New+Nations+Confront+Old+and+New+Problems

I. New Nations Confront Old and New Problems II. Political Fragmentation
 * 1. 1830, former Spanish and Portuguese colonies were independent nations
 * a. composed a common set of laws between them all
 * b. struggles with the freedom and position of the Roman Catholic Church in these nations
 * 2. by 1854 slavery was abolished in all colonies except: Cuba, Puerto Rico and Brazil
 * a. the treatment of mestizos and indians did not improve because the elite class feared to lose their power
 * In Mexico Guatemala and the Andean nations; large Indian populations were secluded from the political life
 * 1. at the beginning nations wanted to group together, but political and economic conflicts did not let that happen
 * a. Mexico became a republic in 1823
 * gov. remained unstable until the 1860s
 * b. Central America united but by 1838 it broke apart
 * c. The Dominican Republic finally gained its' independence in 1844
 * d. The great majority of these nations' people were not included in the political life
 * **Andres Santa Cruz:** a mestizo general that tried to unify both Peru and Bolivia between the years 1829-1839

Multiple Choice Questions: 1. By 1830, the majority of the Latin American nations did all except for:
 * a. became independent
 * b. had a common set of laws
 * **c. treated the mestizos and Indians as equals**
 * d. abolished slavery
 * e. wanted to unify as one

Caudillos, Politics and the Church:

I. More than a decade of warfare A. Venezuela B. Colombia C. Mexico i. All the warfare in these countries disrupted the economies and devastated wide areas.

II. Rise of caudillos A. The mobilization of large armies whose loyalty to regional commanders was often based on their personal qualities led to the rise of caudillos. i. Independent leaders who dominated local areas by force and sometimes seized the national government itself. B. In times of intense division between civilian politicians, a powerful regional army commander became the arbiter of power. i. The army sometimes made and unmade governments.

III. Military A. The military had become important in the 18th century as Spain tried to shore up the defense of its empire, but it became a preserver of order. B. Military commanders and regional or national caudillos usually were interested in power for their own sake, but they could mobilize different groups in societies. i. Many defended the interests of regional elites. ii. Others were populists who mobilized and claimed to speak for American Indians, peasants and the poor. a. Rafael Carrera

IV. Issues confronting many of the new nations A. Political leaders could not agree on what kind of republic they would lead. i. Centralists wanted to create strong, centralized national governments, with broad powers. ii. Federalists wanted tax and commercial policies to be set by regional governments. iii. Liberals stressed the rights of the individual—they wanted a decentralized form of government. iv. Conservatives usually believed in a strong centralized state—colonial society. a. Not all conservatives resisted change. b. Skeptical of secularism and individualism and strove to keep the Catholic Iberian heritage alive.

V. Role of the Church in politics A. Divided conservatives from the more secular liberals. B. Church in Mexico i. It had played a major role in education, the economy and politics. ii. Liberals tried to limit its role in civil life. C. The Church fought back

VI. Political parties A. Sprang up throughout Latin America. i. They struggled for power and tried to impose their vision of the future on society. B. Juan Manuel de Rosas-Argentina C. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna-Mexico D. The result was political turmoil and insecurity.

What did the rise of caudillos cause in the new nations?

A. The separation of political powers into Liberals and Conservatives. B. The creation of the terms Centralists and federalists. D. The military to become strong.
 * C. They represented or mobilized different groups in society.**