The Napoleonic Wars sparked some serious wars of independence throughout Latin America. One portion of Spanish America after another became independent from Spain, and Brazil likewise became independent from Portugal. During these wars, the United States declared its “Monroe Doctrine,” pledging to keep European nations from making any additional encroachments into the New World. But, despite the American “Monroe Doctrine,” European nations continued to interfere in Latin America, even after the Spanish and the Portuguese had officially been kicked out of their former colonies. The Brazilian War of Independence would end in 1824, and the Spanish American wars of independence would finally end in 1833. But the remaining portions of the nineteenth century saw further wars in Latin America. Commercial considerations kept European powers in the picture there, although the distances continued to create some logistical challenges for the faraway Europeans. This post will focus specifically on the wars in South America, and how they rocked the continent in the post-independence parts of the nineteenth century. It is a story of distant empires interfering in local politics, and even of conflicts with similar cultures that were much closer to home on the continent.
The Chincha Islands of Peru being occupied by Spanish sailors, 1864
The Platine War (a.k.a. the Cisplatine War), and the Uruguayan Civil War
I will start by covering one of the more local wars. The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (modern-day Argentina) soon found themselves at war with the budding Empire of Brazil. This was over a region that includes what is today Uruguay. Because it was around the Río de la Plata, it is sometimes called the “Platine War” – or even the “Cisplatine War.” Brazil initially did well in the conflict, but Buenos Aires was able to fight back later on. The economic impact of this war eventually became enough to concern the distant British. Therefore, the British forced themselves into the negotiations and worked out a compromise solution, where most of the area became the independent nation of Uruguay. Uruguay’s independence was officially recognized in 1828, although some parts were retained by Brazil. But trouble was brewing in the new nation of Uruguay. This eventually led to the Uruguayan Civil War. One side of the war was backed by Britain and France, while the other side was backed by nearby Brazil. This included a nine-year Siege of Montevideo. During the war, Paraguay also became independent from Spain. This was separate from the earlier Spanish American wars of independence. The Brazilian-backed side of the Uruguayan Civil War eventually won in 1851.
Siege of Montevideo, during the Uruguayan Civil War
The predecessor of Argentina has conflicts with both the British and the French
Now I must back up somewhat in my chronology. The seeds of one conflict were sown, when the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (modern-day Argentina) appointed Luis Vernet as the Governor of the Falkland Islands. But these islands were still being inhabited by the British, who would continue to defend their claims well into the twentieth century. (Hence, the later Falklands War of the Margaret Thatcher era.) In the nineteenth century, the British gave some strong diplomatic protests to the attempt to kick them out. A dispute over fishing rights also seems to have played a role here. Thus, in 1833, the British sent two naval vessels to the Falkland Islands. As Wikipedia puts it, the episode “ended without bloodshed when the badly outnumbered local United Provinces officer surrendered.” (Source: Their page on the “Military history of South America”) Today, Argentina claims that the population of these islands were expelled back in 1833. But sources from the time seem to contradict this, saying that the colonists were encouraged to remain. There were further conflicts later on, when the Argentine government imposed high tariffs on both the British and the French. This led to a French blockade in 1838, and a separate Anglo-French blockade in 1845. This led to a battle with a local Argentine fort. The Anglo-French fleet actually had the upper hand in this battle. But the defense of the fort was successful enough that the British and the French agreed to a compromise, in which Buenos Aires could administer its own territories and rivers.
Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata, 1845
War in the Chincha Islands, Paraguayan War, and a revolution in Uruguay
There was a war in the Chincha Islands between 1864 and 1866. On the one side were Peru and Chile, and on the other side was their former colonial master of Spain. Spain was then involved in a series of colonial ventures around the world. They demanded “compensation” from Peru, as well as the repayment of former debts from the wars of independence. Chile sided with Peru, and declared war on Spain. When Ecuador and Bolivia also joined the alliance, it became clear that Spain was a little over-extended. After some defeats at Peruvian hands, the Spaniards eventually decided to withdraw from the Chincha Islands. Back in 1864, the Paraguayan War had begun. Paraguay then found itself at war with a “Triple Alliance”: Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. This would prove one of the bloodiest wars in the history of South America. In 1870, the Triple Alliance eventually won, and Paraguay lost a significant amount of territory to the alliance. Another civil war soon broke out in Uruguay, today called “The Revolution of the Lances.” Neither side had any foreign support, and the civil war soon resulted in a power-sharing agreement between the two sides. But another battle would be fought there in 1904, during the early twentieth century.
Paraguayan dead in the Paraguayan War, 1866
Other wars in the region during the nineteenth century, including indigenous wars
Back in the nineteenth century, there were also some wars on the Pacific Rim side of South America. These included the Gran Colombia–Peru War (which was back in the 1820s), the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War (which was from 1857 to 1860), and the “War of the Pacific” from 1879 to 1883 (not to be confused with the Pacific theater of World War II). There were also various indigenous revolts and conquests during this time. These included conflicts like the Occupation of Araucanía, and the “Conquest of the Desert.” In Brazil, the indigenous wars also included the Balaiada Revolt, the Ragamuffin War, the War of Canudos, and the Contestado War. Time does not permit me to cover all of these conflicts here. But interested parties are invited to follow the Wikipedia links above, to learn more about these other conflicts. They would all have an effect upon the continent of South America, and how it is structured today.
Naval battle of Iquique, 1850
Conclusion: The Latin American wars of independence were followed by further bloodshed
Thus, the Latin American wars of independence were followed by further bloodshed on this continent. There were a number of wars, from conflicts between local nations to various indigenous revolts to European interference of various kinds. Conflicts in Latin America would continue well into the twentieth century, as Latin America was affected by the distant events of the two world wars. After the world wars were over, there would be further conflicts during the Cold War era. For more about these later periods of Latin American history, see the footnote to this blog post, where I continue this story into the twentieth century. These stories are basically as turbulent as their predecessors, and would involve further international influence upon the former European colonies of the region.
Footnote to this blog post:
For more about Latin American involvement in the twentieth-century World Wars, see this blog post. For more about Latin American involvement in the later Cold War, see this blog post.
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