Aftershocks of the French Revolution

European Revolts French Revolutions sparked other European Revolutions – 1831, Belgium broke away from the Netherlands – 1830, Poles tried (and failed) to reunite Poland – 1848, failed uprisings in Vienna (Austrian capital), Budapest (Hungarian capital controlled by Austrian Empire), and Prague (Czech capital controlled by Austrian Empire) – 1848, Italians revolted and even threw the Pope out of Rome, but French and Austrian armies intervened, putting down the revolts and restoring the Pope – 1848, revolutionaries pressed for a united Germany but the idea was squashed by the Prussians

Rebellion in Haiti The French sugar colony of Saint Domingue in the central Caribbean produced 40% of world’s sugar and tremendous wealth for France Sugar production relied on heavy use of slave labor By 1791, black slaves outnumbered whites by a factor of 10 to 1 Slavery here was especially brutal, with little care provided to the slaves

Rebellion in Haiti August 22, 1791 Taking advantage of the ongoing French Revolution, the slaves coordinated an uprising which led to the deaths of over 2000 whites and the destruction of 280 sugar plantations Surviving white colonists fled the island Revolution would involve nearly continuous fighting from 1791 to 1804

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture 1743 – 1803 Born a slave, but freed as an adult Quickly became a leader of the rebellion, although he worked hard to restore peace with French Revolutionary government in exchange for a ban on slavery Wanted whites to return to the island because they possessed wealth and valuable skills When Napoleon took power in France, fighting broke out again in Haiti over fears that Napoleon would restore slavery Arrested by a French force sent by Napoleon and sent to trial in France, but died in prison before trial could begin

Jean-Jacques Dessalines 1758 – 1806 After France tried to reestablish slavery and eliminated Louverture, Dessalines assumed leadership of the revolt and finally drove the French out 1/1/1804: the former colony was renamed Haiti (or “home”) and Dessalines named himself emperor-for-life Whites were not allowed to own land or property and were discouraged from even living in or visiting Haiti Assassinated in 1806

How was the Haitian Revolution different from other revolutions? It was the first successful slave rebellion in the Americas It was the first “black republic,” or nation in the Western Hemisphere to be governed by non-whites (mostly blacks & interracial mulattos)

Latin American Revolts When Napoleon invaded and conquered Spain in 1808, Latin Americans used it as an opportunity to gain their freedom from the Spanish Empire

Mexican Independence A series of rebel leaders fought for independence between 1810 – 1820 Finally, in 1821, Agustin de Iturbide led an overthrow and was briefly the Emperor of Mexico before being overthrown (and eventually executed) by pro-republican revolutionaries

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna 1794 – 1876 President of Mexico 11 different times in a 22 year period ( ) Helped oust the Spanish from Mexico under Iturbide, fought off French and American threats to Mexican sovereignty (although he lost the war with the US and, as a result, had to surrender California) Repeated attempts at naming himself dictator-for- life led to his eventual exile

Benito Juárez 1806 – time President of Mexico Inaugurated “La Reforma,” a series of reforms which aimed at limiting the power of the military and the Catholic Church in favor of more democratic and capitalist ideals Forced to fight a civil war and to fend off a French take-over in 1863 – 67 Died in office in 1872

Maximilian Habsburg 1832 – 1867 Younger brother of the Austrian Emperor Offered the position of Emperor of Mexico by French emperor Napoleon III, so long as he understood that he needed to protect French interests in Mexico Never had full control of Mexico, and once French troops left, he was quickly captured and shot by order of Benito Juárez

Central America Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica also broke away from Spain in the 1820s, but then were forced to resist Mexican attempts to make them part of the new Mexican republic

Bolívar & San Martín In 1810, Simón Bolívar led an uprising which freed Venezuela from Spanish rule; over the next 11 years he also freed Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia In 1816, José de San Martín freed Argentina and Chile Bolívar and San Martín tried to unite South America into a single nation called Gran Colombia, but failed

Portuguese Brazil When Napoleon conquered Portugal, the royal family fled to Brazil The king enacted a number of economic reforms which helped Brazil greatly When the king returned to Portugal after Napoleon’s defeat, he left his son Dom Pedro behind and granted Brazil its independence as a reward for loyal service Dom Pedro became emperor of the independent state of Brazil

Dom Pedro I Pedro de Alcântara Francisco Antônio João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim de Bragança e Bourbon Moved to Brazil at 9 When his father returned to Portugal in 1821, Pedro remained behind as Emperor of Brazil Died of tuberculosis

“Failed” Revolutions? Despite winning independence, Latin America generally remained economically and politically unstable and very socially conservative, so the poor saw little change to no change in their daily quality of life