaken disentailed years ago by the Cortes of Cadiz and the restoration of diezmo.-Part of the army. The preference shown towards the source Officers aristocrático.Por course, also did not please the liberals, who persecuted and unable to channel their political demands through legal means, sought military support to gain power. THE TRIENNIUM LIBERAL (1820-1823): The revolt of Colonel Irrigation Cabezas de San Juan (Seville) at the head of an army’s mission was to embark for America to curb the independence movement, opened a new era in Spanish politics. After several months of the uprising of Rafael de Riego, this barely won, but the fear of the king and the weakness of the reactionary sectors of the absolutist regime ended up giving to the thrusts of the Liberals. Back in power, the Liberals launched a policy of recovering part of the work of the Cortes of Cadiz. To that end, measures taken were of varied nature. MEASURES: – In matters of religion were suppressed the Jesuits and the Inquisition. The abolition of tithes and implementation of a policy disentailment, which affected mainly the property of the Inquisition and orders extinct.- In economic terms the most important measures adopted included the abolition of entail and manors .- In political news, the highlight was the recovery of liberal legislation before 1814, which guaranteed the rights and freedoms of citizens and restoring freedom of the press. Ferdinand VII was forced to swear allegiance to the Constitution of 1812 after the pronouncement of Irrigation military but from day continuously conspired against this liberales.Además, Ferdinand held secret talks with the powers of the Holy Alliance to get an intervention military to restore order absolutista.Las absolutist powers, gathered at the Congress of Verona, decided to send an army that wiped out the liberal Spanish experience and restore the sovereignty of the monarch. ABSOLUTISMO DECADE (1823-1833): In the summer of 1823 , a French army, commanded by the Duke of Angouleme, entered mainland and, with hardly any resistance, “said Ferdinand VII as an absolute monarch. This period began, like the Sexenio Absolutist, a policy of repression directed against the liberals, many of whom were executed or forced into exile. Throughout the decade, Fernandino regime faced an opposition from both the liberal side of the most reactionary sectors of absolutism, unhappy with the politics of compromise that, in his view, the monarch had with the Liberals. The liberal media used and apostolic (absolutist radicals grouped around Carlos, brother of the king) to oppose the regime were intended to appear to pronunciamientos.El regime did not stand still and the hand of moderates like absolutist Cea Bermudez undertaken numerous reforms administrativas.En the economic sphere, the situation of this decade could be described as desperate, especially in regard to the royal treasury, crippled by a steady increase in public debt and lack of adequate política.Ente important problems, both economic and political, that plagued the kingdom, the succession problem that captures the maximum atención.Desde 1713, when Philip V established the Salic law, women could not access the Spanish throne. This situation changed when in 1830, Ferdinand VII issued the Pragmatic Sanction, by annulling the precepto.A despite that fact that caused discomfort among absolutists sectors, grouped around Carlos María Isidro Infante, the lack of an heir became the latter the successor of Ferdinand VII. The situation changed dramatically in April 1830 with the birth of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Ferdinand and his fourth wife, Mary Cristina.El deteriorating health of the monarch and the need to clarify the issue of succession encouraged the confrontation of two trends: the most reactionary absolutist supporters of the king’s brother, and the more moderate absolutists and liberals, supporters of the Infanta ISABEL September 1832 the King, gravely ill, abolished the Pragmatic Sanction and established the Salic Law; however, this adjustment was offset by the more moderate sectors absolutist associated with liberals, they made the succession problem was resolved in favor of the Infanta Isabel.Pero the enthronement of Isabel did not solve the problem, which led to a Carlist civil war (supporters of Infante Carlos María Isidro) and the Elizabethans (supporters of the future Queen Elizabeth). These races are known as the Carlist wars.