Simon Bolivar: photo portraits and short biography. Biography of Simon Bolivar With Bolivar short biography

(full name: Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar de la Concepción y Ponte Palacios y Blanco), general, national hero, perhaps the most influential of the leaders of the liberation war of the Spanish colonies in Latin America.

Bolivar liberated Venezuela (present day) from the rule of Spain (today's and Panama) in 1819 -1830. was the president of Gran Colombia, liberated it in 1824, and headed the Republic in 1825. In 1813 he was proclaimed “The Liberator” (El Libertador) by the National Congress of Venezuela.

Childhood and youth

Simon Bolivar was born on July 24, 1783 in the capital of Venezuela, into a wealthy Creole family of Basque origin (based on their skin color and wealth, they were called “Gran Cacao”), whose ancestors had settled in America since the 16th century. The boy lost his parents early; the inheritance inherited from his father was later useful to Simon in the formation of the liberation army.

Simon did not attend school or university. Two mentors, Andres Bello and Simon Rodriguez (an outstanding Latin American scientist and teacher), were involved in his upbringing; they showed fatherly care for the boy, giving him brilliant knowledge, which Simon multiplied by voraciously reading books, traveling around Europe and communicating with outstanding people of his time. .

In Madrid, Simon studied law, in Paris he witnessed the last days of the Great French Revolution. In 1801, Bolivar married in Madrid, the couple intended to return to Caracas, but a year later his wife died of yellow fever, and the young man remained in Europe.

Bolivar's oath and the beginning of his political career

When in 1805 Bolivar and Simon Rodriguez, his mentor, traveled through Italy, in Rome, on the Sacred Mountain of Monte Sacro (Italian: Monte Sacro), on August 15, 1805 Simon took an oath:

“I swear by my ancestors, I swear by their God, I swear by my honor, I swear by my Motherland that I will not give rest to my hands. I will not give peace to my soul until the chains that hold my people under the yoke of Spanish rule fall.”

In 1808, when Napoleon invaded Spain and King Ferdinand was arrested, a situation of dual power arose in the colonies: under the previous, displaced king, a new one appeared - Bonaparte's protege.

The Creoles of Venezuela created the “Patriotic Junta” to defend the interests of King Ferdinand, which soon transformed into an independent government. The Bolivar brothers were appointed ambassadors of the new government: Simon in London, his brother in the USA. The ambassadors attracted allies and supporters and looked for weapons. At this time, in London, Simon met (Spanish: Francisco de Miranda), his compatriot, a former colonel in the Spanish army and a participant in the Great French Revolution, who traveled a lot. Bolivar invited the professional military man to return to his homeland.

Simon Bolivar - Liberator

In 1810, with the active participation of patriots led by Bolivar and Miranda, the Congress of Venezuela declared the establishment of a Republic independent from Spain. However, the first Venezuelan Republic, headed by Miranda, did not last long.

The powerful and professional Spanish army dealt with the rebellious detachments of young revolutionaries. After the suppression of the revolution, Miranda ended up in a Spanish prison, where he died after several years of imprisonment. And Bolivar emigrated from the country, settling in New Granada (today's Colombia) by 1812. In May 1813, he returned to his homeland with an armed detachment of volunteers (about 500 people), at the head of which, by August, he fought his way to Caracas and occupied it!

Simon Bolivar created the second Venezuelan Republic, and the Venezuelan Congress proclaimed him Liberator.

Triumphant return

However, Bolivar’s army was small, and he was opposed by a corps of soldiers sent from Spain (10 thousand people) and detachments of dissatisfied “llaneros” (landowners). “Order” began to be restored in the country: those who supported the rebels were killed, their houses were robbed and burned. Having lost up to 1.5 thousand supporters, Bolivar, having suffered another defeat, fled to the island of Jamaica. Almost the entire South American continent was again under Spanish rule.

In 1814, Bolivar moved to Haiti, where he was supported by the first president of the Republic of Haiti, Alexander Petion(Spanish Pétion), having received a promise from Simon to free the slaves in an independent Venezuela.

