(Bolivar, 1783 - 1830) - the hero of the wars of independence with Spain in the countries of South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia is named after him); the founder of Pan-Americanism, planned the creation of Greater Colombia.
Inspired by the views of European rationalists, Simon Bolivar vowed to free America from Spanish rule. Beginning in 1812, Bolivar took part in the uprisings of the Republicans, and in 1819, having won a decisive victory at Boyac, he ensured the independence of New Granada (Colombia) from Spain. Two years later, defeated the Spanish royalists at the Battle of Carabobo (June 1821), which brought independence to Venezuela.
Then Simon Bolivar led his army to Ecuador and drove the Spaniards out of Quito. In 1822, in Guayaquil, he met with José San Martin. The views of the leaders of the national liberation movement on the future of South America diverged, and as a result, San Martin resigned command of the troops; already under the command of Bolivar, the republican army expelled the Spaniards from Peru (1824), the last stronghold of colonialism on the continent. Bolivar agreed to become president of the confederation of Greater Colombia (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama), however, failing to prevent the collapse of the confederation into three independent states in April 1830, resigned.
(1783-1830) South American politician
Many villages, cities and even planets bear the names of prominent figures who have left their mark on the history of mankind. The name of Simon Bolivar became the name of an entire country in South America.
His activities were largely determined by upbringing and time. He came from a very wealthy Spanish family who settled in Venezuela. Orphaned early and was sent by relatives to Spain, where he studied law. Then he traveled a lot in Europe and North America, and in 1809 he returned to his homeland, to Caracas. Bolivar wanted to be like two historical figures of his time - Washington and Napoleon, although he did not seem to be power-hungry or cruel in character, but rather was a romantic who dreamed of liberating his native country, Venezuela, from Spanish rule.
However, the reality turned out to be much more prosaic and demanded completely different actions. Simon Bolivar began his revolutionary activity in 1810 in the revolutionary junta of Caracas, who commissioned him to buy weapons and get a cash loan in London.
Bolivar then fought with the rank of colonel in the army of the Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda. Once during a battle, he retreated under the onslaught of government forces, and Miranda's detachment was defeated. As they later believed, it was Bolivar's fault.
In 1812, he led a movement against the Spaniards, setting himself the goal of recapturing his hometown of Caracas from them at all costs. He managed to do this in 1813. It was then that Simon Bolivar was awarded the title of Liberator and elected dictator of western Venezuela.
However, the liberation of all of South America was a matter of the future. In June 1814, Simon Bolivar's army was defeated at La Puerta, and he himself barely managed to hide in New Grenada (modern Colombia and Panama).
In the next two years, Bolivar was involved in organizing the liberation struggle in South America, rallying forces. He was joined by local revolutionaries, volunteers from North America and even from Europe.
Young South Americans saw themselves as part of a free and independent nation. They wanted to work and trade independently, not submitting to the dictates of Spanish and Portuguese officials. The year 1819 proved to be successful in their struggle for independence. Simon Bolivar's troops defeated the Spaniards in Colombia and liberated it. Since that time, the task of liberating the South American continent, proclaimed by Bolivar at the National Congress in Angostura, has already become real and has begun to be gradually implemented. The Federal Republic of Colombia was formed, which included the current Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador. Simon Bolivar was proclaimed its president.
He began to liberate primarily the Spanish colonies. In February 1824, after the decisive battle of Ayacuccio, Peru was liberated. In 1825, the northern part separated from Pery and, under the name of Bolivia, recognized itself as an independent republic. Simon Bolivar was given the functions of a lifelong protector. He enjoyed special honor - by decree of the Bolivian Congress, his equestrian statues were installed in all major cities.
Curiously, in 1826, Simon Bolivar developed a constitution for Bolivia based on the European system of government. She became a model for other South American states.
Thus, three large states were under his rule. In 1819, he became president of Greater Colombia, which included Lower Grenada (present-day Colombia and Panama) and the province of Quito (present-day Ecuador). Soon, however, new unrest began in these countries, and they, in turn, began to seek independence from each other. This happened primarily because Bolivar from the Liberator turned into a despot and a typical dictator.
