The origins of the independence movement in Spanish America
--BritishLibrary.uk--


During the colonial period some sectors of the Creole population (Spanish descendents born in the Americas) became increasingly frustrated by Spanish rule. Their discontent grew out of the belief that local ambition and prosperity were stifled by colonial administrative, tax and trade policy and the superior status conferred to Spanish-born residents. Another grievance was the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 by the Spanish Crown in order to secure its power in the colonies.

The occupation of Spain by Napoleon in 1808 paved the way for the independence of the Spanish American territories. The constitutional crisis in Spain caused by the imprisonment of Fernando VII in France and the imposition of Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne created an opportunity for the Creoles to proclaim their independence from Spain. Widespread revolts and civil war broke out across the region and juntas (local governing bodies) took matters into their own hands. Fernando VII returned to the Spanish throne in 1814 and initiated a ‘reconquest’ of the Spanish American colonies but the resolution of the crisis came too late to stem the tide of rebellion.