From this island in the center, Bolivar launched several landing expeditions to the north of South America, but the Spanish garrisons on the coast repelled all attempts by the rebels to gain a foothold there.

Bolivar tried to organize a liberation army, uniting disparate rebel groups. In addition to the “local” forces, he created a corps of European volunteers: Germans, French, British, Irish and even Russians. He decided that only professionals could fight a professional army. Simon Bolivar returned to his homeland again in 1816.

He immediately issued a decree abolishing slavery, which contributed to the fact that his support among the population increased significantly. Bolivar sought to liberate not only his country, but also the masses of ordinary people. Later, he issued decrees on the confiscation of the property of proteges of the Spanish crown, on the allocation of land to the soldiers of the liberation army. The general was determined, declaring that freedom must be won, there would be no mercy for the aggressors.

His army captured the Angostura area and then returned to Venezuela.

In February 1817, a decisive battle took place nearby. One of the decisive reasons for the military successes of the rebels was that Spain was tormented by internal contradictions. There was a bourgeois revolution there, and at that moment she was unable to send military units to her South American colonies.

Bolivar and the Spanish commander, General Morillo, negotiated a truce. Soon Morillo was recalled to Spain, and Bolivar's troops liberated the capital of Venezuela, the city of Caracas, and then New Granada.

At the beginning of 1819, in Angostura, the capital of regions independent from Spanish rule, the National Congress convened by Bolivar opened, where the independence of Venezuela was again proclaimed. In the speech that Simon Bolivar delivered to the participants of the Congress, he outlined his plans for the state structure, spoke about the difficulties awaiting liberated peoples, about the principles of the rule of law, about the political and legal doctrine based on the principles of separation of powers. A new Constitution was adopted in August. In December 1819, he was elected president of Gran Colombia, which included New Granada and Venezuela (and Ecuador joined in 1822). The Republic became the largest Latin American state, which existed until 1830.

Bolívar's Liberation Army

Victory! What's next?

However, the young state, as before, is threatened by the Spanish army (about 20 thousand soldiers in neighboring Peru), which is being fought by Argentine-Chilean-Peruvian formations under the command of General San Martin, although their forces are small.

In the summer of 1822, two commanders, Bolivar and San Martin (Spanish: José Francisco de San Martín), met in Guayaquil (Spanish: Guayaquil, the city of modern Ecuador), but they could not agree on joint activities: San Martin’s task was to liberate Peru, he needs help, Bolivar had forces, but there was no resolution of the Congress of Gran Colombia on military assistance to San Martin. The Chileans liberated by San Martin offered him to become head of state, but he refused.

The Peruvians, having declared independence, declared General San Martin their “protector” (Defender).

But who will lead a free country and who will command the troops? The commanders talked in private, after the negotiations were completed, San Martin left Peru, units of Bolivar’s army entered the battle with the Spaniards and a few years later liberated the entire country. As a result, two new independent states emerged - Peru and Bolivia.

Simon Bolivar became President of Gran Colombia, Dictator of Peru (1824), and in 1825 headed the independent Republic of Bolivia, named after him.

When the victorious euphoria subsided a little, Bolivar began to try to create a unified state. On his initiative, the Latin American Congress was convened in Panama (1826), but Bolivar’s ideas about creating a single powerful Latin American state did not find support due to opposition from Great Britain and the United States. Neither London nor Washington wanted Latin America to be strong and independent. Personal factors also played a significant role: Bolivar’s authoritarian rule frightened potential political allies.

His ideas on economic development and education, the need to ensure the rights of indigenous Indians, establishing relations with the church, reform of the judicial system and nationalization of natural resources were not approved. South American latifundistas (landowners who exploit slave labor) did not like Bolivar's concern for the poor; The concept of separation of church and state and the prohibition of the Inquisition was alien to the clergy; slave owners did not need Bolivar's zeal for Indian rights.

When Simon Bolivar argued about the need to introduce a lifelong presidency and proposed the creation of a 3rd chamber of the “Moral Authority,” he was accused of seeking to usurp power. His attempts to find support from the church led to some complications with his former comrades.