He did not succeed in realizing many noble thoughts: not only the United States and Great Britain interfered, but also internal political contradictions. By 1830, Bolivar remained the only ruler of Colombia, but resigned from this post. On March 1, 1830, the resignation was accepted, he was going to leave for Europe, but did not have time to do so. Simon Bolivar died on December 17, 1830. However, in the memory of the people, he remained under the name of the Liberator. His ideas for governing the state turned out to be higher and nobler than their implementation.
In 1832, by order of the Venezuelan government, the ashes of Simon Bolivar were solemnly brought to Caracas. Subsequently, in various cities of South America and even in New York, monuments were erected to him.
The leader of the armed struggle for the independence of the Spanish colonies in South America.
Simon Bolivar was born into a wealthy aristocratic family of a Creole landowner in Venezuela, in Caracas. He lost his parents early, but his guardian showed truly paternal care for the boy, giving him an excellent education and upbringing.
In 1799, sixteen-year-old Simon Bolivar went to continue his education in Europe, where he married a noble Spanish woman. However, she soon died of yellow fever. To cope with his grief, Bolivar went on a trip to Italy and France, where he became interested in the philosophy of Rousseau, Voltaire and other then fashionable enlighteners. But Bolivar was most impressed by the military successes and democratic slogans of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. In addition, he realized that the Spanish kingdom was no longer able to firmly hold its colonies in America.
Simon Bolivar returned home from Europe with the firm intention of making a military career there. Along the way, he visited the United States, which had recently won independence from the British crown. The aristocrat who arrived in Venezuela was already firmly convinced that his country should gain national independence, and he himself was chosen by fate in order to lead the struggle for the freedom of his people.
He began his military activity in 1810, being already a fairly mature person. First, Simon Bolivar joined Francisco de Miranda, who rebelled against the Spaniards, and soon became one of the most authoritative leaders of the rebels. Among other leaders of the rebels, he stood out for his education and knowledge of military affairs.
During the armed struggle for the independence of Venezuela, Simon Bolivar made another trip to Europe, a short-term, in order to obtain financial support for the rebels from the European opponents of the Spanish kingdom. Upon returning to his homeland, he again found himself in the thick of military events. On July 5, 1811, the rebels declared Venezuela an independent republic.
However, Spain did not intend to lose its colony on the southern coast of the Caribbean. Soon, the royal forces launched a counter-offensive against the rebel forces, poorly armed and poorly organized. Their leader tried to organize staunch resistance to the enemy, but there were too few people under his command. Francisco de Miranda was completely defeated and captured by the Spaniards.
At this time, Simon Bolivar led the defense of the country's most important port city, Puerto Cabello. However, he lost to the Spaniards, commanded by General Juan Domingo Monteverde, the battle under the walls of the city - one of his closest subordinates turned out to be a traitor and gave the Spaniards a Bolivarian plan of military action. Therefore, it was not difficult for the enemy to capture Puerto Cabello. The leaders of the Venezuelan revolutionaries had to flee, Simon Bolivar himself fled to the nearby island of Curacao, which belonged to the Dutch.
After the complete defeat of the Venezuelan Republican army, Simon Bolivar and his like-minded people settled in neighboring New Grenada (modern Colombia) and began preparing the rebel forces for the next stage of the armed struggle. His volunteer units experienced great difficulties with firearms, the lack of commanders who had a military education affected.
In the spring of 1813, the rebel army of Simon Bolivar set foot on the territory of Venezuela. Moving forward with battles, it won convincing victories over the Spanish royalists at Araur (here General Monteverde was defeated), La Victoria, San Mateo, in the state of Carabobo (over the Spanish general Jose Tomas Boves). The Spaniards were retreating everywhere. The rebels, on the other hand, fought with great enthusiasm and enjoyed the support of the local population, which in many cases compensated for their weakness in comparison with the royal troops.
Having occupied the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, they solemnly proclaimed the 2nd Venezuelan Republic led by Simon Bolivar. However, the very next year they had to defend the republic from the Spaniards and local opponents of the revolution. And this time the forces of the belligerents turned out to be unequal - the rebels were defeated by the troops of General Boves in the battle of La Puerte. After a new defeat near the town of Santa Marta, the leader of the Republicans had to flee abroad with several of his like-minded people. He ended up on the island of Haiti.
