33.8 America: a.d. 1801 to 1900  (Page 30/31)

To go back in time to the early century, having established their own independence from Spain, Argentina and Chile went to the aid of Peru in 1821, with San Martin leading the army and Admiral Cochrane cooperating with the Chilean navy. In 1822 San Martin and Simon Bolivar met in Guayaquil at a time when only one Spanish army was left in the field. That army surrendered at Ayacucho in 1824. Simon Bolivar had dreamed of one great state of Colombia, but it was not to be and Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela went their separate ways. Bolivia became independent under Bolivar in 1825 as a country some 21/2 times its present size. It was the rich nitrate and copper deposits along the coast that tempted Chile to seize that portion in the War of the Pacific (see paragraph above). In the 20th century other neighbors were to further chew up the borders of hapless Bolivia. Things were not a whole lot better in Colombia. In the seventy years just prior to 1903 that country had 17 civil wars, with conservatives, liberals, Catholics and separatists all involved from time to time. (Ref. 175 ) Originally a part of Colombia, Panama was given a federal status by Colombian constitutional amendment in 1855, although Panama did not declare its complete independence until after the turn of the century. Large oil reserves were found in Venezuela in 1870 and in the 20th century this has greatly increased that nation's importance in the world. (Ref. 213 )

Portugal acted differently from Spain and met the demands of local autonomy. (Ref. 8 ) When Prince Regent Dom Joao, fleeing from Napoleon, landed in Rio in 1808 that city became capital of an empire including, besides Brazil itself, various Atlantic Islands, Angola and Mozambique in Africa and scattered areas in China, India and Oceania. Brazilian ports were opened; manufacture of iron and textiles undertaken; a bank, naval college, medical faculty, library and printing press were established. European artists and scientists arrived. Even so, as late as 1820 Brazil, in spite of gold and diamond mines and the Portuguese empire, was a poor, oppressed country, thinly populated and with little or no intellectual potential. (Ref. 292 ) Dom Joao returned to Portugal in 1821 with most of the cash from the Bank of Brazil, leaving Crown Prince Pedro to govern. On October 12, 1822 the Senate proclaimed him as constitutional Emperor of Brazil as Pedro I. Opposition to his autocratic ways and his obvious primary interest in the mother country finally forced his abdication in favor of his 5 year old son, Pedro II. Between 1840 and 1889 provincial revolts were gradually brought to a close and a period of order and progress was initiated. Commerce and industry expanded, 6,000 miles of railways were constructed by 1889, gold mines were further developed and sugar and rubber production were promoted. In 1872 the population was over 10,000,000, including 1,500,000 slaves. These were emancipated in 1888. Things changed in November of 1889 when the army, headed by General Manoel Deodoro da Fonseca, revolted and deposed the emperor and proclaimed a republic. Fonseca was elected president in 1891.