South America. His name is shrouded in romanticism, heroism and self-sacrifice for the good of his state. Simon played a huge role in the life of almost the entire continent; he led an active struggle for the independence of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The hero of South America was born in Venezuela in 1783 in the city of Caracas. His father was from Spain and was one of the richest people in Venezuela. Unfortunately, when Simon was nine years old, he became an orphan. The years passed, the boy grew and matured. Among Bolivar's hobbies was; he read with interest the works of Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu.
As a young man, he visited several European countries. In Rome, being on the top of the Aventine Hill, he swore an oath to liberate his homeland from Spanish rule. Meanwhile, the period of the Napoleonic Wars begins in Europe. Bonaparte captures Spain and puts his brother at the head of state. The royal family no longer has much political weight. There is no one to control affairs in the Spanish colonies. Local separatists perceive this news as a signal to actively fight for the independence of their states. In 1810, a revolution began in Venezuela. The Spanish governor lost power, the people of Venezuela declared their independence. Bolívar was at that time an officer in the revolutionary army. Soon the Spaniards will be able to regain control over the South American state. The leader of the revolution, Francisco Miranda, will be in prison, and Bolivar will be forced to flee the country. For some time he lived in Colombia, and in 1813 he returned to his homeland along with the troops. Soon, together with loyal troops, he captured Caracas.
The second Venezuelan Republic was formed, led by Bolivar. But he was not destined to rule for long; the revolutionary did not want to carry out reforms in the interests of the lower classes, and without receiving the support of the majority, he soon fled the country again, this time to Jamaica. A year later, having secured the support of the President of Haiti, Bolivar and his troops landed in Venezuela. Begins new stage struggle. This time he realized the need for reform. Bolivar abolished slavery and rewarded his loyal soldiers with their own land. Now the support of the people was guaranteed to him.
In 1818, help for Bolivar came from London. The British sent soldiers and resources for the war of liberation. Bolivar moved troops to Colombia. By 1822, the brave freedom fighter managed to liberate from Spanish rule not only his Venezuela, but also Ecuador, and by 1824 also Peru. Bolivar liked the US government system. He dreamed of creating something similar in South America. In fact, he succeeded, because Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador were united into the Republic of Gran Colombia, which was headed by the main freedom fighter - Bolivar.
Unfortunately, his republic was not destined to exist for long in the arena of world history; a new civil war began. In 1828, there was an attempt on Bolivar's life. Two years later, Ecuador and Venezuela seceded from the republic. In the same year, Bolivar resigned, he was driven to despair due to the fact that he had become a stranger in his native Venezuela, for which he had fought so hard. Soon the revolutionary died. Simon was a major figure in the liberation of South America from Spanish oppression. his is interesting and controversial. He was a strong and courageous man, driven forward by the ideals of freedom.
Bolivar prepared the ideological basis for the entire liberation movement; he was a good speaker, an excellent ideologist and organizer. But one should not exaggerate his abilities. He was opposed by small, untrained crowds of armed men. Although not a great strategist or tactician, Bolivar was very strong in spirit and always brought his affairs to a victorious end. Bolivar is often compared to. And, this comparison is fair. But the hero of South America should still be put one step lower. And the reason is, in principle, one. For the United States they played a more significant role than the countries liberated by Simon.
If Napoleon had an enormous influence on the development of events in Europe at the beginning of the nineteenth century, then at almost the same time a man named Simon Bolivar had an equally important influence on the destinies of the countries of South America.
For almost three centuries, most of the countries in South America were under Spanish rule. Simon Bolivar took an oath to liberate his native country, Venezuela, from the oppression of Spain. When Bolivar died in 1830, not only Venezuela, but also Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia were free from foreign oppression.
In his youth, Bolivar received the same education as any young aristocrat of his circle. But he continued his studies and for this purpose traveled a lot around Europe, where the events of the Great French Revolution made a deep impression on him. The American Revolution, the struggle for independence from the English rulers, also found a deep response in his soul. In 1811, Bolivar and a small group of patriots who supported him rebelled and declared the independence of Venezuela. But Spanish troops soon managed to defeat the rebels. Bolivar was forced to flee the country and hid abroad.
In 1819, at the head of a new army, Bolivar launched a forced march through the snow-covered peaks of the Andes Mountains and suddenly, like an avalanche, attacked the Spanish units. Thanks to this maneuver, the Spaniards, taken by surprise, were unable to repel the blow of Bolivar's army, and he finally managed to achieve the independence of Colombia. Two years later, Bolivar liberated Venezuela from Spanish rule, thus fulfilling the oath taken in his youth, and a year later, Ecuador.
Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador united into one state called the Great Republic of Colombia. Bolivar became the president of the new country, who later made a significant contribution to the liberation of Peru. Upper Peru, in honor of the liberator of the countries of South America from foreign oppression, was renamed Bolivia.
Despite the fact that Simon Bolivar's ideals were freedom and the rule of law, he concentrated the power of a real dictator in his hands. Yet Bolívar encouraged the creation of constitutional governments, the building of new schools, and the emancipation of slaves.
Over time, each of the states that were part of the new republic demanded independence for themselves. The Great Republic of Colombia collapsed. Bolivar's enemies accused him of tyranny, using dictatorial methods of government. Bolivar eventually resigned as president. Disappointed in life and having made many enemies for his
Forty-seven years old, Bolivar died in 1830. Nevertheless, for the peoples of the countries of South America, he forever remained the “Liberator” - “El Liber Tador”.
wide-brimmed hat made of fine mesh straw; named after S. Bolivar.
Simon Bolivar (1783–1830)
leader of the struggle for independence of the Spanish colonies in South America. Under his leadership, Venezuela, New Granada (modern Colombia and Panama), and the province of Quito (modern Ecuador) were liberated from Spanish rule. In 1819–1830 - President of Gran Colombia, created on the territory of these countries. In 1824, troops under the command of one of S. Bolivar’s associates, Antonio Jose Sucre, liberated Peru and Upper Peru. In 1825, Upper Peru was renamed - the country was named Bolivia in honor of S. Bolivar. In 1913, the National Congress of Venezuela proclaimed S. Bolivar the Liberator.
Encyclopedia of fashion and clothing
a hat made of dark felt with a crown strongly widened at the top, wide round brim, fashionable in the 20s. XIX century It was named after the leader of the struggle for independence of the Spanish colonies in South America, Simon Bolivar.
(Terminological dictionary of clothing. Orlenko L.V., 1996)
men's hat with a very wide crown at the top and a fairly wide brim, fashionable in 1815-1830. Named in honor of the liberator of Colombia S. Bolivar (1783-1830).
(Encyclopedia of fashion. Andreeva R., 1997)
encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Bolivar) Simon (1783 - 1830), leader of the struggle for independence of the Spanish colonies in the South. America. Liberated Venezuela from Spanish rule, New. Granada (modern Colombia and Panama), prov. Quito (modern Ecuador), in 1819-30 the president of Gran Colombia, created on the territory of these countries. In 1824 he liberated Peru and became the head of the Republic of Bolivia formed on the territory of Upper Peru (1825), named after him. Proclaimed Liberator by the National Congress of Venezuela (1813). BOLIVAR, Bolivar y Palacios Simon ( full name Simon José Antonio) (July 24, 1783, Caracas - December 17, 1830, Santa Marta, Colombia), one of the leaders of the War of Independence of the Spanish Colonies in America, military and statesman South America, where he is known as the Liberator (since 1813). early years. Born into a noble Creole family of Basque origin. Lost his parents early. For the education and formation of Bolivar’s worldview big influence provided by his teacher and elder friend, the prominent educator S. Rodriguez. He spent his youth in Europe (1799-1806, Spain, France, Italy), where he married early, but was soon widowed. On August 15, 1805, on the Monte Sacro hill in Rome, in the presence of Rodriguez, he vowed to fight for the liberation of South America from the colonial yoke. Venezuelan Republic. He took an active part in the overthrow of Spanish rule in Venezuela (April 1810) and the proclamation of its independent republic (1811). After the defeat of the latter by Spanish troops, in 1812 he settled in New Granada (now Colombia), 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 failed to gain their support and was defeated in 1814. Forced to seek refuge in Jamaica, in September 1815 he published an open letter there, expressing confidence in the imminent liberation of Spanish America. Education Colombia Having finally realized the need to free the slaves and the decisions of others social problems , Bolivar convinced Haitian President A. Petion to provide military assistance to the rebels and in December 1816 landed on the coast of Venezuela. The abolition of slavery (1816) and the decree issued in 1817 on allocating land to the soldiers of the liberation army allowed him to expand his social base. Following successful actions 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 annexed Colombia. Liberation of South America In July 1822, Bolivar met in Guayaquil with J. 