There Bolivar managed to establish friendly relations with the local republican government. The islanders had recently won their independence from France, and therefore they understood and were close to the aspirations of the Venezuelan. In Haiti, Simon Bolivar created a new rebel army, albeit small in number, but welded together by a common liberation idea. Soon, its fighters became the core of the rebel forces on the American continent.
From this island in the center of the Caribbean, Simon Bolivar made several landing expeditions to the northern part of South America, but the Spanish garrisons on the coast managed to repel all attempts by the rebels to gain a foothold there.
In December 1816, a rebel army landed on the Venezuelan coast. Bolivar now had a clear program of military and political action. After the abolition of slavery and the proclamation of a decree on the allotment of land to the soldiers of the Republican army, a wide influx of volunteers into its ranks began.
The Spanish troops of General Pablo Morillo, under the blows of the rebels, began to suffer one defeat after another. The decisive battle took place on February 16, 1817 near Barcelona. One of the main reasons for the military successes of the revolutionary rebel forces was that Spain, located at the opposite end of the Atlantic Ocean, was tormented by serious internal contradictions, and therefore could not send troops to its American colonies.
In 1819, Simon Bolivar, finding the necessary funds, strengthened his army at the expense of professional European mercenaries, participants in the recently ended anti-Napoleonic wars. A military base was established in Angostura, New Grenada, where the rebels were trained. When the number of the army reached 2500 people (for the countries of Latin America at that time it was a lot), well armed, but ragged and half-starved, Bolivar led her first through the rainforests, and then through the snow-capped Andes to the city of Bogota. To get to the Sagamos Valley, the rebels had to cross seven deep rivers. The most difficult campaign ended in complete triumph.
On August 7, Simon Bolivar with a sudden blow defeated the Spanish troops under the command of Colonel Barreiro, who were defending the settlement of Boyaca (Boyaca). In that battle, the sides had approximately equal forces. Bolivar's British Legion, which consisted of veterans of the anti-Napoleonic wars, was especially distinguished. The Spanish troops were scattered and were no longer a danger. Three days later, the rebel army, meeting no more organized resistance on its way, liberated the capital of New Grenada, the city of Bogota.
On December 17, 1819, Simon Bolivar proclaimed the creation of the Republic of Greater Colombia, which included Venezuela and New Grenada (Colombia), and became its president. But it took him two more years to finally free the territory of Venezuela from the Spanish troops, who stubbornly held out in the coastal cities-fortresses and received help from local supporters of the Spanish crown. In addition, the Caribbean Sea allowed the royal garrisons to keep in touch with each other.
This happened only after the victory in the Battle of Carabobo on June 24, 1821. On that day, Simon Bolivar commanded an 8,000-strong army of Colombian patriots, he was opposed by the royal general de la Torre with 5,000 Spaniards. The Colombians inflicted such a heavy defeat on the enemy that only 400 Spaniards managed to get to nearby Puerto Cabello and take refuge there.
Bolivar did not stop there. He already had ambitious plans. Spain still retained dominance over the vast territory of South America. But now Bolivar had a reliable and experienced assistant in the person of combat general Antonio José de Sucre. Together with him, he led a new liberation army, the number of which, even at the best time, did not exceed 10 thousand fighters.
In 1822, an army of Latin American rebels under the command of Bolivar and Sucre liberated the city of Quito and the province of the same name (modern Ecuador), winning the battle at Mount Pichincha (an extinct volcano), where the Spanish Governor General Melchior Aymerich was forced to surrender. The enemy was attacked from the top of Pichinchi and could not resist the onslaught of the rebel detachments. The liberated territory joined Greater Colombia.
The victorious campaign of the rebel army in the south of the Latin American continent was largely facilitated by the support of the local population, especially the Indians. In 1824, the army of Simon Bolivar liberated Peru (where the royal troops were commanded by the experienced military leader Olaneta). This happened after the complete victory of the Latin American rebels over the enemy army in the Battle of Ayacucho, which took place on December 7.
