Focus Question: When did South American countries become independent nations and how was independence achieved?
Map of South America that includes all country borders, and disputed territories in 1974
Independence of the Countries of South America
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Simón Bolívar - First President of Bolivia
Argentina (Buenos Aires)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: weakening Spanish strength in Europe led to an unmonitored colony with increasing self-rule; independence declared.
- When: 1816, as the United Provinces of the Rio Plata, which included Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
- Key leaders or events: 1806—1807 Spain was controlled by France and Napoleon, so Britain attacked Buenos Aires; but was defeated by local forces with no help from Spain. France captured Spain’s king Ferdinand VII, and Argentina came under a local viceroy. The locals hated the viceroy, first declaring their allegiance to Ferdinand, then declaring independence in 1816.
What you need to know about Simón Bolívar
Bolivia (La Paz)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: civil war/ independence movement led by Simon Bolivar
- When: 1825
Brazil (Brasilia)
- Former ruling nation: Portugal
- How independence was won: Portugal’s Prince Regent’s son took control and declared independence.
- When: 1822
- Key leaders or events: 1807, Napoleon was going to attack Lisbon, so the Prince Regent Dom Joao escaped to Brazil. In 1821, he returned, but left his son Dom Pedro I in charge of Brazil. In 1822, Dom Joao reduced Brazil’s status from the seat of power to a colony once again, but his son rebelled, and declared the nation’s independence from Portugal.
Chile (Santiago)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: seven years of civil war
- When: 1817
- Key leaders or events: the Mapuche people had control of part of Chile throughout its history which was never under Spanish control. They helped the region into the mid-1900s, when the Chilean government won control of the whole nation.
Colombia (Bogota)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: civil war/ independence movement led by Simon Bolivar
- When: 1819
Ecuador (Quito)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: civil war; the decisive Battle of Pichincha was won by Simon Bolivar.
- When: 1822 or 1825
- Key leaders or events: Simon Bolivar united Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela to create the state of Gran Colombia. The state lasted for eight years, when the three nations split.
French Guiana (Cayenne)
- Current ruling nation: France
- Info: French Guiana is actually still part of France. Called a “department,” 2003 constitutional amendments in France give more autonomy, but not independence to France’s 22 regions and 96 departments. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_france.html
Guyana (Georgetown)
- Former ruling nation: Holland, then Britain
- How independence was won: granted by the British after decades of internal unrest.
- When: 1966
- Key leaders or events: 1928—British Guyana became a Crown Colony with a governor. 1928-1936—labor unrest and strikes. In 1947 the Brisit Guiana Labor Party won seats in parliament with limited voting rights for local citizens; in 1953 the People’s Progressive Party was elected in the first election that allowed all adults to vote. Six months later, British troops took PPP leaders into custody and took over the capital, Georgetown. A new constitution negotiated with the British allowed for internal self-government in 1961. There was political and labor unrest, with riots and strikes, in the first half of the 1960s. In 1966, the British Parliament passed the Guyana Independence Act 1966, granting full independence.
Paraguay (Asuncion)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: the Spanish colonists throw out their Spanish governor and declare independence.
- When: 1811
- Key leaders or events: In 1810, the town of Buenos Aires declares its independence, and tries to force Paraguay to do the same, under the leader of the Argentinean army, Manuel Belgrano. The Spanish governor in Asuncion tries to get help from the Portuguese to ward off the Argentineans, and the local colonists are so incensed by this alliance, they throw the governor out and declare their independence.
Peru (Lima)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: civil war/ independence movement led by Simon Bolivar
- When: 1825
Suriname (Paramaribo)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
Uruguay (Montevideo)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
Venezuela (Caracas)
- Former ruling nation: Spain
- How independence was won: civil war/ independence movement led by Simon Bolivar
- When: 1821
- Key leaders or events: Simon Bolivar was born in Venezuela, who teamed with British mercenaries to eventually overthrow the Spanish in much of South America. Venezuela still disputes its border with former British colony Guyana.
How did the United Fruit Company oppress the Latin American countries within which they operated?
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They engaged in a military coup d’etat of countries such as Colombia and Costa Rica in order to subjugate the local population.
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They brought large numbers of migrant workers from the United States into these countries to work as indentured employees, displacing the local population.
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They used support from the United States military and government to gain de facto control over these countries and used the local governments to earn legitimacy.
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They used new oil discoveries to exponentially grow their business and buy out local governments.
The answer is C. The answer A is incorrect because no military coup d’etat occurred. The answer B is incorrect because they did not bring migrant workers into Latin America. The answer D is incorrect because they did not use newly discovered oil in their business.
Question from Kael Pelletier (February 2024)
Sources: