Nationalism is loyalty towards your country and the people who you share it with. Especially during the 19th century in Latin America is was a collective state of mind where people wanted to be loyal to their culture and home rather then a king or emperor. During this time nationalism and revolutionary ideas were on the rise and several leaders emerged. During the 18th century philosophers in Europe created the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was partially a movement towards better government ideas but it also stressed the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Philosophers such as Baron de Montesquieu believed that there should be a balance of power in government. The theories of the Enlightenment had an impact all over the world, including the French and American revolutions. At the time, much of the west was colonies set up by European countries. Economic systems such as mercantilism and the Econmienda system were set up so that the mother countries could benefit off of their colonies.
The Latin America colonies were divided into strict classes, at the top were people who were born in Spain and at the bottom were the slaves and Native Americans. Creoles were Spaniards who were born in Latin America. Although this class was very wealthy they were not allowed to hold high-level political jobs. Simon Bolivar, a brilliant general, was a Venezuelan Creole. He was unhappy with the way Latin America was being controlled by Spain. Simon Bolivar was educated in Europe and believed in the ideas of the Enlightenment. He was also inspired by the success of the French and American revolutions so he decided to revolt against Spanish Rule. Bolivar started an army of volunteer men. His army persevered an eventually won independence for the Spanish colonies in Latin America including Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia, Chile...