Alex Gromov
After the discovery, not only the Spaniards and Portuguese flocked to Latin America. Its history is also connected with the famous French of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Among them are such legendary names as the great Admiral de Coligny, the leader of the French Huguenots, killed on St. Bartholomew's Night, described in the novel by Alexandre Dumas the Elder - “Margarita of Navarre”.
Coligny, foreseeing religious wars in advance, tried to find a way out by finding a way out for the French Protestant Huguenots, taking them away from Europe blazing with fire. And for this he planned to establish outpost bases in America.
Soon the first ships set off. This is how Protestant settlements were created in Brazil. In 1555, Fort Coligny was built on an island off the coast of Brazil in honor of the tireless admiral. It lasted only ten years, and was taken by storm by the Catholic Spaniards, who with wild joy killed the “infidel Huguenots.”
Thus, France’s first attempt to settle in distant Latin America ended in failure.
The next French attempt to establish itself in South America was associated with the name of the famous French politician, Cardinal Richelieu.
Concerned about the increasing dominance of England on the seas, he created the Maritime Council in 1626, and immediately began building 45 ships and modernizing existing seaports.
Soon, numerous trading companies were created and became very active in Latin America. Leading them on behalf French king Richelieu himself stood, closely monitoring that a share of profits was transferred to the French treasury.
Thanks to all this measures taken, already under Richelieu France captured not far from the coast Latin America islands of St. Christopher, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominic and others
There are still numerous places on the map of Latin America French names- as a memory of past greatness and connections between distant lands and cultures.
If France had once been the first to conquer Latin America, the history of the world would have been completely different.
Bibliography
To prepare this work, materials from the site http://www.americalatina.ru were used
Peruvian port of Callao. This victory ended the War of Independence. New World, discovered by Columbus and conquered by the conquistadors, ceased to be Spanish and gained freedom. Chapter 4. Consequences of the liberation of Latin America and the collapse of the Colombian Federation. The peoples of the Spanish colonies gained freedom. In particular, Venezuela, New Granada, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia threw off Spanish oppression and...
On the thought of a certain alien civilization, visiting the Inca state. The size of one of the depicted people is only 33 meters, although the symbolism of this figure suggests other thoughts. In Latin American countries, the myth of the winged serpent, which was the subject of worship among the ancient Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico, is very common. In a slightly modified form, the image of the serpent appeared and...
And they will rely on their support, just as the youngest son in a family relies on the protection of the eldest." Chapter 3. "Racism in Latin America on modern stage and the point of view of the Catholic Church regarding this issue" Catholic Church condemned racism and segregation only at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1966). In Pope Paul VI's encyclical "The Evolution of Nations", ...
Dependence on the United States, more than 50% of whose capital investments come from developing countries, supplying them with 70% of strategic raw materials and most of the oil, non-ferrous and rare metals. Latin America plays a significant role in the global mining industry, but in recent decades there has been a decline in the share of the mining industry, as well as agriculture, in national income...
Adams John
Adams, John (John Adams) (November 30, 1735-07/04/1826) - 2nd President of the United States, successor of George Washington, in contrast to whom he can be classified not so much as a political practitioner, but as a political theorist. Born in Massachusetts into a farmer's family, he graduated from Harvard University, practiced law, and became one of the most popular lawyers in Boston.
Adams John Quincy
Adams, John Quincy Adams (07/11/1767-02/23/1848) - 6th President of the United States. Studied in Holland, France, USA (Harvard). In con. In the 18th and early 19th centuries he joined the federalists (as the federalist criticized T. Paine’s pamphlet “The Rights of Man”), but in 1807 he broke with them. US Minister to Holland and Prussia (1794-1801); Congressman (1802); Senator from Massachusetts (1803-1808); the first US envoy to Russia (1809-1814). Through Adams, Alexander I in 1813 proposed Russian mediation in resolving the Anglo-American conflict.