A group of young officers plotted against the “national liberator,” but the conspirators were executed, which did not strengthen Bolivar’s position.

Resignation, illness, death

In the War of Independence, Bolivar had many comrades with him. But after his victory, he failed to unite groups of different beliefs. In 1827-1828 in Bolivia and Peru, Bolivar's power was overthrown; over the next 2 years, Ecuador and Venezuela separated from Gran Colombia. A heavy blow for Simon was the murder of his devoted military comrade-in-arms, the general (Spanish Antonio de Sucre), in whom Bolivar saw his worthy successor.

Bolivar decided at the beginning of 1830 to leave the post of President of Colombia, resign and leave New Granada, but he was crippled by a serious illness - tuberculosis. Before his death, he wrote his political “testament”, where he did not name the successor, but indicated the qualities that the future leader of the state should have and what he should strive for.

Great Legacy

• No other Latin American hero has been written about as much as S.B.
• Of course, there is a kind of “cult” of S.B., because in almost every city in Latin America there is certainly a square and a monument to the national idol. Today S.B. is not only a national hero and legend, but to this day he remains a teacher for most Latin American political figures.
• In the legacy of S.B. some highlight his words about the need for strong rule and dictatorship in developing countries; for others, his ideas about state justice and equality of free citizens of a free country, regardless of their nationality, wealth or titles, became fundamental.
• Today's world has changed and moved forward largely thanks to patriots and heroes like Simon Bolivar.

Jose Gil de Castro. Bolivar.

“Your name - a diamond - is not subject to the waves of time that wash away the names of all kings from memory” - Cuban romantic poet Jose Maria Heredia dedicated these lines to his older contemporary Simon Bolivar. The poetic prophecy, as often happens, came true. The waves of time not only did not carry away the name of the great Liberator of Latin America into bottomless oblivion, but gave it even greater radiance, revealing for posterity new, hitherto unknown facets of his talent.

Simon Jose Antonio Bolivar was born on June 24, 1783 in the city of Caracas into an aristocratic Creole family, whose ancestors settled in Venezuela back in the 16th century. Nobility and material wealth seemed to guarantee him a cloudless life. However, a series of losses soon followed: his father died in 1786, his mother died in 1792, and a year later his grandfather, who was caring for Simon, died.

Having lost his parents in his youth, the boy matured faster than his peers. He received a good education at home, his teachers were Andre Bello - poet, philologist, lawyer and Simon Rodriguez - author of philosophical and pedagogical works. Years later, Bolivar wrote about Rodriguez: “To him I owe everything... He formed my heart for freedom, for justice, for the great, for the beautiful.”

The teacher and student visited Europe several times. In 1806, in Rome, on the Sacred Mountain, Bolivar, turning to Rodriguez, solemnly said: “I swear before you and before the God of my parents, I swear by them, I swear by my honor, I swear by my Motherland that my my hand and my soul will never tire until the chains of Spanish slavery that oppress us are broken.”

For more than three centuries, most of the peoples of the New World were under Spanish rule. During this time, insoluble contradictions arose between the metropolis and the colonies. Creoles - immigrants from the Iberian Peninsula who settled in America - were especially irritated by restrictions in the field of trade and in the political sphere. The first amounted to a ban on trade with other states, the second actually denied Creoles access to leadership positions in the colonial administration. The indigenous Indian population could not accept the encroachment on their land and freedom; black slaves - abused and exploited. The numerous prohibitions in cultural life were equally hateful for Latin Americans. After the start of the Great French Revolution, almost everything French was banned in Spain and its colonies: from the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” to vests in the latest Parisian fashion, not to mention books and newspapers.

Simon Bolivar and other war leaders behind independence (Francisco de Miranda, Antonio Nariño, José de San Martin, Bernard doO Higgins, Antonio José Sucre) were convinced that a successful outcome of the struggle of the peoples of Spanish America for liberation was unthinkable without their solidarity and unity. Already in 1812 Bolivar said that Venezuela and “all of America” are fighting for a common cause.

In a letter from Jamaica dated September 6, 1815, which became one of the program documents of the War of Independence, Bolivar stated long before its outcome: “The fate of America has been finally determined. The ties connecting it with Spain have been broken.”