Here the 7,000-strong army of Simon Bolivar and General Sucre defeated the 10,000-strong Spanish army, led by Viceroy Jose de la Serna. The battle almost from the very beginning took on the character of hand-to-hand combat, and the sides suffered heavy losses. The viceroy tried to defeat the enemy with unsuccessful cavalry attacks, but they repulsed them with heavy losses for the royalists. De la Serna himself received six wounds and was taken prisoner. The case of Ayacucho is known in military history as the "Battle of the Generals", since 14 generals of the Spanish kingdom were captured in it.
The battle of Ayacucho is also notable for the fact that the last armed forces of the Spanish kingdom, which it held in Latin America, were defeated there. The metropolis was no longer able to send new troops there, and there were very few obvious adherents of the Spanish crown in the American colonies. Even local landowners advocated the independence of the colonies.
Having liberated Peru, Simon Bolivar became the head of the independent Republic of Bolivia, which was formed on the territory of Eastern Peru, named in his honor. Bolivar sought to unite the young states of South America and create a confederation of them.
In 1826, a continental congress was held in Panama, at which Bolivar's proposals did not meet with support due to separative protests and opposition from the United States and Great Britain. Neither Washington nor London wanted to see a strong independent state in Latin America. The personal factor also played a role - the rule of Simon Bolivar was authoritarian, which scared away possible political allies from him.
Soon after the Panama Congress, Greater Colombia fell apart. In 1827-1828, the power of Bolivar was overthrown in Peru and Bolivia, in the next two years Venezuela and Ecuador separated from Colombia. A strong blow for Bolivar was the assassination of his faithful comrade-in-arms, General Antonio de Sucre, in whom he saw his worthy successor.
All this forced Bolivar in early 1830 to resign as president of Colombia. He wanted to go into self-imposed exile in Europe, but in December of the same year he died of tuberculosis in the city of Santa Maria.
The personality of Simon Bolivar is still very popular in Latin America. Provinces and cities, streets, monetary units are named after him, many monuments have been erected in his honor.
Although the Latin American armies he commanded for many years were few in number, General Bolivar was able to liberate most of the Spanish colonies in South America. This is his main merit. Having won many victories over the royal troops, he suffered many defeats from them. But thanks to his perseverance and conviction in the righteousness of his cause, Bolivar eventually won the desired victory, after which, quite soon, under pressure from separatist forces, he lost his presidential power.
Simon Bolivar is one of the most famous leaders of the American Revolutionary War of the Spanish colonies. Considered Venezuela's national hero. He was a general. He is credited with liberating not only Venezuela from Spanish domination, but also the territories in which modern Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Peru are located. In the territories of the so-called Upper Peru, he founded the Republic of Bolivia, which was named after him.
Childhood and youth
Simon Bolivar was born in 1783. He was born on July 24th. The hometown of Simon Bolivar is Caracas, which at that time was part of the Spanish Empire. He grew up in a noble Basque Creole family. His father came from Spain, taking part in the public life of Venezuela. Both of his parents died early. Simon Bolivar was educated by the famous educators of that time Simon Rodriguez, a famous Venezuelan philosopher.
In 1799, Simon's family decided to take him from troubled Caracas back to Spain. Bolivar also ended up there and began to study law. Then he went on a trip to Europe to get to know the world better. He visited Germany, Italy, France, England, Switzerland. In Paris, he attended courses at the Higher and Polytechnic schools.
It is known that during this trip to Europe he became a Freemason. In 1824 he established a lodge in Peru.
In 1805, Simon Bolivar arrived in the United States, where he developed a plan to free South America from Spanish rule.
Republic in Venezuela
First of all, Simon Bolivar turned out to be one of the most active participants in the overthrow of Spanish rule in Venezuela. In fact, a coup d'etat took place there in 1810, and the next year the establishment of an independent republic was officially announced.
In the same year, the revolutionary junta decides to send Bolivar to London to enlist the support of the British government. True, the British did not want to openly spoil relations with Spain, deciding to remain neutral. Bolivar nevertheless left his agent Louis Lopez Mendes in London to further conclude agreements on the recruitment of soldiers and loans for Venezuela, and he himself returned to the South American republic with a whole transport of weapons.