Admiral Nelson Horatio
Nelson, Horatio (Horatio Nelson) 09/129/1758-10/21/1805) - English naval commander.
Horatio Nelson was born into a clergyman's family in north Norfolk. At the age of 12 he joined the navy. In 1773, as part of an expedition, Horatio sailed the northern seas. His military naval service began during the war with France. In 1793
Nelson was appointed captain of the 64-gun ship Agamemnon. As part of the English squadron, Agamemnon guarded the Mediterranean Sea from French ships. Already in the first months of the war, best features Nelson's character is courage and strategic talent. On February 14, 1797, he participated in the Battle of St. Vincent, doing a lot for the victory of the English fleet, and became a rear admiral. In one of the battles, Horatio was wounded and lost his right arm.
Andrássy Gyula
Andrassy, Gyula, Count (03/03/1823-18/02/1890) - Hungarian politician and diplomat. After the defeat of the Hungarian revolution of 1848-1849, in which he took an active part, Andrássy emigrated to France. Gyula was sentenced to death in absentia, but was subsequently amnestied and returned to Hungary in 1858.
Benjamin Disraeli
Disraeli, Benjamin (Benjamin Disraeli) (12/21/1804-04/19/1881) - famous British statesman and political figure, writer. The son of the writer I. Disraeli, a Jewish emigrant who converted to Christianity. In the works “Vivian Gray”, “The Young Duke” and others, Disraeli masterfully noticed the features political life country and promoted conservative principles (protection of the crown, church, aristocracy).
Blanks Louis Auguste
Blanqui, Louis Auguste Blanqui (02/08/1805-01/01/1881) - French revolutionary, utopian communist. Louis was educated at the Lycée Charlemagne in Paris. His passion for republican-democratic ideas brought him into the ranks of opponents of the Restoration regime (1814-1830). An active participant in the July Revolution of 1830, the Republican Blanqui became an implacable opponent of the monarchy of Louis Philippe. In the 1930s was the organizer and leader of secret republican societies that advocated the creation democratic republic and the destruction of exploitation.
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Today we will move from Europe to Latin America - we haven’t looked there for a long time and talk about people who influenced the course of history.
We can say that in the history of Latin America, outstanding personalities are found on almost every corner: dictators and politicians, revolutionaries and rebels, artists and poets. How to choose the most important ones? In my opinion, accomplishments outstanding person should play a huge role not only in the Latin world, but throughout the world (in my opinion this is logical). Here are my Top Ten, featured in chronological order(by date of life, natural0):
1. Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566)
Although he was not born in Latin America, his heart belonged to this land. This Dominican friar fought for the freedom and rights of the indigenous population of Latin America at the very beginning of conquest and colonization, standing in the way of those who wanted to exploit and humiliate the natives of this continent. If not for him, the terrible consequences of colonization would have been immeasurably greater.
2. Simon Bolivar (1783-1830)
“The George Washington of South America” paved the difficult path for millions of South Americans to freedom. His charm, coupled with his military acumen, made him the most prominent of the leaders of the Latin American Independence movement. The liberation of the "modern nations" of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia is his doing.
3.Diego Rivera (1886-1957)
Diego Rivera was not the only Mexican muralist, but he was certainly the most famous. Together with Alfaro Siqueiros and José Orozco, he brought art from museums to city streets.
Chilean broadcaster (1974-1990), Pinochet was key figure in Operation Condor (a campaign to persecute and destroy the political opposition in Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil with support from the US government in 1970-1980: The intelligence services of these states, acting in a coordinated manner, organized kidnappings, torture and executions without trial or investigation).
5. Fidel Castro (1926 -)
The fiery revolutionary had a strong impact on world politics for fifty years. A thorn in the side of American leaders since the Eisenhower administration, he has been a beacon of resistance for anti-imperialists.