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. Bolivar, who became the dictator of Peru back in February 1824, also headed the Republic of Bolivia, created in 1825 on the territory of Upper Peru, named so in his honor. Collapse of the Colombian Federation. In an effort to unite the Spanish-American states, Bolivar convened a congress of their representatives in Panama (1826), but was unsuccessful. After the end of the liberation war, in contrast to his centralist policy, centrifugal tendencies intensified in the region. As a result of separatist protests, Bolivar lost power in Peru and Bolivia (1827 - 30). At the beginning of 1830 he resigned and soon died. Bolivarian In Latin America, the name Bolivar is very popular. It is immortalized in the names of the state, provinces, cities, streets, monetary units, with the help of numerous monuments. Biographical essays, works of art, and historical works are dedicated to him. Since 1822, Bolivar's faithful friend and inseparable life partner, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate, was the Quito-born Creole Manuela Saenz. Works: Selected Works. M., 1983. Сartas del Libertador. Caracas, 1929-1959. V. 1-12. Obras completas. La Habana, 1950. V. 1-3. Decretos del Libertador. Caracas, 1961. V. 1-3. Escritos del Libertador. Caracas, 1964-1983. T. 1-16. Literature: Lavretsky I. R. Bolivar. 3rd ed. M., 1981. Simon Bolivar: history and modernity. M., 1985. Masur G. Simon Bolivar. Albuquerque, 1948. Madariaqa S. de. Bolivar. Mexico; Buenos Aires, 1953. V. 1-2. Mijares A. El Libertador. Caracas, 1969. Bolivar y Europa en las cronicas, el pensamiento politico y la historioqrafia. Caracas, 1986-1995. V. 1-3. M. S. Alperovich
- state in southeastern Venezuela. 238 thousand km2. Population 969 thousand people (1990). Adm. c. - Ciudad Bolivar.
- men's wide-brimmed hat, fashionable in the 20s. 19th century
- (Bolivar), group oil fields in Venezuela (oil and gas basin. Maracaibo). Includes the fields of Lagunillas, Tia Juana, Bochaquero and others. Discovered in 1917. Deposits at a depth of 160-4500 m. Total initial reserves 4.3 billion tons. Oil density 0.82-1.0 g/cm3.
Simon Bolivar (Spanish) Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar y Ponce y Palacios y Blanco)
, born July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela, and died December 17, 1830 in Santa Marta, Colombia. Born into a noble Creole family of Basque origin (they were called “Gran Cacao” for their skin color and wealth), whose ancestors came to America back in the 16th century. His father was one of richest people the country and inheritance later came in handy for Simon when creating a liberation army. He lost his parents early, lost his sister, and at the very beginning of the war for independence, his brother.
Simon never attended school or university, but his two teachers - Simon Rodriguez and Andres Bello (and, of course, books - his favorite was "The Social Contract" by Jean Jacques Rousseau) gave him knowledge, which Simon Bolivar multiplied during his travels around Europe, meeting eminent people and witnessing important events. He studied law in Madrid, found in Paris last days The Great French Revolution, and in London he met his compatriot Francisco de Miranda - in the recent past, a colonel in the Spanish army, a participant in the Great French Revolution, who fought for the independence of the United States and traveled a lot (including in Russia).
In 1801, in Madrid, Bolivar got married and was about to return to Caracas to take care of his household, but his wife (just a year after their marriage) died of yellow fever, and Bolivar remained for several more years in Europe.
In 1805, Bolivar, together with his teacher and mentor Simon Rodriguez (one of the outstanding Latin American scientists, teachers and educators), traveled to Italy. There, on August 15, 1805, on the hill of Monte Sacro in Rome, he took an oath: “I swear by my ancestors, I swear by their God, I swear by my honor, I swear by my homeland, that I will not give rest to my hands, I will not give peace to my soul, until the chains fall. who keep us under the yoke of Spanish domination."
In 1808, after Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and the arrest of King Ferdinand, a situation was created for the colonies that can be compared to dual power: there is a new king, Bonaparte’s protege, and there is the old king, but displaced. Venezuelan Creoles create a Patriotic Junta to protect the rights and interests of the now “former” King Ferdinand, but soon transform it into an independent government. Simon Bolivar and his brother become ambassadors of the new government - Simon in London, his brother in the USA, looking for allies, supporters and weapons. It is in London that Simon Bolivar meets with his compatriot, Francisco de Miranda, who has both political connections and military experience and invites Miranda to return to his homeland.
The Spanish government (already new) is trying to restore its influence in the colonies and then, with the active participation of Bolivar and Miranda, who led the patriots, the Venezuelan Congress in 1810 announces separation from Spain and the establishment of a republic. Miranda heads the leadership of the country and the army. However, the first Venezuelan republic would not last long. The Spanish army is more powerful and more professional than the detachments of young revolutionaries and deals with the rebels and those who sympathize with them. The revolution is suppressed. Bolivar ends up in exile, and Miranda ends up in a Spanish prison, where he will die in a few years. Moreover, Miranda falls into the hands of the Spaniards largely thanks to Bolivar. Historians interpret this episode in the biography of Simon Bolivar in different ways (more about this in the biography of Francisco de Miranda).
