A brave hero of numerous novels and biographies, a fierce fighter for the independence of South America, the first president of Venezuela , a man in whose honor an entire state is named - this is who Bolivar is.
The origins of life
It all began in the year 1783 already far from us. Then a child was born who received the name Simon at birth. This man was destined to change the course of history and forever become one of the most famous people on the planet. So, he was born into a family of rich Creole - the so-called descendants of immigrants from Europe, mainly Spaniards and Portuguese. From childhood he was a very smart and active child.
However, grief affected the boy early. At first, he lost his father, and a little later, his mother died from a serious illness. At the age of 5, he turned out to be an orphan. The duties of the guardian were undertaken by his father's sibling. He loved the restless child very much and tried to give him a decent upbringing and education. He chose for his nephew a famous intellectual, a fan of the ideas of the 18th century French Enlightenment, Simon de Rodriguez. However, when he was extremely interested in political activities, the uncle of the boy considered it dangerous to have such a teacher and broke off contacts between Rodriguez and Bolivar.
The views of the political leader of Latin America
Nevertheless, the ideas of Montesquieu, Didro, Russo deeply sunk into the soul of the future leader of South America. At sixteen, he goes to Europe to continue his education, and at the same time to see a new world for him. In 1799, he arrived in France, where at that time the country's dramatic history page was approaching completion. The revolution was ending, and General Bonaparte came to the forefront of the political Olympus of the French Republic.
The following year, he visited London, where he met with his future ally Francisco de Miranda. The latter had a significant impact on the political views of the young man. He was further strengthened by the need for the release of Spanish custody of the South American colonies.
A year later, Simon arrived in Madrid, where he performed the wedding ceremony, but his wife soon died. Until 1805, Bolivar traveled to Europe, where he met with his former mentor. There, they jointly decided to start an open struggle against Spain, but for this they had to wait for the right moment.
First unsuccessful attempt
And such a moment is coming. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte's army invaded Spain. The period of diarchy began, which was very suitable for the purposes of Bolivar. But he understood that this required allies and associates. Simon goes to the courts of European monarchs, opponents of Spain, in order to gain support for his actions. However, he did not get any serious help.
In 1810, Miranda returns to Venezuela and immediately leads the government and army of this province. Gathered in the same year, the Council of Patriots announced the secession from Spain. And soon the armed struggle against the mother country begins. Our hero was directly involved in this uprising - that’s who Bolivar is for Venezuela.
The Spanish crown was not at all about to put up with the loss of such rich and vast lands. King’s troops stationed in South America launch a targeted attack on the rebel position. The well-equipped and trained Spanish army dealt a crushing blow to the proponents of independence. Miranda was captured, in which he soon died, and Simon took refuge in the Dutch possessions, which saved his life.
Pressure and determination decide the matter
The characterization of Simon Bolivar in this period of his life can be briefly expressed in one sentence: a stubborn ideological fighter for the rights of the peoples of Latin America. And indeed, the defeat did not discourage him at all. Already in 1813, he, with a new army of supporters, set foot on the land of Venezuela, and his march to Caracas can be compared with the triumphal “hundred days” of Napoleon. But the result was also tragic. Having gained easy victories at the beginning of the campaign, then the rebels suffered a number of heavy defeats. The Spaniards were able to take control of the entire territory of this province. Bolivar had to retire from Spanish possessions.
The third attempt took place in 1816. Simon carefully prepared for her. He developed a political program with the goal of attracting all segments of the population of Venezuela to his side, and a military campaign was drawn up in detail. And these actions were not long in coming. For three years, the army of revolutionaries consistently knocked out the Spaniards from all strong points. In 1919, our hero managed to add New Granada to Venezuela, proclaimed the creation of Greater Colombia and became its president - that’s who Simon Bolivar is.
Bolivar's final victory
The new president’s methods of government were far from democracy. Many of his supporters accused him of excessive authoritarianism and a thirst for power. Some openly called for disobedience to the usurper, but political disputes interrupted new attacks by Spanish troops. In the battle of the town of Carabobo, the Spaniards suffered the most brutal defeat since the start of the war. Bolivar decided to build on success. He appointed General Antonio Sucre as his closest assistant. Soon they took possession of the territory of Ecuador and Peru.
The battle of Ayacucho went down in history as the “Battle of the Generals." Here, 16 Spanish military leaders were captured by South American patriots. Also in this battle, Spain lost its last troops located in Latin America, and there were no more forces and means to send new ones. The unifier and the liberator - that is who Bolivar is in the minds of ordinary Latin Americans.
Hope and Reality
Simon's main political dream was the creation of the United States of South America. Although at first he managed to subjugate the vast territories of modern Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, subsequently his power there could not be maintained precisely because of extremely tough control. He died in 1830, already being retired.
The name Bolivar is immortalized in the name of the state of Bolivia. Also, the monetary unit of this country is called "boliviano", and in Venezuela it is called "bolivar". Bolivar's personality and name gained wide popularity in world literature. In one of O'Henry's works, this was the name of the stallion. In the story, his master ran away from enemies and was forced to abandon his friend in order to save himself. Then the expression "Bolivar could not stand the two" came into wide circulation . He emphasized the salvation of one person by sacrificing another. So the writer made a subtle allusion to the controversial moment of the capture and death of Miranda and the salvation of our hero. Now you know who Bolivar is in the political and cultural tradition.