6. Roberto Gomez Bolañes (nicknamed Chespirito) (1929 -)
Not every Latino you meet will answer the question “Who is Bolañes?”, but everyone will know Chespirito, portrayed by Gomez for decades. Gomez has been working in television for 40 years, and meanwhile manages to act in films, write books and compose music.
7. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927 -)
He did not invent magical realism, but he became its foremost master. Winner 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, he is the most famous author in Latin America.
8. Edson Arantes do Nascimento or Pele (1940 -)
Brazil's favorite son and perhaps the best football player of all time. Brazilians' admiration for their idol was one of the reasons for the decrease in racism in his country.
9. Pablo Escobar (1949-1993)
The legendary Colombian drug lord was at one time recognized as almost the richest man in the world (according to Forbes - 7th place). At the height of his power, he was the most influential person in Colombia and his drug empire has spread its tentacles around the world. It is worth noting that he owed his rise in part to the poor population of Colombia, who viewed him as their Robin Hood.
10. Rogiberta Menchu (1959-)
A representative of the indigenous population of Guatemala from the Quiche people of the Mayan group. Human rights activist, fighter for the rights of the indigenous population of Guatemala, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and the Prince of Asturias Award in 1998. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Author of the autobiographical works “I, Rigoberta Menchú” (1983) and “Crossing Borders”.
Dictatorships, coups, revolutions, terrible poverty of some and fantastic wealth of others, and at the same time - exuberant fun and optimism of ordinary people. This is how most Latin American countries in the 20th century can be briefly described. And we shouldn’t forget about the amazing synthesis of different cultures, peoples and beliefs.
The paradoxes of history and the riotous color inspired many writers of this region to create genuine literary masterpieces that enriched world culture. We will talk about the most striking works in our material.
Captains of the sand. Jorge Amado (Brazil)
One of the main novels of Jorge Amado, the most famous Brazilian writer of the 20th century. “Captains of the Sand” is the story of a gang of street children who engaged in theft and robbery in the state of Bahia in the 1930s. It was this book that formed the basis of the film “Generals of the Sand Quarries,” which was extremely popular in the USSR.
Adolfo Bioy Casares (Argentina)
The most famous book by Argentine writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. A novel that deftly balances on the edge of mysticism and science fiction. Main character, fleeing persecution, ends up on a distant island. There he meets strange people who pay absolutely no attention to him. Watching them day after day, he learns that everything that happens on this piece of land is a holographic movie recorded a long time ago, virtual reality. And it is impossible to leave this place... while the invention of a certain Morel is working.
Senor President. Miguel Angel Asturias (Guatemala)
Miguel Angel Asturias - winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1967. In his novel, the author portrays a typical Latin American dictator - Señor President, in which he reflects the whole essence of cruel and senseless authoritarian rule, aimed at enriching himself through oppression and intimidation of ordinary people. This book is about a man for whom ruling a country means robbing and killing its inhabitants. Remembering the dictatorship of the same Pinochet (and other no less bloody dictators), we understand how accurate this artistic prophecy of Asturias turned out to be.
Kingdom of the Earth. Alejo Carpentier (Cuba)
In his historical novel"Kingdom of the Earth" by Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier talks about the mysterious world of the Haitians, whose life is inextricably linked with the mythology and magic of Voodoo. Essentially, the author put on literary map world this poor and mysterious island, in which magic and death are intertwined with fun and dancing.
Mirrors. Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina)
A collection of selected stories by the eminent Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. In his short stories, he addresses the motives of searching for the meaning of life, truth, love, immortality and creative inspiration. Masterfully using symbols of infinity (mirrors, libraries and labyrinths), the author not only gives answers to questions, but makes the reader think about the reality around him. After all, the meaning is not so much in the search results, but in the process itself.
Death of Artemio Cruz. Carlos Fuentes (Mexico)
In his novel, Carlos Fuentes tells the life story of Artemio Cruz - former revolutionary and associate of Pancho Villa, and now one of the richest tycoons in Mexico. Having come to power as a result of an armed uprising, Cruz begins to frantically enrich himself. To satisfy his greed, he does not hesitate to resort to blackmail, violence and terror against anyone who gets in his way. This book is about how, under the influence of power, even the highest and best ideas die out, and people change beyond recognition. In fact, this is a kind of answer to Asturias’ “Señor President”.
