The Struggle for National Identity in the Countries of Latin America

     Latin American Independence was the drive for independence from Spain and France by the Latin American people. There were many contributing factors that ultimately led to the uprising of Latin American colonies. Europe's strong hold on the economic and political life of Latin America, was creating friction between the Latin Colonies and the European nations. Eventually, this would become enough for the Latin American people and the drive for independence from France and Spain would begin.

One can see this by looking at France. Even after going through the Reign of Terror, the nation still ceased to successfully change their government. The revolution wasn’t completely over until after Napoleon took reign. Although it was considered to be over, the country was still uneasy after the death of Napoleon. The Latin American Revolution was resolved clearer. They had successfully won independence from Spain. This is how these revolutions differ. How is it that France is so unsuccessful compared to the Latin American Revolution which had similar causes? To answer this, the style of the revolutions must be analyzed. The French Revolution wanted to change the style of government, while the Latin American Revolution was more focused towards gaining independence from a government. This proposes the question of why is it easier to create a new government than to change an old one. The revolutions truly are the same scenario played out in different

After the age of enlightenment, colonies and nations around the world began questioning their rulers and ruling nations. Liberal and nationalist ideas spread across Europe and the world, especially after the French Revolution. When these beliefs spread to the colonies of America, independence movements and revolts occurred. The Latin American revolution and Haitian revolution were both significant events during the 19th century that affected both their respective nations and the world. While both revolutions resulted similarly such that a social hierarchy based on race existed after independence, they differ in that while the Latin American revolutions placed an emphasis on ending the Spanish casta system, Haitian revolution was based on freeing slaves.

Both Latin American revolutions and the American revolution were different in term of cause and the result it brought with it. For example, it was much easier for the Americans to gain independence than the Latin Americans because of the unity they manage to take and keep despite the discontent each colonist had against each other. Both of these revolutions were fighting for independence from the Old World because they could not stand the strict systems, applied to them by their mother countries, that prevented the development of a rapidly growing colonial economy. These policies were designed to maximize the trade of a nation to bring money into the suppressing powers but not for the colonists themselves.

A new religion was developed based on worshiping the sun. Along with trading inter regionally with Latin American city-states and using forced labor to produce the crops to trade. Due to advancements in technology, Latin America became an integral part in global trade with the exports of cash crops though due being conquered by Spain they became a dependent economy. Trade also influenced their religion but the use of forced labor remained effective. The Columbian Exchange and triangular trade drastically shaped Latin America and the

Even though most of Latin America became independent of European colonial rule in the 19c, what were some of the cultural influences and other ties that still existed between the two continents? Between 1810 and 1825, all the Spanish territories on the American mainland gain their sovereignty from Spain. Simultaneously, the power of the Catholic Church diminishes, including its patronage of the visual arts. During these war-torn years, cultural production declines. These years witness political reform and the beginnings of self-fashioned societies. Caudillos or military dictators initially fill the vacuum left by the break-up of colonial rule, including Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793–1877) in Argentina,

When examining the change and continuity of commerce in Latin America during the time period, 1450-present, some things changed and some things stayed the same. One thing that changed was the previous, trade which was limited to llamas and was therefore more regional. This changed due to the introduction of cattle due to the Colombian Exchange. One thing that continued for the most part was the items used for trading because of the natural resources in Latin America such as silver and various crops that were part of the culture and minimally changed. One thing that changed was the large variety of ethnicities and races that arrived in Latin America because of new economic opportunities situated in the area such as a mercantile job.

The Latin American revolution did not fulfill the goals of the revolution. Although they gained independence from Spain, the social construct did not change. This is the opposite of the Haitian Revolution. In Haiti, the slaves fought against slavery in many violent protest including burning of plantations. Ultimately, the whole social construct reversed from French officials and les grands blancs on top and the slaves on the bottom to les grands blancs not being a part of society and the slaves on top. In the long run, the large plantations supported the whole economy of Haiti and once slavery was abolished, the small farms did not come close to the same profit. In this way, the economical impact of the revolution was not successful, but the

What once was a relatively free and peaceful place started to feel the wrath of the cruel invaders. After decades of the Spanish rule, the Latin American colonies decided to finally take back what once was theirs. Latin America, under the rule of Spanish forces, faced problems. The revolutions that took place during this time were influenced by the ideas from the Age of Enlightenment.

