History of Perus Independence - Research Paper Example

History of Peru’s Independence Introduction Colonial conditions in Latin America started way back in the 1500’s. Peru was one among those countries were Inca civilization was more prominent. Spanish explorers were the main reason behind the introduction of Inca civilization. Francisco Pizarro was the Spanish leader who founded Lima during the Inca civilization. The Colonial conditions in Latin America helped in the rise of an independent state in the Southern America. It also gave rise to national identities and Peru, carved a niche for itself among the South American countries. There were many economic obstacles, geographic obstacles and other problems deferring the development of the country. There were several governmental policies and regulations which seed the growth of several inhibiting problems that prevailed during its civilization. This paper describes the independence struggles Peru went through and the problems it faced in forming its constitution. Peru is an independent nation - a division of Latin America that was separated during the Colonial period. The Colonial period which lasted for about 400 years laid the base for development and evolution of Latin America. Latin America was worst affected by the Colonial regimen undergoing several problems each mutilating periodically. The problems included evacuation of the native population, replacement of power and as a result, development of the country seemed to be a herculean task. The native people were the ones who suffered due to the Colonial invasion. (Keen, 2007). Sanitation was not provided and hence new diseases started to spread taking a toll on the lives of the people. Floods and famines also contributed to the death of native people. Even the culture of Latin America underwent a complete change due to the zealous priests who opposed the native culture. Exploitation was felt more than the development of the country. This resulted in problems which later led to a situation where the people had to bring about a new change. Even the constitutional powers were under their control which modified the entire government. The Colonial history proved to be advantageous as well as disadvantageous to the natives. Some of the colonial aspects helped in improving the identity of the nation and this helped the country to gain popularity among the other countries. Though this seemed to be an advantage for the country, certain aspects of the colonial history were an obstacle to independence. The colonial period did not enhance the country; instead they aggravated the problem that prevailed in the Latin America for political favor. This in turn resulted in problems which delayed the growth and development of the nation as a whole. Peru’s Independence Initially the numbers of Native Americans were lesser when compared to that of the people who migrated from other parts of the world. During the Spanish exploration, the state had been already affected by other civilizations. Even before the Spanish could arrive at this part of America, people from Asia and other parts of the world had arrived. These people made their living by consuming fruits and vegetables form the forest and hence they were named as ‘nomads’. (Jordan, 2001). This territory was considered to be ‘the safe place’ for almost all the civilizations. The most prominent and important among them was the Inca civilization which prevailed due to the Spanish empire. Though Peru got its independence in the year 1821, it had to struggle for years which gave way for people from other countries to invade it in an easier manner. Military conflicts began way back in the early 1800’s since most of the rebellions were against an independent state, Peru. The first independent constitution was formed during the early 1800’s when the Spanish empire lost in the war. Spanish empire’s defeat in the war resulted in the establishment of juntas. The royalist nature of Peru helped in defeating the armies and rebellions. It managed to succeed in the wars without the influence of higher officials from the government. Despite its royalty, junta movements started emerging from various parts of Upper Peru. This created problems in the initial stages of constitutional government. The junta movements led to several other movements initialized by the people from other parts of America. This posed greater challenges to the government since some of the ministers were also involved in the movements which opposed the separation of this state. The administration problems between the Cabildo, a constitutional division and Audiencia continued even after the proliferation of the government. (Lockhart, 1994). San Martin was the man behind the liberation of armies during the Spanish invasion and constitutional problems. The Chilean Navy was formed to help in the transportation of army troops from other parts of the country. Since the state did not have an efficient army, it had to depend on the other states. The armies and other groups helped in conducting campaigns and movements against the Spanish invasion and this made the task a simple affair. After the independence, Upper Peru remained to be a part of the same constitution. But this did not last for a long time. Years after the independence, Upper Peru was separated after the Spanish monarchy was completely defeated by the armies. During the year of 1825, the government officially announced that Upper Peru was separated from the state, Peru. Once it was separated, a standalone constitution was formed by the Congress. Though it received oppositions from most of the senior ministers and people from Peru, the Congress continued to maintain a separate constituency. The numbers of constitutions were more when compared to the past. The political parties had an upper hand in deciding the constitutional affairs and they proposed their own regulations and policies. Most of these policies were not favorable either for them or cities in other parts of the state. Even though this created several political problems, the political parties continued to implement their policies. Fernando’s Government Fernando, member of the National Democratic Front formed a separate party after his defeat in 1956. Then he won the election against American Popular Revolutionary Alliance.