Julio Cortazar (Argentina)
One of the most famous works postmodern literature. In this novel, the famous Argentine writer Julio Cortazar tells the story of Horacio Oliveira, a man in difficult relationships with the world around him and reflecting on the meaning of his own existence. In “The Hopscotch Game,” the reader himself chooses the plot of the novel (in the preface, the author offers two reading options - according to a plan he specially developed or according to the order of the chapters), and the content of the book will depend directly on his choice.
City and dogs. Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
"The City and the Dogs" is an autobiographical novel by the famous Peruvian writer, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa. The book takes place within the walls of a military school, where they are trying to make “real men” out of teenage children. The methods of education are simple - first, break and humiliate a person, and then turn him into a thoughtless soldier living according to the rules.
After the publication of this anti-war novel, Vargas Llosa was accused of treason and aiding Ecuadorian emigrants. And several copies of his book were solemnly burned on the parade ground of the Leoncio Prado cadet school. However, this scandal only added to the popularity of the novel, which became one of the best literary works Latin America of the 20th century. It has also been filmed many times.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)
The legendary novel by Gabriel García Márquez, the Colombian master of magical realism and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. In it, the author tells the 100-year history of the provincial town of Macondo, located in the middle of the jungle of South America. This book is recognized as a masterpiece of Latin American prose of the 20th century. In fact, in one work, Marquez managed to describe an entire continent with all its contradictions and extremes.
When I want to cry, I don’t cry. Miguel Otero Silva (Venezuela)
Miguel Otero Silva is one of the greatest writers in Venezuela. His novel “When I Want to Cry, I Don’t Cry” is dedicated to the lives of three young people - an aristocrat, a terrorist and a bandit. Despite the fact that they have different social backgrounds, they all share the same destiny. Everyone is in search of their place in life, and everyone is destined to die for their beliefs. In this book, the author masterfully paints a picture of Venezuela under military dictatorship, and also shows the poverty and inequality of that era.
The history of the countries of this continent is replete with outstanding historical figures.
Our compatriots, unlike foreign citizens, love to discuss political topics. We say about ourselves that Russians talk about women at work and politics at home. In the years Soviet power The place for such “political activity” was kitchens, where all the problems of the universe were discussed. Nowadays, the scale of the kitchen has grown to the mega-size of the Internet. And one of the constant topics of discussion remains the role of the individual in history, its influence on the life of the people. The theme is bottomless and eternal.
Marxism interpreted it simply and categorically, they say, the individual - it was always about the individual elevated to the pinnacle of power - expresses the interests, hopes and aspirations of the broadest masses of the people, that is, society, the people. This is exactly what G. Plekhanov wrote in his canonical article “On the Question of the Role of the Individual in History.” But such an interpretation did not fit in with the glaring truth of life, which inexorably convinced us: individuals radically influence the course of history, accelerating or slowing it down, and form the mentality of entire nations. The scale of a historical figure turns out to be a factor that sometimes affects entire eras - Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin... How is this scale measured? Why, as the song says, do historical moments that “whistling at the temple” bring immortality to some individuals, and shame and dishonor to others?
I was probably not the only one who was struck by the monstrous decline in the quality of the “historical” personality towards the end of the Soviet era. To this day, one cannot listen without bewilderment to M. Gorbachev’s rantings about politics, in which he turned out to be a complete bum, rejected by the people. And practically the entire Politburo of that time set an example of political degradation. From “communists” everyone turned overnight into “democrats”, from internationalists - into burning nationalists... Of course, a place will be reserved for them in the dustbin of history. And at the same time, a person like Che Guevara, despite the failure of all his initiatives and the tragic end, has become almost a global symbol of youth.
