How Did The French Revolution Affect Latin America

During his life as a young man Simon Bolivar was sent to Europe to complete his education. It was during this time that he became familiar with the ideas of the enlightenment. These liberal ideas will plant a seed for growth during Bolivars return to his home country. As the American Revolution was fought the ideas spread; first to France then to Latin America. Simon Bolivar will spend his life trying to liberate Latin America from Spanish rule.
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a time in which thinkers believed they could better understand the world around them and one another through scientific reasoning. These thinkers wanted to apply the scientific method to society and its many problems. Some of the things they were questioning were the divine right of Kings, power of the nobles and the power of the Catholic Church. In response to studying these problems some important ideas were formulated. Ideas such as John Locke’s promoted the idea
that the purpose of government is to protect people and their natural rights . Natural rights such as “Life, Liberty and Property” were a right of the people and the government gets its power from the people (Powell). This new idea had a great impact on revolutions in England, the United States, France and Latin America. Voltaire’s writings promoted the idea of people having free speech. His views on the catholic church and abuse of power within government greatly influenced later revolutionary leaders. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that government should be an expression of the peoples “general will”. He felt that people became corrupt due to the evils of society, especially the unequal distribution of property. This idea will become popular with many reformers including Simon Bolivar.
The American Revolution was a catalyst for other nations. The framers of the US Constitution were familiar with enlightenment ideas such as Rousseau’s social contract and John Locke’s two treatises of government as well as other types of government. These well educated men were able to take the enlightenment ideals and write a Decleration of Independance and a Constitution that represented a way of governing that had not yet been realized anywhere else in the world. The idea that a small, new and unestablished country would declare war against the world’s largest power at that time represents how this new government became a symbol of freedom to European countries and Latin America. The success of the american revolution allowed people to see that their desire to control their own government could be realized. This spirit of nationalism will lead to many important changes. Enlightenment ideas such as equality and justice greatly impacted the french revolution as well as Latin America.
Colonists in Latin America in the early 1800’s had a lot in common with the revolutionaries of the 1700’s. In both places, they were colonies that were part of an empire whose leader was thousands of miles away. The success of the american revolution and America’s freedom inspired revolts in France and Hispaiola (Haiti). The spark that spread revolutionary ideas to Latin America was Napoleon putting his brother on the throne of Spain. Latin America saw this as weakness and an opportunity. They used this weak point to demand independence. When Toussaint L’Ouverture, a former slave, lead troops against Napoleon’s forces forcing the french out of haiti and becoming the first latin american colony to be liberated from european rule (HistoryWiz). This successful removal of European domination encouraged Simon Bolivar to begin to create a force that would remove the Spanish from his
homeland. Simon Bolivar was raised as a creole, which meant his parents were descendants of an elite class and of European descent. Due to the wealth of his family, when the time came he was sent abroad to Spain to study at university. It was not until Bolivars exposure to the ideas of the Enlightenment, american and French Revolutions, that the ideas of revolution began to penetrate his thinking (Osborne, Kime…). While European leaders were busy fighting Napoleon, Latino independence leaders such as Bolivar were beginning to organize opposition to foreign rule. Capitalizing on the frustrations of the wealthy class, who were hurt politically by being disenfranchised and economically by the strict system of mercantilism, Simon Bolivar was able to gain followers. As Bolivar states in the Jamaica Letter, "How different is our situation! We have been harassed by a conduct which has not only deprived us of our rights but has kept us in a sort of permanent infancy with regard to public affairs." (Schultz). Simon Bolivar’s vision was for a “Gran Colombia”, meaning a unified nation that would bring together Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. There were many setbacks to his success and a few times he was even exiled and had to flee to Haiti for safety. However, there is no doubt that Simon Bolivar was one of the most influential men in helping to spread the ideas of the enlightenment and independence throughout the region. The motto of the French revolution, “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”, did not fall upon deaf ears, but instead set forth a wave of revolutionaries who returned to their nations and fought for independence. Simon Bolivar did not live to see his idea of a “Gran Colombia” come to pass, but he was influential in the separation of Latin American countries from the oppressive Spanish rulers. Having lived some of his final years as the President of Venezuela, he resigned the position after years of not successfully unifying the nation. Although he was a successful nationalistic leader, his ideals were not strong enough to overcome the economic and social differences of the people of Latin America. Historians refer to Simon bolivar as the “the Liberator”. He is credited with bringing the ideas of natural rights, equality and the social contract to the people of Latin America. Encouraged by the success of the revolutions in America, France and Haiti, Simon Bolivar lived his life by spreading these ideas throughout his homeland and beyond. He had a great and lasting impact on the independence of Latin America from their colonial rulers.