Both Bolivar and many of his associates at the beginning of the 19th century. They hoped for help from the United States, the first republic in the Western Hemisphere. “We are alone, we are forced to turn to the North for help, primarily because they are our neighbors and brothers, and also because we have neither the means nor the opportunity for contacts with other countries,” Bolivar wrote. However, by declaring neutrality, “neighbors and brothers” actually sided with Spain.

Already in the 20s. XIX century Bolivar quite accurately predicted the main directions of US territorial expansion in the New World: “Look carefully at the map,” he told his aide-de-camp, General Leary. - In the north you will see the USA, our powerful neighbor, whose friendship for us is based on arithmetic: I give you so much, in return I want twice as much. The United States has captured Florida... it's setting its sights on Cuba and Puerto Rico. If the Mexicans allow it, they will take over Texas, and perhaps all of Mexico."

"Motherland, independence, freedom!" - under these slogans the war years passed - 1810-1826. Victories and defeats, failures and successes alternated. In those days, Bolivar was truly omnipresent. “He lived as if among flashes of flame and was a flame himself,” Jose Marti wrote about him. 15 years of heroic service, 472 battles - this is the track record of Bolivar, soldier and commander. The formation of a number of independent states in South America - Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador - is also associated with his name.

The fragile sovereignty of the young republics could at any moment fail to withstand the economic and political, and sometimes military, pressure of the most powerful European powers, which mainly supported Spain in its many-year campaign to retain the colonies. (And the United States did not stand aside.) In Europe, as is known, all issues related to international relations were resolved in those years within the framework of the “Holy Alliance.” Hence Bolivar’s desire to create a “Holy Union of Peoples” that could oppose the “Holy Alliance” of monarchs.

Twice he tried to practically implement the idea of ​​Latin American unity. First of all, he wanted to achieve this by including in a broad confederation of Spanish-speaking states

gifts of the Western Hemisphere. A unique model could be the so-called Gran Colombia - a state created by the Angostura Congress of 1819, which included Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador on a voluntary basis. It existed from 1821 to 1830.

Weakness and prematurity this associations emerged very quickly. Huge distances and the lack of a wide network of communications, economic devastation, the appearance of numerous caudillos on the ground who opposed the central government - all this led to fragmentation, discord, and ultimately to the collapse of Gran Colombia.

Once again Bolivar tried to breathe life into the idea of ​​Latin American unity in 1826 at the Panama Congress convened on his initiative. His plans included the establishment of a regularly convened congress of all Latin American states in Panama, that is, in the very center of the New World. In the event of a general danger, forces were to be concentrated there to neutralize it, and in peacetime, Congress would play the role of a mediator and arbitrator. If necessary, it was planned to put an army and navy at his disposal. But these plans remained only in the area of ​​projects. Only delegates from Colombia, Peru, Mexico and the Central American Federation were present at the congress, which ruined Bolivar's plans. He wrote sadly that at that moment he was “like that crazy Greek who, sitting on a rock, tried to control the ships passing by.”

"I will do everything in my power for America!" - this phrase, uttered by the Liberator on October 21, 1825, reflects the deep essence of his vigorous activity, however, it was in the second half of the 20s. Bolivar's maximalism was most tested. Many noble intentions could not be realized - not only the USA and Great Britain interfered, but also acute internal political contradictions in Gran Colombia itself. Strife, envy and vanity of some of yesterday's friends and comrades, the struggle for power and slander spread by his opponents in the army - all this extremely complicated the situation in the country and undermined the forces of the Liberator.

He is accused of seeking to establish a dictatorship, and in response to this, in 1829 - early 1830, he three times asks Congress for his resignation, “I am suspected of seeking to establish tyranny. But if the fate of the state depends on one person, then this the state has no right to exist and will eventually perish,” he wrote in his resignation letter. After his request was granted on March 1, 1830, Bolívar intended to travel to Europe, but died on his native continent on December 17, 1830.

