Cartagena

Abstract

Abstract The French Revolution, Napoleon’s rise in Europe, and the enthronement of his brother Joseph Bonaparte in Spain had far-reaching effects in Spain’s western hemisphere colonies. First, the principles of the French Revolution, following closely on the American Revolution, established in Central and South America a movement to break away from the power of Spain’s monarchy. Unfortunately, the goals of the colonial population differed depending on socioeconomic status. The lower classes and slaves looked forward to liberty, equality, and fraternity as preached by the French Revolution, but the upper class creoles (ethnic Spaniards born in the Americas) desired only the removal of royal power without a major social upheaval. When Joseph Bonaparte ascended the Spanish throne in 1808 and the reigning monarch Ferdinand VII was imprisoned, the resulting revolution in Spain against the foreign ruler was soon duplicated in Spain’s colonies. While some of the Latin American cities and provinces maintained their loyalty to Spain, many of the others only gave lip service to restoring Ferdinand to the throne. They were more intent on declaring independence from all of Europe, not just from the usurper Bonaparte.