Liberators: Latin America's Struggle for Independence

by Robert Harvey

Treated with contempt by their Spanish overlords, given to dissipation and grandiose proclamations, these fearless men nonetheless achieved military feats unsurpassed elsewhere in history. The aristocratic Sim&oacuten Bol&iacutevar led his guerilla armies through swamp, jungle, and Andean ice to surprise his enemies and liberate most of northern South America. The inarticulate San Mart&iacuten joined Bernardo O'Higgins, illegitimate son of a Spanish viceroy, to do the same in the south. These and five others waged the war for freedom against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the American Revolution, the collapse of the Spanish Empire, and the revolutionary ferment of the nineteenth century. Despite the success of their revolutions, all seven liberators died in poverty, disgrace, or oblivion. This fascinating and dramatic story takes in a vast range of martial experience, from butchery in the torrid Orinoco basin to a cavalry fought with lances 13,000 feet up in the mountains of Peru. It is one of the greatest and least-known epics of history, told here in unprecedented detail.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Spanish History, Military History

601 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this ‘very different to my usual read’ book ( well have to be honest not every page but big parts of it ) as researching my other half’s surname/history and it had oodles of relevant info on it - very informative and well written and I learnt more on the history of South America than I ever knew I didn't know,if makes any sense! Am glad got past my ‘ this book will be a challenge and hard to read’ thing and took the plunge and it really wasn’t on both counts

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and informative book. Author Robert Harvey tells the epic story of the Liberation of Latin America from the Spanish and Portuguese empires. Using the personal tales of Miranda, Bolivar, San Martin, Bernardo O'Higgins, Admiral Cochrane, Iturbide and Prince Pedro Of Brazil, the author weaves a fairly complete picture of how European power was broken. The book really highlights the differences between the revolutionary movement in Europe and North America as it played out and the intensity of the South American form. The blood does flow, but I felt like I understood the continent much better now than I did before.

In setting the scene - and then during the pith of the book, Harvey never fails to point out the vast physical distances involved and the enormous differences between the disparate Spanish colonies that had been carved out in the 1500s. Each colony had a very different composition, with Europeans, African-Americans, Indigenous peoples, and then various levels of Creole/Mixed population. As The Napoleonic wars took Spain and Portugal's attention - Miranda brought The ideas of the American and French revolutions to Venezuela, sparking a big change.

Bolivar picks up the trail- amazingly taking Columbia, Venezuela and Argentina out of the Empire and into being Republics. Chile and Peru are also freed, and we meet O'Higgins with his family's cool Irish-American story. Then The amazing "sea-Wolf" Cochrane, with his feats of derring do that helped secure independence are given a lot of exposure- a really fun part of the book. The book finishes with Iturbide of Mexico, and Prince Pedro of Brazil, liberators with interesting stories of their own. By the end of the book, I fully understood why a United States of Latin America was never in the cards as it was north of Mexico.

This book would be a fantastic book for a younger reader, except that it does feature a lot of Massacres and other outrages that the younger reader may find depressing- these wars were dirty. For the gamer/modeller/military enthusiast this is a great background source. It sets the stage really well-but the player/modeller will need to fill out the frame with more focused sources. But for understanding the broad political and cultural strokes that were the liberation of Latin America, I think this book does a fine job. I think the book will also help any student of South American contemporary politics understand how we got here.

[Adam Glantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did every powerful man in revolutionary-era Latin America cheat on his spouse? But I already digress.

This was an almost comprehensive book on the struggle for Latin American independence, with the notable exceptions of Central America south of Mexico and the Caribbean. The huge volume of names, the plethora of battles, and the rapidly shifting allegiances were just about overwhelming: the dramatis personae section was helpful, but I would have profited from even more maps. But the author succeeds in putting his personal stamp on the swirling events across a gigantic area.

The most curious feature of the book is that, having described the various Liberators in detail and pointing out their authoritarian impulses, the author refuses to lay the future course of Latin American geographic balkanization, political instability, and economic backwardness at their door. Rather, a host of causes were decisive. The centuries of national gestation prior to independence, in which each colonial province developed its own ethnic profile and national consciousness; the constant military repression needed to keep the empire together; the lack of a significant middle class to bridge the gap between aristocrats and the poor; and the immense natural boundaries between geographic areas...all of these factors prevented a united Latin America with solid political and economic institutions from emerging. Perhaps. And maybe more democratically-minded Liberators would have been trodden under foot by the cut-and-thrust of revolutionary events. But maybe not, and it's tough not to see the Liberators, however colorful and endowed with virtues, as models and precursors for the charismatic authoritarians and military caudillos who plagued Latin America for more than a century.

[Ta · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you knew nothing about the history of America it is a good start to change that. Interesting and reads well.