Spain was not going to quickly surrender to the will of the rebels. General Monteverde makes an alliance with the semi-savage inhabitants of the Venezuelan steppes, the warlike llaneros. At the head of this irregular military formation becomes Jose Tomas Boves, who had the nickname "Boves the Screamer". After that, the war takes on a particularly fierce character.
Simon Bolivar, whose biography is given in this article, retaliates with harsh measures, ordering the destruction of all prisoners. However, nothing helps, in 1812 his army suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the Spaniards in New Granada on the territory of modern Colombia. Bolivar himself writes the "Manifesto from Cartagena", in which he describes what happened, and then returns to his homeland.
By the end of the summer of 1813, his troops liberated Caracas, and Bolivar was officially declared the "liberator of Venezuela." The Second Venezuelan Republic is being created, headed by the hero of our article. National Congress confirms the title of Liberator.
However, Bolivar does not manage to stay in power for a long time. He turns out to be an indecisive politician, does not carry out reforms in the interests of the poorest segments of the population. Without enlisting their support, he was defeated already in 1814. forces Bolivar to leave the Venezuelan capital. In fact, he is forced to flee and seek refuge in Jamaica. In 1815, he published an open letter from there, in which he announced the liberation of Spanish America in the near future.
Greater Columbia
Realizing his mistakes, he gets down to business with renewed vigor. Bolivar understands that his strategic miscalculation was his refusal to solve social problems and free the Arabs. The hero of our article convinces the President of Haiti, Alexander Petion, to help the rebels with weapons, in 1816 he landed on the coast of Venezuela.
Decrees on the abolition of slavery and a decree on granting land allotments to soldiers of the liberation army allows him to significantly expand his social base, to enlist the support of a large number of new supporters. In particular, the Llaneros sided with Bolivar, led by their compatriot Jose Antonio Paez after the death of Boves in 1814.
Bolivar seeks to unite around himself all the revolutionary forces and their leaders in order to act together, but he fails. However, the Dutch merchant Brion helped him occupy Angostura in 1817, and then raised all of Guiana against Spain. Not everything is going smoothly inside the revolutionary army. Bolivar orders the arrest of two of his former associates - Marino and Piara, the latter being executed in October 1917.
Next winter, a party of mercenary soldiers from London arrives to help the hero of our article, from which he manages to form a new army. Following the successes in Venezuela, they liberated New Granada in 1819, and in December Bolivar was elected president of the Republic of Colombia. This decision is made by the first national congress, which meets in Angostura. President Simon Bolivar goes down in history as the head of Greater Colombia. At this stage, it includes New Granada and Venezuela.
In 1822, the Colombians drive the Spaniards out of the province of Quito, which joins Greater Colombia. Now it is an independent state of Ecuador.
War of liberation
It is noteworthy that Bolivar does not rest on this. In 1821, his volunteer army defeats the Spanish royal forces in the area of the settlement of Carabobo.
In the summer of next year, he negotiates with José de San Martin, who is waging a similar war of liberation, having already managed to liberate part of Peru. But the two rebel leaders are struggling to find common ground. Moreover, in 1822 San Martin resigns, Bolivar sends Colombian units to Peru to continue the liberation movement. In the battles at Junin and on the Ayacucho Plain, they won a convincing victory over the enemy, defeating the last units of the Spaniards who still remain on the continent.
In 1824, Venezuela is completely liberated from the colonists. In 1824, Bolivar becomes dictator in Peru, and also heads the Republic of Bolivia, named after him.
Personal life
In 1822, Bolivar meets Creole Manuela Saenz in the city of Quito. From that moment on, she becomes his inseparable companion and faithful friend. She was 12 years younger than the hero of our article.
It is known that she was an illegitimate child. After the death of her mother, she learned to read and write in a monastery, at the age of 17 she left and lived with her father for some time. He even married her off to an English merchant. She moved with her husband to Lima, where she first encountered the revolutionary movement.
In 1822, she left her husband, returned to Quito, where she met the hero of our article. Simon Bolivar and Manuela Saenz remained together until the death of the revolutionary. When in 1828 she saved him from an assassination attempt, she received the nickname "Liberator of the Liberator."