Simon Bolivar

Bolivar Simon (1783-1830), leader of the struggle for independence of the Spanish colonies in South America. Liberated Venezuela, New Granada (modern Colombia and Panama), and the province of Quito (modern Ecuador) from Spanish rule; in 1819-1830 he was president of Gran Colombia, created on the territory of these countries. In 1824 he liberated Peru and became the head of the Republic of Bolivia formed on the territory of Upper Peru (1825), named after him. Proclaimed Liberator by the National Congress of Venezuela (1813).

+ + +

Simon Bolivar (1783-1830). Born in Caracas into a wealthy Creole family originating from Vizcaya. In 1799, Bolivar went to Spain and then to France. While continuing to manage his domains, Bolivar participated in conspiracies of the Creole aristocracy, the number of which increased markedly after the fall of the Spanish Bourbons in 1808. However, only in 1810 did Bolivar begin to actively engage in politics. Having joined the "supreme junta" that overthrew the government, he was sent to London to gain English support. Thanks to this mission, he met Francisco Miranda and returned with him to Venezuela. They joined forces and forced the Congress, created in 1811, to declare the independence of Venezuela (July 5). Bolivar took part in the civil war that broke out between patriots and royalists. He fully demonstrated his military talents during the defense of the New Kingdom of Granada from the Spaniards in 1812. He then returned to Venezuela and, after a devastating military campaign, captured Caracas (August 6, 1813). After a year of bitter fighting, he left Venezuela (October 1814) and became involved in the internecine conflicts of the patriots, then went to Jamaica (May 1815). Neither defeat nor exile broke him. He wrote a series of letters, the most famous of which was the quintessence of his political ideas: the unification of Venezuela, New Granada and the Republic of Colombia, an authoritarian-democratic regime, an alliance of Latin American peoples. The Liberal Revolution in Spain (1821) brought a six-month truce: after hostilities resumed, Bolivar won a decisive victory at Carabobo (June 24, 1821), which brought independence to Venezuela. Bolivar subjugated the royalist population of the south and, with the support of Sucre, captured the province of Quito, which was annexed to the Colombian Federation (1822). In Guayaquil (July 1822), José de San Martín recognized the primacy of the Libertador (Liberator), as Bolivar was called, and conceded to him the honor of completing the cause of Peruvian independence, which was based on the victories of Bolivar at Junin (August 1824) and Sucre under Ayacucho (December 9, 1824). Bolivar was not so lucky with the political arrangement of liberated America. In 1825, he was president of the Republics of Gran Colombia, Peru and Bolivia (this name was given in his honor to upper Peru). The power that his fame gave him was not enough to overcome the geographical remoteness and disunity of the new countries. After the Congress in Panama (1826), it became clear that his great project of a continental alliance of nations of Spanish America had failed. In January 1830, Bolivar renounced power. He went into voluntary exile to his Spanish friend in Santa Marta, where he died on December 17.

Mazen O. Spanish America XVI – XVIII centuries / Oscar Mazen. – M., Veche, 2015, p. 323-325.

Bolivar (Simon Bolivar) - liberator of the South American colonies from the rule of Spain (born in Caracas on July 24, 178W, died in Santa Marta on December 17, 1830), came from an ancient Spanish family. In 1789 he studied law in Madrid, then traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England and France. While living in Paris, he attended the Normal and Polytechnic schools for some time. In 1805, B. visited the United States and here he conceived his plan to liberate his homeland from Spanish rule. The beginning of 1810 finds him in Venezuela, in an era when the insurgency movement against Spain was clearly evident, especially in the Caracas region. In 1810, B. was sent by the revolutionary youth to London to seek support from the English government, which, however, wished to maintain neutrality. B. left agent Louis-Lopez Mendez in London to conclude a loan and recruit soldiers on behalf of Venezuela, and returned back with the transport of weapons.