My friends and acquaintances, who know that I had the opportunity to work for almost 15 years in the countries of Latin America, communicate, among other things, with Che Guevara, often ask why the history of the countries of this distant continent is replete with prominent historical figures, while other regions Are they experiencing a clear deficiency? Sometimes I limit myself to talking about one episode related to Ernest Che Guevara, who first came to the USSR in the late autumn of 1960. I then had the opportunity to work next to him as a translator. His popularity went beyond all standards. My numerous “Latin Americanist” colleagues very much asked to organize a separate meeting for them with the famous partisan. This coincided with his desire to “sit in a home environment with simple Soviet people" One day we all gathered around the table in a one-room apartment in a high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, and the main question to the eminent guest was: “Will the Cuban revolution survive?” His answer will be remembered forever:
“I don’t know whether she will survive or not, but I will do everything for her to win. If something irreparable happens, then do not look for me among the people who will find refuge in foreign embassies. Look for me among those who, with a machine gun in their hands, will die on the barricades, defending their ideal!”
Here it is, the key to answering the question of why Latin America has produced so many heroes.
Integrity of personality, inseparability of words and actions, loyalty to the principles that initially guided historical figure, unconditional and uncompromising struggle for high, publicly stated national ideals is the basis of historical immortality. In the countries of Latin America, more than in other regions of the world, the traditions of nobility of the indigenous population - the Indians, and elements of chivalry brought from Europe - live in the psychology of the people. The population of this vast and rapidly developing continent is almost unanimous in rejecting the concept of the “discovery of America.” In 1992, when the world celebrated the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus's caravels on the shores of what is now the Dominican Republic in Latin America, the event was called the "Meeting of Two Cultures." In 2004, in Venezuela, it was decided to call the day October 12 - the date of Columbus's landing on American soil - “Indian Resistance Day”, because the Spaniards sailed to a foreign country not with good intentions, but as conquerors. In South America, by the time Columbus appeared there, there were developed states and established civilizations - the Incas and Aztecs - with their own laws, morals and customs. Their destruction by European conquerors remains the greatest crime against humanity. Now scientists are trying, bit by bit, to restore the picture of barbarically destroyed civilizations.
In defending their homelands, the leaders of Indian states gave examples, on the one hand, of courage, and on the other, of naivety, resulting from their understanding of the essence of interhuman relations.
For example, the death of the Inca state was predetermined by the fact that the Incas’ language did not even contain the words “deception” and “treachery,” because there were no such concepts in their life.
The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro had under his command an “army” of only 150 infantry, 67 cavalry, 2 cannons and 3 soldiers with firearms. He was opposed by an army of a hundred thousand people. But he simply deceived the Inca emperor Atahualpa by inviting him unarmed to negotiations. He trustingly arrived at the Spanish camp, where his retinue was mercilessly hacked to pieces, and the emperor himself became a prisoner. Such treachery was simply unthinkable among the Incas.
For the release of the emperor, the Spaniards demanded that the Indians fill a room with an area of 35 square meters and a height of 2.2 meters. The simple-minded Indians almost fulfilled the ultimatum, but the bloodthirsty Pizarro still ordered the garrote of 33-year-old Atahualpa, fearing that his release would mobilize the Indians to fight. In the memory of the people, their suffering leader remained an intelligent and noble prisoner of honor. He mastered it in a month Spanish, learned to beat his jailers at chess, and stoically accepted death. And F. Pizarro became an example of treacherous betrayal and unheard-of cruelty, a liar. He was killed there, in Peru, by the son of one of his closest associates.