After his death, she moved to Paita, where she traded in tobacco and sweets. In 1856 she died during an epidemic of diphtheria.
Collapse of Greater Columbia
Bolivar sought to form the Southern United States, which would include Peru, Colombia, Chile and La Plata. in 1826 he convenes a Congress in Panama, but it fails. Moreover, they begin to accuse him of trying to create an empire in which he will play the role of Napoleon. Party strife begins in Colombia itself, some of the deputies, led by General Paes, proclaim autonomy.
Bolivar assumes dictatorial powers and convenes a national assembly. They discuss the amendment of the constitution, but after several sessions they cannot come to any decision.
At the same time, the Peruvians reject the Bolivian Code, depriving the hero of our article of the title of President for Life. Having lost Bolivia and Peru, he founds the seat of the ruler of Colombia in Bogota.
Assassination attempt
In September 1828, an attempt was made on his life. Federalists burst into the palace and kill the sentries. Bolivar manages to escape. The majority of the population is on his side, with the help of which the rebellion is suppressed. The head of the conspirators, Vice President Santander, is expelled from the country with his closest supporters.
However, the next year the anarchy intensifies. Caracas announces secession of Venezuela. Bolivar is losing power and influence, constantly complaining about accusations against him from America and Europe.
Resign
At the very beginning of 1830, Bolivar retired, soon after that he died near the Colombian city of Santa Marta. He refuses houses, land and even a pension. Spends his last days admiring the scenery of the Sierra Nevada. The hero of the revolution was 47 years old.
In 2010, his body was exhumed at the behest of Hugo Chávez in order to establish the true cause of his death. But it never succeeded. It was reburied in the center of Caracas in a specially built mausoleum.
Bolivarian
Simon Bolivar went down in history as a liberator who delivered South America from Spanish rule. According to some reports, he won 472 battles.
It is still very popular in Latin America. His name is immortalized in the name of Bolivia, many cities, provinces, and several monetary units. Bolivia's multiple football champion is called Bolivar.
In works of art
It is Bolivar who is the prototype of the protagonist in the novel by Colombian writer Marquez "The General in His Labyrinth". It describes the events of the last year of his life.
The biography of Bolivar was written by Ivan Franko, Emil Ludwig and many others. The Austrian playwright Ferdinand Brueckner has two plays dedicated to the revolutionary. These are "Dragon Fight" and "Angel Fight".
It is noteworthy that Karl Marx spoke negatively about Bolivar. In his activities, he saw dictatorial and Bonapartist features. Because of this, in Soviet literature, the hero of our article for a long time was evaluated exclusively as a dictator who spoke on the side of the landowners and the bourgeoisie.
Many Latin Americanists have disputed this point of view. For example, Doctor of Historical Sciences Moisey Samuilovich Alperovich. Iosif Grigulevich, an illegal Soviet intelligence agent and Latin Americanist, even wrote a biography of Bolivar for the series "The Lives of Remarkable People. For this he was awarded the Order of Miranda in Venezuela, and in Colombia he was admitted to the local writers' association.
On the big screen
The film "Simon Bolivar" in 1969 tells in detail about the biography of the revolutionary. This is a joint production of Spain, Italy and Venezuela. The director of the film "Simon Bolivar" is the Italian Alessandro Blazetti. This was his last job.
Rosanna Schiaffino, Conrado San Martin, Fernando Sancho, Manuel Gil, Luis Davila, Angel del Pozo, Julio Peña and Sancho Gracia starred in the film "Simon Bolivar".
Simon was born on 24 July 1783 into a noble Creole family of Juan Vincente Bolivar (1726-1786) of former Basque descent. The Bolivar family came from the town of La Puebla de Bolivar in Vizcaya, Spain, then located in the Marquina district, and with the beginning of colonial life, the family took an active part in the life of Venezuela. The boy lost his parents early. The upbringing and formation of Bolivar's worldview was greatly influenced by his teacher and senior friend, a prominent educator Simon Rodriguez. In 1799, Simon's relatives decided to send him to Spain, to Madrid, away from the restless Caracas. There Simon Bolivar studied law, then went on a trip to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England and France. While living in Paris, Bolivar attended the Ecole Polytechnique for some time. In 1805, Bolivar visited the United States of America and here he conceived his plan to liberate South America from Spanish rule.