After the defeat of the Venezuelan army by Spanish troops (if, of course, it can be called an army, they were rather rebel troops), Bolivar in 1812 settled in New Granada (now Colombia), but in 1813, he returned to his homeland again at the head of an armed team of volunteers. His detachment (initially numbering about 500 people) by August fights to the capital - Caracas - and occupies it! The 2nd Venezuelan Republic is created. The Venezuelan Congress proclaims Bolivar the Liberator. However, Bolivar’s forces are small, and he is opposed by detachments of landowners - “llaneros” and a ten-thousandth corps of soldiers who arrived from Spain. They restore “order” in the country - they kill those who resist, rob and burn the houses of those who supported the rebels. Having lost about one and a half thousand supporters, Bolivar suffers another defeat and is forced to flee to the island of Jamaica. He will write about how the military operations took place, how cruelly and treacherously the Spaniards behaved, in his “Address to the Nations of the World.” The entire continent, with the exception of a few provinces of Argentina, is again under Spanish rule.
From Jamaica, in 1814, Bolivar moved to Haiti, where Alexandre Pétion (a mulatto who served in the French army, who joined the rebel slaves in Haiti in 1802 and became president of the independent Republic of Haiti in 1807) provides him with support in return for a promise to provide freedom for slaves in liberated Venezuela. Bolivar is trying to organize a liberation army, to unite the leaders of different groups, each of whom is ready to consider himself the most important. Convincing someone, promising someone something, punishing someone with an iron hand(this happened with the mulatto General Piar, who tried to remove Bolivar from power and was shot by a military tribunal). In addition to uniting his own “local” forces, Bolivar also creates a corps of volunteers from Europeans - the British, Irish, French, Germans and even Russians. Patriotism is wonderful, but professionals must fight a professional army.
In 1816, Bolivar again landed on the continent. He issues a decree abolishing slavery and this contributes to the fact that popular support during his new landing in Venezuela is much higher than before. He truly brings liberation - and not only to the country, but to many ordinary people. Later, he would issue decrees on the confiscation of the property of the Spanish crown and royalists, on the allocation of land to the soldiers of the liberation army. And he will announce that he will not mess around with his enemies. The war of liberation is a war. And if the enemy commits atrocities, then there will be no mercy for him. Bolivar captures the Angostura region, then marches through the Andes Mountains to Bogota (Colombia) and captures it, then returns to Venezuela. It’s easy to say “captures” and “returns” - through the mountains, the jungle, and in the army there are no cars or planes - only cavalry and infantry, and artillery pieces. Even for a tourist, such a transition is not so easy. And here there is war - constant skirmishes and battles with the enemy.
Meanwhile, a bourgeois revolution is taking place in Spain. Bolivar concludes a truce with the commander of the Spanish troops, General Morillo, but Morillo will soon be recalled to Spain. And then Bolivar liberates Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Then his troops liberate New Granada. In February 1919, in the city of Angostura, the capital of the provinces liberated from Spanish rule, the National Congress, convened on the initiative of the Bolivar, opened. The independence of Venezuela is proclaimed again (now finally). Bolivar gives a speech in which he outlines his views on the structure of government, speaks about the difficulties that await peoples who have won freedom, and about the principles of separation of powers. In August, the Constitution proposed by Bolivar was adopted, and in December 1819, he was elected president of the Republic of Gran Colombia proclaimed by the National Congress, which included Venezuela and New Granada, and in 1822 Ecuador. Gran Colombia - becomes the largest state in Latin America, which existed until 1830.
However, the new country is still threatened by Spanish troops (about 20,000 soldiers) in neighboring Peru. The Argentine-Chilean-Peruvian army under the command of General Jose de San Martin is fighting them. San Martin has already liberated Chile and is fighting in Peru, but his forces are small. In July 1822, Bolívar met in Guayaquil with José de San Martín. Most of What happened at this meeting remains shrouded in mystery, but one thing is clear: the great commanders are unable to agree on joint actions. General San Martin has orders to liberate Peru. And he needs help. Bolivar has an army, but there is no decision from the Gran Colombia Congress to help San Martin. And even if two great men win freedom for the countries of the continent, they need to think about what will happen later, after the victory. What will happen to a liberated Peru? Where will it go? Will it become independent like Chile, which was just liberated by San Martin? Or how will Ecuador become part of Gran Colombia, led by Bolivar?