A similar tragedy played out in Mexico, where the conqueror Hernan Cortes waged war with the Aztecs for several years. The forces were unequal, because many Indian tribes who were at enmity with the Aztecs joined the Spaniards, but the defenders of the city of Tenochtitlan - that was the name of the city of Mexico at that time - fought to the last drop of blood. When their emperor Montezuma called for submission to the conquerors, they finished him off by throwing stones at him. The fight was led by his nephew Cuauhtemoc, who became the national hero of what is now Mexico. He resisted to the end, but was nevertheless captured and subjected to torture by the Spaniards. the most severe torture. They placed his feet on a brazier with hot coals and demanded to indicate the place where the gold was hidden. He was silent. Nearby, his close associate was tortured in the same way, who moaned loudly and asked to tell the Spaniards a secret. Cuauhtemoc, who despised the Spaniards for their greed for gold, only replied: “Do you really think that I am reclining on roses?” He was executed, but his statue adorns one of the central squares of the capital of Mexico, and every young resident of the country knows the legends about his struggle and death...
Presidents of Latin American countries, in whose veins Indian blood flowed or flows, invariably cause headaches for the external and internal enemies of their people.
In Mexico, for example, in 1861, Benito Juarez, a purebred Indian from the state of Oaxaca, was elected president. He was so talented that, despite his origin and unusually small height of 135 centimeters, he became one of the most prominent political figures in his country and throughout Latin America. He became famous for the fact that he was forced to resist the triple military intervention of England, France and Spain, which, under the pretext of forced collection of debts, landed their armed forces and occupied most of the country. And the French even brought one of the offspring of the Habsburgs - Maximilian - and declared him Emperor of Mexico. For six years, the stubborn Benito Juarez waged an unequal war with the interventionists, who finally could not withstand the pressure and were forced to evacuate. The ill-fated “emperor” was surrounded and captured. The court sentenced him to death. No matter how much the European monarchs and the Pope himself asked for him, Benito Juarez was adamant: “We are not shooting the personality of Maximilian, but the very idea of monarchy in Mexico!”
Nowadays in Venezuela the post of president is occupied by Hugo Chavez, also of Indian origin. He is as persistent and adamant in achieving his goals as his distant ancestors. This is already part national character. The secret of his political vitality is that he raised the public life the overwhelming majority of fellow citizens, brought the government closer to ordinary people, put an end to the long-term gap between the people and those in power. In response to accusations of dictatorial habits, Hugo Chavez reasonably replies that he won all the elections - presidential, parliamentary, municipal, of which he got more than any other head of any Latin American country. He even won a referendum, which allows him to stand as a candidate for the post of president of the country an unlimited number of times. This result can only be achieved if the politician really enjoys the support of the majority of the people. He relies exclusively on democratic procedures, but his numerous opponents are weaving anti-constitutional conspiracies against him.
Matching him is the President of neighboring Bolivia, Evo Morales, who is also the first Indian, an Aymara, to occupy the highest government position in the country's 400 years of history. It fell to him to solve the most difficult long-standing problems inherited from his predecessors. There is foreign dominance in the Bolivian economy, frightening social inequality, the threat of a split in the country, and contradictions between the indigenous Indian population and the influential white minority. In terms of its political instability and the number of coups d'etat, Bolivia was the champion among Latin American states. Evo Morales is in his sixth year at the helm of the troubled country. His mandate expires in 2015.
Together with Venezuela and Cuba, Bolivia is part of the core of the new political organization “Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America” - ALBA, which advocates the consolidation of the countries of the continent on the basis of independence from the United States, on the basis of increased social responsibility of governments to their people.
Many heroes of Latin America came from a special ethnic layer, which is known as “Creoles”. As a rule, they are understood as Spaniards who were born and forever remained to live in Latin American countries.