Venezuelan republic
Took an active part in the overthrow of the Spanish rule in Venezuela (April 1810) and the proclamation of it as an independent republic (1811). In the same year, Bolivar was sent by the revolutionary junta (popular assembly) to London to seek support from the British government. The latter, however, preferred to remain neutral. Bolivar left agent Louis-López Mendes in London to conclude an agreement on behalf of Venezuela on the loan and recruitment of soldiers and returned with a transport of weapons. The Spaniards turned to the semi-savage inhabitants of the Venezuelan steppes (llaneros) for assistance. The war took on the most brutal character. Bolivar decided to respond in kind, ordering the extermination of all captives. After the defeat of the latter by Spanish troops, in 1812 he settled in New Granada (now Colombia), where he wrote the "Manifesto from Cartagena", and at the beginning of 1813 he returned to his homeland. In August 1813, his troops occupied Caracas; the 2nd Venezuelan Republic was created, headed by Bolivar. However, not daring to carry out reforms in the interests of the lower classes, he was unable to enlist their support and in 1814 was defeated. Forced to seek refuge in Jamaica, in September 1815 he published an open letter there, where he expressed confidence in the imminent liberation of Spanish America.
Colombia education
Finally realizing the need to free slaves and solve other social problems, Bolivar persuaded Haitian President A. Petion to provide military assistance to the rebels, and in December 1816 landed on the Venezuelan coast. The abolition of slavery (1816) and the decree issued in 1817 on the allotment of land to the soldiers of the liberation army allowed him to expand the social base. After an unsuccessful attempt to rally all the leaders of the revolution around him in order to act according to a general plan, Bolivar, with the help of Brion (a Dutch merchant), in May 1817 captured Angostura and raised all of Guiana against Spain. Bolivar then ordered the arrest of his former associates Piara and Marino (the first was executed on October 16, 1817). In February 1818, thanks to the sending of soldiers from London, he managed to form a new army. Following successful operations in Venezuela, his troops liberated New Granada in 1819. In December 1819, he was elected president of the Republic of Colombia proclaimed by the National Congress in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolivar), which included Venezuela and New Granada. In 1822, the Colombians expelled Spanish forces from the province of Quito (now Ecuador), which had joined Colombia.
Liberation of South America
On June 24, 1821, near the settlement of Carabobo in Venezuela, the volunteer army of Simon Bolivar inflicted a crushing defeat on the Spanish royal army. In July 1822 Bolivar met in Guayaquil with José de San Martin, whose army had already liberated part of Peru, but was unable to agree with him on joint actions. After the resignation of San Martin (September 20, 1822), he sent Colombian units to Peru in 1823, and in 1824 (August 6 at Junin and December 9 on the Ayacucho plain) the last Spanish forces on the American continent were defeated. Venezuela, which proclaimed independence in 1811, was completely liberated from the colonialists only by 1824. Bolivar, who became the dictator of Peru in February 1824, headed the republic of Bolivia, created in 1825 on the territory of Upper Peru, named after him.
Collapse of the Colombian federation
According to Bolivar's plan, the Southern United States (Sur de Estados Unidos) was formed, which was to include Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, La Plata and Chile. On June 22, 1826, Bolivar convened a congress in Panama from representatives of all these states, which, however, soon disintegrated.
Soon after Bolivar's project became widely known, he was accused of wanting to create an empire under his rule, where he would play the role of Napoleon. Party strife began in Colombia. Some of the deputies, led by General Paes, proclaimed autonomy, while others wanted to adopt the Bolivian Code.
Bolivar quickly arrived in Colombia and, assuming dictatorial powers, convened a national assembly in Ocaña on March 2, 1828, to discuss the question: "Should the constitution of the state be transformed?" Congress could not come to a final agreement and closed after several sessions.