[Tony Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things instigate me to read this book: 1. I had little knowledge on the South America, a huge continent whose history is little known and whose influence on the international arena like a bantam player amounts to almost nothing; 2. Unlike its counterpart in North America, the independence of South America didn’t produce a strong nation, but a score of nations fighting each other and dividing from within for years. Robert Harvey, using his detailed, inviting, carefully selected materials, depicts some vivid figures, such as Miranda, Bolivar, San Martin, Pedro, etc. On top of that, some sophisticated military tactics, exotic personal scenarios and spectacular war scenes are well written. From different sources the author provides, readers can dig deeply into the “Liberators’” blueprint in establishing independent countries and their thoughts on society, freedom, democracy…The South American colonies, influenced by the example of North America and what was rumbling in Europe, produced their own key actors as did in North America: Bolivar, San Martin are the Washington and Jefferson in the southern part. However, they were more like liberators than nation-builders. In a word, they were soldiers. Bolivar, for one, liberated Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador almost on his own. He seemed tireless in moving from one country to another. To fight is what they were good at, but to build was what they were not. When we speak Junta, we almost at once think of those Spanish-speaking “Banana Republics” and South American. This is the tradition they left: when no agreement is reached, military actions are to be used and the Constitution is only paid lip service to. But those South American founding fathers were not dictators at all, although people sometimes bestowed this title to them. They upheld independence, equality, revocation of slavery, which were no less prominent than were their northern counterparts. However, they could not conciliate themselves with aristocrats who on one hand wanted independence, but on the other hand clung so much to the slavery system that they can’t wean themselves from it and refused to give freedom to their slaves and to treat the Indians as their equals. In essence, the liberators were facing two devils: the remote Spanish monarch and the entrenched “caste” at hand. They defeated the first one but they gave in the second. Their northern neighbors knew better. They left the slavery issue intact and found a solid common ground to oust the agents of British royal family first. Of course, the unpaid cost has to be paid and the not-yet-shed-blood must be shed. But in 1860, 70 years after independence, the social fabric of the US was strong enough to withhold a civil war while in 1810-1830s when the South America independent movements were in the thick of fighting, no such a common ground had been found and as such the blood-letting lingered on, long after the Spanish monarchs set loose their grip. The prospect of building a “United States of South America” was out of reach. One evident loophole of this book is the wanting of narration on the other side of the story: What was the international situation Spain was faced? What was Napoleon’s France role in the independent movements? How did the Spanish court interreact with its colonies? Without answering these questions, this book is only half written.

[Niccolò Debernardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost finished but i couldn't wait. Genuinely love this book: It has an epic pace, a driving pathos, a genuine passion and involvement with its topic. Through Harvey writing we see those amazing and deeply flawed men who shaped the history of modern South America, we discover their passions and their accomplishments as well as their errors and atrocities. It doesn't hold back on criticism but remains fairly objective and level-headed. The parts i enjoyed more are the masterful descriptions of the battles and the incredible marches that Bolivar, San Martin, Sucre, O'Higgins had to endure to win a war of continental proportion. A history that reads like a 19th century omeric epic. A must if you are even slightly interested in the topic.

[Zhelana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is everything I hated about history. A history that claims to tell you about Latin America's wars for independence and then basically follows one general and all the battles he fought in a way that you can't really tell one battle from the next and if you don't know where any of these places are it makes no sense. It's like trying to tell the story of America's war for independence by listing Washington's military victories. Technically true, but it completely misses the point. I kept reading this book as if expecting it to get better or less repetitive but it's just more and more of the same. And I can't force myself to care.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

While 'Liberators' by Robert Harvey may be a decent introduction about the liberation and independence movements of many of the nations of Latin America, his narrow focus on a few individuals and military actions was ultimately very flat. The exploits of San Martin, Bolivar and others is fascinating and the determination, conviction and patience of their armies is inspirational, but the lack of context for many of their choices left the story feeling empty. Harvey also spends most of his time on Bolivar and San Martin and so the sections for Mexico and Brazil are so short I wonder what was the point in including them, especially when in his conclusion he tries to set them all apart, even though he only really focuses on San Martin, O'Higgins, Bolivar and Miranda. I would have preferred to have two books and more time flushing out the political, economic and cultural conditions of the countries, not just the personal lives of the 'Liberators'. If you are looking to learn more about the independence of Latin America, try 'Born in Blood and Fire' by John Charles Chasteen.

[Henry Hildebrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive view of Latin American liberation movements. A bit dated here and there, gives a wonderful account of Bolivar and San Martins struggles. Should have been two books in my opinion.

[Jake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically awful. I couldn't make it past the first few chapters. No citations, footnotes, or even context for the quotes, horrible and inconsistent formatting, incorrect dates, and typos everywhere. The vocabulary is repetitious. Near the beginning Harvey writes on and on about Francisco de Miranda, and then refers to him as Fernando. Either the author is completely lazy or the book was proofread by a monkey, or both. Don't even bother.

[Zolibros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to fill in gaps of my knowledge of the liberation of South America. I was familiar with Simon Bolivar and the freedom gained by the countries of the northwest part of the continent.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Robert Harvey's Liberators. I did not realise so many Irish men and those of Irish descent were involved. Even other Brits participated in various forms. It is a pity that they, the Irish that is, could not affect the same result in their own country.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such incredible stories deserved a better telling. I could have done without the patronizing. Often Harvey would make final judgments as to the character and legacy of the liberators which came as a surprise--could have used more showing, less telling. Still a riveting history.