Among the Spanish conquistadors there were many vulgar robbers and cruel bandits who aimed only at getting rich quickly. But, besides them, those who wanted to settle there forever, away from the stifling power of Spain, also came to the New World. Throughout the colonial period, which lasted almost 300 - and for Cuba 400 - years, Creoles remained in a discriminated position in Latin America. Officials from the metropolis came to all the highest and most profitable positions in the colonial administration. At the same time, the entire real economy developed through the efforts of the Creoles and the indigenous Indian population. Creoles were, as a rule, educated people; they often traveled to Europe and followed world politics. For them, the liberation of the United States from British colonial dependence was a strong incentive to fight for freedom. They were only waiting for an opportune moment, which came in 1810, when Spain was subjected to Napoleonic invasion and its power in the colonies was in disarray. That's when the Creoles raised the banner of the national liberation war. Uprisings broke out here and there. In Mexico they were led by priests Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Morelos, in Argentina - San Martin, but still the most famous leader of the fight against Spain was Simon Bolivar, who was born into a wealthy Creole family in the city of Caracas and in his youth vowed to devote his entire life to the cause of liberation Latin America from the Spanish colonial yoke. Showing remarkable energy and will, starting from 1810, he constantly formed armies to defeat the Spanish forces, suffered defeats and won brilliant victories. The theater of his military and political operations were the territories of modern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia - the country named after him in 1825.
He managed to inflict a decisive defeat on the Spaniards and put an end to the colonial period in continental Latin America. In the course of the struggle against the colonialists, Bolivar initiated the abolition of slavery in the liberated territories, adopted a law on allocating land to the soldiers of the liberation army, and sought to create a system of democratic structure. In foreign policy his main goal was the creation of a single confederation of all young Latin American states. To do this, he convened a congress in Panama in 1826, which, unfortunately, ended in failure. Because after liberation from the yoke of Spain, the separatist aspirations of individual military commanders and local leaders began to work in full force, accusing Bolivar of “Napoleonicism” and “dictatorial habits.” Bolivar refused all posts, retired to the provincial city of Cartagena and died there of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
The famous Colombian writer, Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel García Márquez dedicated recent years Bolivar’s life novel “The General in His Labyrinth”, in which he writes with deep sympathy about the tragedy of the great Liberator, misunderstood by his generation.
The name of Simon Bolivar is surrounded by a heroic aura; it is not for nothing that Hugo Chavez called the current Venezuela a “Bolivarian Republic”. However, his name, by the way, is also associated with the tragicomic incidents that Soviet diplomacy got into in Latin American countries. The fact is that at one time the Encyclopedia Britannica commissioned Karl Marx, who was looking for work, to write several articles starting with the letter “B”. Among them were “Bolivar”, “Borodino” and others. Karl Marx, who was not very knowledgeable in history, famously scribbled the required articles, where he compensated for the lack of erudition with emotional assessments. He tore Simon Bolivar to smithereens, eventually calling him a “cowardly bastard.” Since Soviet diplomats did not dare to question the assessments of the “classic”, they carelessly began to quote him. This sparked massive street protests outside our embassies in Colombia, and our diplomats were pelted with rotten eggs and rotten fruit.
If our reader had read Karl Marx’s article “Borodino”, he would have had the same desire out of resentment...
The series of Creole heroes continued until Fidel Castro, whose father was a soldier in the Spanish colonial army who came to Cuba to suppress the national liberation struggle. But, in the end, he fell in love with the Cuban land and the Cuban people and stayed there forever, where his children - Fidel and Raul - became the leaders of a deep national liberation and social revolution under the slogan “Motherland or Death!”
The history of Latin America is colored by the intransigence of opposing forces, which determined the fierceness of the struggle between them and the abundance of tragic endings. In the struggle for national and social liberation, patriotic forces had to fight very strong enemies that were superior to them in power. First it was the Spanish conquerors and colonialists, and then the United States, which through the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 declared its claims for dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Given the obvious inequality of power, only heroism, dedication and sacrifice could bring victory.
This situation gives birth to heroes. Remember, Vladimir Vysotsky regretted that we have “few violent ones,” that is, heroes?