When trade became more accessible, Americans thrived because they were able to sell goods to Europe. This was a good thing for Americans, but it linked the European and American economies in a way. When Europe’s economy went bad, so did America’s because buyers could not afford to purchase as many goods from America. For example, in the south, a man named William Harris who was a farmer in Virginia, moved to Alabama to get involved in the cotton industry. He bought a plantation for $26,000, and in 1819 the European market took a wrong turn and he could not sell enough product to make a profit.

Prior to its independence Latin America had been controlled by external forces for hundreds of years. To be freed of control from these outside interests did not in any way guarantee Latin America a return to the status quo. In fact, the inhabitants of Latin America had done very well in assimilating their in house controllers. They adopted European language, religion, color, and just about everything else that the European culture had to offer them. Although they were free to do as they please and run their own affairs in the global neighborhood as we know it, they struggled to create an entity for themselves. They embody too much of what is not native to their region, yet the people that used to represent their land 500 years earlier

For my first point, both trade systems contributed to changing the social hierarchy of Latin America. As new colonies developed, parent countries instilled their class systems in the new societies that formed because of the introduction of both Europeans to govern and slaves to replace the natives that died of disease or labor. Europeans who came to govern were at a higher social class than the ethnic groups, native or enslaved, so a culture was naturally created around the concept that the more European you were, the better off and more highly valued you were. This led to both the labor class being comprised almost entirely of 100% Africans and Native Americans, and the creation of new social classes like mestizos and mulattoes. Moving on, the Transatlantic Trade system created a need for mass production of sugar and precious metals, and this brought about a need for plantations and people to work them.

In processes of Independence in South American and Brazil happened very differently. In the Spanish American process of revolution there were lots of movements for rebellion (Chasteen:93). Many of the movements were set in motion when the king of Spain, Carlos IV, and Prince Fernando, were captured by Neapolitan (Chasteen:92). The colonies questioned the leadership of the Spanish crown. In Mexico, two priests sparked different rebellions. Father Miguel Hidalgo gained support from indigenous and mestizo people with the phrase “Americans versus Europeans” (Chasteen:96). This turned into rebellion against the Peninsulars and, unintentionally, creole since it was difficult for the fighters to tell them apart (Chasteen:96). Father José María Morelos

With the increase in industrialization, particularly rail roads and steam boats, Latin America could efficiently export more goods. The installation of railroads and increased trade stabilized the economy of many countries. As long as Europe and the United States required raw materials, the economy would continue to grow. With the economy growing, political stability followed. This is demonstrated in Chasteen’s essay “Governance did become more orderly. As the profits of the export boom rose, government revenues from import/export taxes rose too…Higher government revenues afforded middle-class people new employment opportunities…Greater stability and prosperity attracted further investment from aboard intensifying trade, and the cycle repeated itself” (Chasteen, 207). As more money flowed into the continent, the more the government improved. Using the available revenue from the export boom, local governments could afford better equipment and put down rebellions with less casualties. The government was better able to provide more individuals with employment opportunities, thus stabilizing the politics in the Spanish Americas.

Scholars of the European Union (EU) have a strong interest in the concept of European Union identity (Cram, 2009). The ‘European union’ identity can be identified nowadays, although there are still conflicts between national identities and a shared European identity which can be illustrated by the data from Eurobarameter and other sources. Most people perceive themselves as Europeans, as Anderson (1991) state, there is no contradictory between Europe and nation-state, ‘country first, but Europe, too’ is the main feeling of the public. However, some people don’t consider themselves as European which result from a strong attachment to the national culture. Even though, the tendency of the convergence of diverse national identity cannot be