Meanwhile, the Peruvians rejected the Bolivian Code and took away the title of President for Life from Bolivar. Having lost power in Peru and Bolivia, Bolivar entered Bogota on June 20, 1828, where he established his residence as the ruler of Colombia. But already on September 25, 1828, the federalists broke into his palace, killed the sentries, Bolivar himself was saved only by a miracle. However, the bulk of the population sided with him, and this allowed Bolivar to suppress the rebellion, which was led by Vice President Santander. The head of the conspirators was first sentenced to death, and then expelled from the country along with 70 of his supporters.
The anarchy intensified the following year. On November 25, 1829, in Caracas itself, 486 noble citizens proclaimed the separation of Venezuela from Colombia. Bolivar, whose business finally collapsed, gradually lost all influence and power.
In his memorandum to Congress, which met in Bogota in January 1830 to reform Colombia's government, Bolivar complained of the unfair accusations against him coming from Europe and America.
In early 1830, he retired and soon died near the Colombian city of Santa Marta on December 17, 1830. Before his death, Bolivar gave up his lands, houses and even the state pension and spent whole days contemplating from the window the picturesque landscapes of the local "snowy mountains" - Sierra -Nevada.
In 2010, Bolivar's body was exhumed by order of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in order to establish the causes of his death. For the new burial, Chavez presented a new coffin made of mahogany and inlaid with diamonds, pearls and gold stars ..
Criticism
The United States, as a young state that has recently become sovereign, was interested in expanding its territories and spheres of influence. However, the path to this goal was blocked by the French and Spanish colonial possessions. If with Louisiana the issue was resolved by the purchase (1803), then with the Spanish Viceroyalty the situation was much more complicated. Nevertheless, Washington has found a way to solve this problem. The United States began to actively spread the ideas of the American Revolution among young representatives of the aristocracy, dissatisfied with their unfair position in the colonies. One of which was Bolivar. The States actively helped with the necessary resources for the "noble" goals of liberating the Spanish colonies from the mother country. Soon England, which had its own interests, joined this process. Liberation movements quickly escalated into fierce fighting between representatives of one people, split into supporters of the monarchy and republicans. The lack of new weapons stimulated both sides to purchase them from Britain and the United States. The disintegration of the Vice-Kingdoms into small state formations began. The civil war led to a sharp impoverishment of the regions, human losses, epidemics, hunger, constant rebellions and coups d'état. This dealt a strong blow to the development of the regions and contributed to the beginning of the British and American interventions. In many ways, the responsibility for these processes is borne by the ardent revolutionaries themselves: Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, who fiercely fought and actively promoted their plans. However, they could not or did not want to defend the integrity of the young states and prevent the expansion of the Great Powers in Latin America, preferring in recent years to move away from politics.
Bolivarian
In Latin America, the name Bolivar is very popular. It is immortalized in the names of the state of Bolivia, provinces, cities, streets, monetary units (Boliviano - Bolivia, Bolivar - Venezuela), with the help of numerous monuments. Biographical sketches, works of art, historical works are devoted to him. The strongest football club in Bolivia is called Bolivar.
Since 1822, a faithful friend and inseparable companion of Bolivar's life, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate, was a Creole native of Quito, Manuela Sáenz.
According to unofficial data, Simon Bolivar won 472 battles.
Bolivar is the main character in the novel The General in His Labyrinth by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. Events develop in the last year of the general's life. Bolivar's biographies were written by Emil Ludwig, the Ukrainian classic Ivan Franko. Karl Marx gave a negative characterization to the Liberator, in one of his articles. Therefore, in Soviet literature, Bolivar was for a long time characterized as a dictator expressing the interests of the bourgeoisie and landowners. The famous intelligence officer and Latin Americanist Joseph Romualdovich Grigulevich decided to break with this tradition, who wrote a biography of Bolivar for the ZhZL series under the pseudonym Lavretsky. For his work, Grigulevich was awarded the Venezuelan Order of Miranda, admitted to the Colombian Association of Writers.
Bolivar in Freemasonry
It is known that the initiation into Freemasonry Bolivar took place in Spain, in Cadiz. From 1807 he was a member of the Scottish Rite. In 1824, he established Order and Freedom Lodge No. 2 in Peru.