The Chileans, freed by San Martin, proposed that San Martin become head of state. He refused and “recommended” his comrade-in-arms, General O’Higgins. The Peruvians declared their independence and declared San Martin "protector" - Protector. But who will lead the country after the final liberation? Bolivar or San Martin? But all this comes later, after the victory, and now is the most difficult thing: who will command the troops? The true content of the negotiations between Bolivar and San Martin, their thoughts, doubts, remain unknown to this day; they negotiated in private. However, after their completion, San Martin leaves Peru. Soldiers of Bolivar's army enter into battle with the Spaniards and within a few years liberate the rest of the country. The last battles are brilliantly carried out by the young General Sucre, whose biography for historians will be written by Bolivar himself.
Two new states are proclaimed - Bolivia and Peru. The decisive Battle of Ayacucho, December 9, 1824, in which the Liberation Army under the command of General Sucre defeated the Spanish troops. Bolivar becomes not only the President of Gran Colombia, but also the Dictator of Peru (in 1824), and a year later he heads Bolivia. Bolivar speaks of the need to introduce lifelong positions of president and vice president, and proposes the creation of a third chamber - “moral authority”. He is accused of monarchical aspirations and attempts to usurp power. He is trying to rely on the church and conservatives, but this creates new complications with his former supporters. An anti-Bolivarian conspiracy is brewing among a group of young officers. The conspirators are arrested and executed. But support for Bolivar is not growing. Venezuela and Colombia secede from Gran Colombia. Bolivar managed to win independence, and many were with him in this struggle. But after the victory... It was not possible to reconcile and unite the different interests of different groups.
Bolivar's dream of creating a Spanish-American Confederation also collapsed. On his initiative, the Continental Congress was convened in Panama (June 22 - July 25, 1826), which was attended only by representatives of Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Central America. The Congress turned out to be a purely formal act, since none of its decisions were ratified by national parliaments.
Soon after this, infighting began within the government of Gran Colombia. It became obvious that Bolivar's absence and the impracticality of his ideas were leading to the disintegration of the state. In November 1826, Bolivar arrived in Bogota, and in early 1827, after a five-year absence, he returned to Caracas to suppress an anti-government rebellion. In September 1828, he announced elections for a constituent assembly, which began work in April of the following year. Bolivar's desire to approve constitutional amendments to strengthen and centralize power encountered fierce resistance from Colombian Vice President Francisco de Santander and his federalist supporters. Convinced of the impossibility of achieving his goal by legal means, Bolivar carried out a coup d'état and declared himself a dictator, which, however, could no longer stop the collapse of Gran Colombia. In January 1830, he resigned, a few months later short term again took the presidential post, and on April 27, 1830, he finally abandoned government activities.
Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador became independent states. Bolivar, tired, disappointed and sick with tuberculosis, headed to Cartagena, intending to emigrate to Jamaica or Europe. On the way, he was overtaken by the news of the murder of an old comrade, Marshal Sucre (June 4, 1830). Bolivar died near the Colombian city of Santa Marta on December 17, 1830. Since 1822, Bolivar’s faithful friend and inseparable companion in life, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate, was the Quito-born Creole Manuela Saenz.
Cult of Simon Bolivar in Venezuela
The recently formed United States of America was seriously afraid of him, because a new and very influential state was about to arise next to them - the United States of South America, or Gran Colombia, which was almost in no way inferior in area or potential capabilities. would be the USA. Simon Bolivar led the fight for the independence of the Spanish colonies of South America after he surrendered Francisco Miranda to the Spaniards. Under his leadership, not only Venezuela, but also New Granada (modern Colombia and Panama), and the province of Quito (present-day Ecuador) were liberated from Spanish rule. For 11 years (from 1819 to 1830) Bolivar was president of Gran Colombia, created after the unification of these countries.
Therefore, Venezuelans suffer from a kind of original illness called “bolivaromania.” Almost everything in Venezuela is named after this national hero. The highest peak in the country - five thousand meters - is Bolivar Peak. The climbers who conquered it carried a bust of Bolivar during their ascent in order to install it as high as possible. And they succeeded - the bust became the highest mountain Bolivar in the world. The central squares of all, even the tiniest, cities in Venezuela are named after Simon Bolivar. There must be a monument to him on them. The installation of monuments is carried out by city authorities with the obligatory observance of a number of conditions: if Bolivar won a battle directly in the vicinity of a given city, his bronze statue must sit astride a horse with his weapon drawn. The same cities through which or near which he at least once passed should be limited only to the bust of the hero.
True, sculptors from different provinces of Venezuela depict Bolivar in different ways, so that sometimes it is even impossible to believe that all these numerous monuments are dedicated to the same person.