B. would be appointed colonel and governor in Puerto Cabello. The revolution was spreading more and more when suddenly there was a strong earthquake on March 26, 1812, which the clergy, devoted to the metropolis, tried to interpret to the distraught people as a heavenly punishment, which should be followed by new disasters. Despite all B.'s efforts to dissuade the people, huge masses of them again recognized the power of Spain over themselves. B. retired to the island of Curacao, from where, under the influence of the terrible reprisals adopted by Monteverde, he went to Cartagena, where there were many Venezuelan patriots, and here he issued a new call for revolution; then, with the assistance of Torres, the president of New Grenada, he formed a small army. Monteverde was defeated at Mathurin (May 25, 1813). Bolivar drove the Spaniards out of the valleys of Cucutta, raised an uprising in Merida, captured Trujillo, took possession of the entire province of Barinhas (in June 1813) and, pursuing Monteverde on the heels, defeated him at Tinachetto. These brilliant victories frightened the supporters of Spain and forced Caracas to open its gates to the insurgents (Aug. 4, 1813). B. entered there in triumph; Nicknamed the liberator, he became a dictator and was confirmed in this title on January 2. 1814 by the Congress of the Allied Provinces. Driven to extremes, the Spaniards turned for help to the Ilaneros of Venezuela, the semi-wild inhabitants of the Colombian steppes, and they defeated B. at Barquisemeto, after which the war took on a brutal nature; The Llaneros exterminated the patriots, sparing neither women nor children, and B., deciding to forever divide the two parties with a “bloody river,” ordered the death of all captives. After several successes, B. was finally defeated at La Puerta (June 15, 1814) and, barely escaping captivity, fled to Cartagena. The Congress of New Grenada placed at his disposal a small army, with which he attacked Santa Marta, but was defeated by Spanish troops who came to the rescue, under the command of General Morillo (in March 1815) and had to flee first to Jamaica, and then to Haiti.

With his characteristic ability to find funds in the most critical moments and thanks to his organizational talent, B. quickly formed a new army and even assembled a fleet, under the command of the wealthy Dutch merchant Brun, who supplied him with money and his ships. On March 2, 1816, Brion defeated the Spanish fleet and landed on Margarita Island on the 3rd. The National Assembly proclaimed Venezuela a republic “single and indivisible” and elected B. president (March 7, 1816), after which he had to go to Haiti again for new support and by the end of the year reached the province of Barcelona. After an unsuccessful attempt to gather around himself all the leaders of the revolution: Piara, Arismendi, Marino, Bermudez, in order to act according to a common plan, B., with the help of Brion, captured Angostura (in May 1817) and raised all of Guiana against Spain. He then ordered the arrest of Piara and Marino. PR was executed on October 16. 1817. Such an energetic course of action stopped the further development of anarchy. In February 1818, thanks to the sending of soldiers from London, B. formed a new army, but was defeated several times by Morillo. Then he decided to enter into a final battle with the Spaniards, attacking them on the very territory of New South Grenada, where they were strongly fortified. Before undertaking this campaign, he convened a new congress in Angostura (February 15, 1819), at which he was confirmed as president of the republic. After a long and grueling journey through the Cordillera, on July 10, 1819, B. entered Santa Fe and proclaimed the union of New Granada with Venezuela into one state, under the name of the “Republic of one and indivisible Colombia,” after which he returned to Angostura and achieved Congress recognizing the union of both states (December 17, 1819). Thanks to the revolution that broke out in Spain in 1820, the liberation of the Spanish colonies progressed very quickly. The Spaniards suffered one defeat after another. B. gradually captured Merida, Trujillo, Santa Marta, and inflicted a decisive defeat on the Spaniards at Carabobo (Aug. 24, 1821). Quito entered the Republican Union of Colombian Provinces (May 22, 1822). In November 1823, Paez took possession of Puerto Cabello, and the Spaniards were expelled from Colombian territory. At the same time, B., authorized by the national congress, entered Peru, took possession of Lima (September 1, 1823) and became a dictator. In 1824, he defeated the Spaniards, who managed to recapture Lima, and forced them to surrender after the victories of General Sucre at Ayacucho (Dec. 8, 1824) and Tumurla (April 1, 1825).