(Boeker, 1990). Though his initial years of administration were impressive, it lost its charm when he proposed expensive projects in the country. Most of his proposals were rejected and he had no other go but to approach the United States government for financial assistance. This resulted in controversial problems between the other ministers in the government. Due to continuous opposition and constitutional problems, Fernando was rusticated from power even before his tenure could end. After Fernando’s dismissal people in the government started to adopt his way of proposing new laws and policies. Most of the political parties followed his ideas and wore the mask of Fernando. (Ferreira, 2003) .This became a controversy and the other political parties opposed the implementation of Fernando’s ideas in the country’s government. Though Peru was a part of South America, the American government rejected his proposals and withdrew their support. This acted as a great disadvantage to the political parties which supported Fernando. Since Fernando was relieved of his position, he aimed at regaining it in the next election. The national political parties continued to support Fernando and this helped him to succeed in the election conducted in the year 1980. This was a real victory as he won the majority with the help of Congress. Ethnic Obstacles Ethnic cultures formed the major part of the country’s culture and popularity. This acted as an obstacle during the Spanish regimen and other civilizations. The country had to forego certain practices in order to make the country a better one. The Spanish civilization created a completely different kind of culture and people followed it. The Inca civilization contributed to the cultural changes and the reason for the change in the ethnic groups was due to the increase in the number of people who migrated from other parts of the world. Colonial period was diversified the people since most of them left the country due to the continuous military allegations. The people had no other option and they had to follow the ethnic groups that were a part of the American society. The cultural difference played a major role in the country’s development. (Parry, 1990). As the country’s Native people were comparatively less, the chance of other cultures preceding the Native culture was high. This was the major factor forma change in the culture of South America and its neighboring states and countries. The cultural differences arose due to the Colonial aspects and the migration of people as well as products. Though the cultural aspects depend on the political influences, the political parties took least care about the cultural developments and changes in the country. The cultural and other social communications also contributed to the problems that prevailed during the Colonial period. When compared to the other civilizations, Colonial period created a great impact on the lives of the people in America. Latin America was the one that was more prone to Colonial problems. The cultural differences and changes in ethnicity also paved the way to development. Due to this factor, the number of people who migrate from other parts of the world increased. This was an advantage and a disadvantage too. In certain situations the country had to adopt different policies and strategies in order to achieve its target. If the country had only the native people, the governmental policies would have been developed in a much easier way. These were considered as the ethnic obstacles to unity in the Colonial period. America continued to top the charts in the list of countries which people preferred to visit and migrate. Due to its continued growth and development in almost all the fields made the country the most popular one. When compared to North America, South America faced more problems during the Colonial period. The interaction among the people in America increased the spread of inter cultural aspects. (Jordan, 2001). Asians were a part of the population during the Colonial period and when compared to the other people, the numbers of Asians were more. At the end of the Colonial period, the country had Asians, Europeans and whites. People from Europe migrated to Peru in the early 1700’s and they dominated the political and economic societies of the Latin America. This was due to the sudden increase in the number of Europeans. Around 15% of the people in Peru constituted of Europeans. People with European background started to get along with the Asians and Americans. They formed a separate group which was named as Mestizos. When compared to the Europeans, Mestizos were relatively less. The Western Colonialism was the main reason for the reduction in the number of Native Americans. The people were subjected to the civilizations and Colonialism and they were forced to leave the place. The next group of people who resided in Peru was the Indians. They were a part of the Asians who migrated to South America during the Colonialism. When compared to the other groups, the percentage of Indians is less. Slavery continued to rule the country and people were treated as slaves even when the country was under the Spanish control. People expected that the situation would change after the political independence. But the situation remained the same even years after the independence. Irrespective of their native country, the people who resided during the Colonialism were treated as slaves. Even the geographic features posed great difficulty during the Colonialism. Geographical Obstacles Geographically the country was surrounded by rivers and mountains and peaks. This was beneficial in most