A brilliant example of such “violent” people in Latin America was, for example, Augusto Sandino, a simple, even inconspicuous worker in a gold mine in northern Nicaragua. All political school it consisted of a six-year residence in Mexico, where in 1918 a rather radical bourgeois-democratic revolution with a strong anti-imperialist bias won, which had a great influence on him. When the movement for the liberation of Nicaragua from many years of American occupation began in the 1920s, A. Sandino took an active part in it, forming an armed detachment of peasants and workers. It soon became clear that the Americans managed to feed and intimidate the “regular” leaders of the patriots, who agreed to stop the fight against the invaders. That's when Augusto Sandino's finest hour came. He and his comrades refused to compromise with the Americans and declared war on them to the bitter end. For seven years the partisans fought the invaders, remaining invulnerable thanks to the support of the population and the impenetrable jungles of Central America. Neither threats nor promises had any effect on this outstanding rebel leader. The Americans had to get out of Nicaragua to save their face. But they left a puppet government there, in which the main role was played by their protege Anastasio Somoza, the future bloody dictator, then dressed in patriotic feathers. A. Sandino believed that with the departure of the occupying army his historical mission was completed. He disbanded his army in 1934, and trustingly came to the capital of the country, Managua, to clarify the details of establishing national peace. Here he was treacherously captured by A. Somoza’s henchmen and killed on his orders.
Augusto Sandino remained an example of a “chemically pure” patriot. Years passed, and in 1979 his followers, represented by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, won in Nicaragua. The dictator A. Somoza himself was killed. Even the liberal Franklin Roosevelt said about him: “Somoza is a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch!”
Many films and books are dedicated to the Mexican leader of the peasant revolutionary masses, Francisco Villa, who is most often called “Pancho Villa.” An illiterate peasant managed to form a powerful “Northern Division” during the revolution of 1910-1918, which terrified the landowners. He was an extremely charismatic personality, a kind of Robin Hood, a defender of the interests and rights of the humiliated and insulted. All historical reference books certainly indicate that he invaded the United States and attacked the border city of Columbus, but they will not tell what prompted him to do this. In 1916, in this town, a local wealthy planter hired Mexican guest workers to clean a gas storage facility. The American himself stood nearby and threw an unextinguished cigar butt into the tank. There was an explosion and a fire broke out, in which several of Pancho Villa’s compatriots burned.
The then Mexican government did nothing to protect the interests of its citizens, and Pancho Villa decided on his own to take revenge on the Americans for the death of his brothers.
He attacked Columbus, killing several government officials.
Washington was furious. He disregarded all the norms of international law and sent a punitive expedition to Mexico led by General Pershing. I've been traveling for a whole year american army through the deserts of northern Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa, but the population reliably sheltered their favorite. So the Americans returned empty-handed. Pancho Villa was treacherously killed in 1923, when he had already retired from military concerns and was building an agricultural cooperative that united 2 thousand of his former military comrades.
Chilean President Salvador Allende also showed incredible political courage and sacrifice. He became the leader of the country not as a result popular uprising or apical coup. No!
He was elected in a completely democratic way, in strict accordance with the laws of the country. But as soon as he encroached on the interests of American mining companies and nationalized the mining and processing of copper, a flurry of Washington's rage fell upon him.
Chile became the target of an economic and financial blockade, and its president a candidate for overthrow or assassination. The CIA has accumulated great experience in terms of finding the executioners they need. In Chile, General Pinochet was appointed to this role, who carried out a treacherous coup against the legitimate president in September 1973. Salvador Allende died during the storming of La Moneda Palace. Official version says that he committed suicide, although it is possible that the putschists shot him.
And again, as time passed, Salvador Allende was counted among the host of martyrs for the interests of his homeland and people, and Pinochet found himself at the end of his life on trial for crimes committed during his dictatorship.
The martyrology of Latin American patriots is great. All of them were generated by the unusual historical conditions in which the countries of this continent were formed, nourished by its glorious traditions, and guided by the great goals of national and social good. That’s why they walked without looking back until their dying breath. They all belong to the eagle tribe, to those who in the Bible were called “the salt of the earth.”
Special for the Centenary