of the situations since it acted as a barrier between the other countries. The countries which tried to invade and conquer this country had a second thought since it was surrounded by mountains and peaks. It was difficult for them to directly send their armies to declare a war. Instead they tried to enter into the country by means of normal migration. (Keen, 2007). Though these geographical features act as an advantage during wars, it was considered to be a disadvantage during uniting the country. Since Peru had many peaks like Machu Picchu which was ruined during the Inca civilization prevented the unity in the country. Rivers like Ucayali and Yavari flow throughout the region of Peru. These rivers originate from the Amazon and they were also considered to be the geographic obstacles that made the process of unity a tedious task. Apart from these rivers, the Pacific Ocean bordered the country. The country was surrounded by this ocean on one side and the other sides were covered with high peaks and mountains. These geographical features affected the transportation between Peru and other countries. This became a drawback as the people had to travel to other places to reach a particular destination. Even a small journey seemed to be a herculean task. The next problem was the mode of communication. These geographical features made the communication task a tedious process. People did not have any medium of communication and hence they had to travel miles to find a communication tool. Communication, one of the most important factors was left behind because of these barriers. Economic Obstacles Economic stability is one among the important factors of a country’s government. The government must be economically strong to face the mounting expenses and maintain the country. The country faced economic problems even before independence and even after the independence. The inefficient management of the government and constitutional policies led to the economic problems in the country. The military troops were persistent and they were not ready to help the country. (Lockhart, 1994). This worsened the situation since the country faced excessive rainfall which led to floods all over the country. Due to the military’s rigid attitude, the country eventually suffered for a period of time. The country became economically weak when compared to the other countries in the world. Though it was a part of America, the American government refused to help them during the financial crisis. This nature of American government created controversies in the constitution. The government replaced the finance ministers and governors to improve the country’s economic status. Then a new constitution was formed and they proposed certain laws and regulation to manage with the economic downtrend. Europeans and Asians were also a part of this country. When compared to the native people, Europeans were financially stable since they had financial transactions and exchange of goods all over the world. Even these people could not withstand the economic downturn as the country’s economic status was gripping. Due to this problem, the country could not continue its foreign trade. The economic obstacles prevented the country from continuing its foreign trade. Since its foreign trade was not operated for a long time, the other countries hesitated to continue their trade with Peru. This in turn resulted in unemployment in the country. Struggles of Latin America Latin America suffered during the Colonial period and independence. Independence proved out to be a difficult task and they had to strive hard to get an independence from the Spanish Empire. These factors created pressure in the government and the constitution was changed to resolve the problems and to improve the situation. Spanish’s arrival created a wave of fear among the Native Americans. During the Inca invasion and independence certain leaders of the political parties and the government played important roles. Francisco Pizarro was the one who named the country as Peru and stabilized the Inca civilization. (Parry, 1990). He played a significant role in stabilizing and maintaining the Spanish domination in spite of several rebellion problems that were against the civilization. Most of the Latin American countries faced the Colonial problem and their borders were similar to that of their colonial institutions. The colonial institutions include intendancies, audiencias and viceroyalties. The Latin American countries like Peru faced more problems when compared to the other countries. The Spanish, Inca civilization and Colonial system decided the borders of these Latin countries. Spanish government institutions created national feelings and identities which made Peru a completely different nation. Conclusion The Colonialism and other civilizations led to problems which made the situation in the Latin American countries a tough period. The geographic and economic problems contributed to the issues that resulted from the Inca civilization. The migration from other countries completely changed the culture and ethnicity of the country. After its independence, Peru became one of the well known countries in South America. The various civilizations and its aftermath were advantageous and disadvantageous. The government adopted unique strategies and policies to improve the situation. Works Cited Keen, Benjamin. A History of Latin America. U.S.A: Houghton Miilin Publishing Company, 2007. Print Jordan, Shirley. Inca Civilization. New York: Perfect Learning, 2001. Print. Lockhart, James. Spanish Peru, 1532-1560: A Social History. London: Wisconsin Press, 1994. Print. Ferreira, Cesar. Culture and Customs of Peru. U.S.A: Greenwood Publishing, 2003. Print. Parry, John. The Spanish Seaborne Empire. U.S.A: University of California Press, 1990. Print. Boeker, Paul. Lost Illusions: Latin America’s Struggle for Democracy, as Recounted by Its Leaders. New York: Markus Wiener Publishing Inc, 1990. Print. Read More