The entire country was declared independent and was named Bolivia, in honor of the liberator. Surrender 11 Aug. 1826 took away their last possession from the Spaniards - Callao. After the end of the war for independence, B. began to take care of the structure of internal government. On May 25, 1826, he presented his famous Bolivian Code to the Congress in Lima. B. conceived a grandiose project: he wanted to form, under the name of the Southern United States, a single huge republic that would include Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, La Plata and Chile. On June 22, he convened a congress in Panama from representatives of all these states, which soon disintegrated due to the destructive effects of the fever. Soon after B.'s project became known, they began to accuse him of wanting to create an empire under his rule and play the role of Napoleon. Colombia began to suffer from party strife: some, led by General Paez, proclaimed autonomy, others wanted to accept the Bolivian Code. B. quickly arrived here, assumed dictatorship and convened a national assembly on March 2, 1828, in Ocaña, to discuss: “should the constitution of the state be reformed”? The Congress could not reach final results and, after several noisy sessions, adjourned. B. drew up a note in which he indirectly accused the national assembly and stated that all the troubles in the republic were occurring due to the weakness of the executive branch. Then visiting departments, he convened popular assemblies in Bogota, Cartagena, and Caracas, at which he was earnestly asked to take supreme power into his own hands. Meanwhile, the Peruvians rejected the Bolivian Code and took away B.'s title as President for Life. Having lost power in Peru and Bolivia, B. entered Bogota on June 20, 1828, where he established his residence: as head of the government of Colombia; 25 Sep. Federalists broke into his palace and killed the sentries. B. barely escaped with his life. The people took his side, and Vice President Santander, the head of the conspirators, who was first sentenced to death, was then expelled with 70 of his followers. But the following year the anarchy intensified; On November 25, in Caracas itself, 486 noble citizens proclaimed the separation of Venezuela from Colombia. B., whose business began to finally collapse, gradually lost all influence and power. In a note he submitted to the congress meeting in Bogotá in January 1830 to reform Colombia's government, he complained bitterly about the unfair accusations against him that were heard throughout Europe and America. He rejected any monarchical aspirations that they wanted to impose on him, and offered his resignation several times, but it was not accepted. Then he decided to make a last effort and began to fight Paez, who had strengthened himself so strongly in the province of Maracaibo that B. did not dare to attack him. B. again submitted a request for resignation (April 27). On May 4, X. Mosquera was elected president. B. retired to Cartagena, where he soon died, exclaiming before his death: “unity, unity!” In 1832, B.'s ashes were transferred with great celebration to Caracas, where a triumphal arch was built in memory of the liberator. Bogota erected his statue in 1846. The city of Lima erected an equestrian statue of him in 1858. In 1866, his correspondence was made public: "Correspondencia general de Libertador Simon Bolivar" (2 vols., New York, 1856 - 71). Cp. "Colleccion de documentos relatives a la vida publica del libertador de Colombia y de Peru Simon B." (22 vols., Caracas, 1826); Larrazabel, "Life of Simon V." (NY); Kojas, "Simon V." (Madr., 1883).

F. Brockhaus, I.A. Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

Monument to Simon Bolivar in Caracas.

BOLIVAR (Bolivar) Simon (24.7.1783, Caracas, Venezuela, -17.12.1830, near Saita Marta, Colombia), one of the leaders of the struggle for Spanish independence. colonies. Coming from a noble family. He spent his youth in Europe. Upon his return to his homeland, he actively participated in the struggle for the overthrow of Spain. domination in Venezuela (1810), for declaring it a republic (1811). The Spaniards managed to defeat the young state, and B. settled in New Grenada (modern Colombia), where he began preparations for further struggle. In 1813, troops under the command of B. occupied Ch. Venezuelan city of Caracas. The 2nd Venezuelan Republic was proclaimed, led by B., but in 1814 he was defeated and left his homeland. In 1816, a detachment led by B. again landed on the coast of Venezuela. The abolition of slavery (1816), the proclamation of a decree on the allocation of soldiers to free, armies with land (1817) attracted broad people to the side of B. masses. In 1819, Bulgarian troops liberated New Grenada, after which the Republic of Gran Colombia was formed, which included Venezuela and New Grenada. B. became its president. In 1822, troops under the command of B. liberated Quito (now Ecuador), and in 1824 - Peru. In 1825, a republic was formed in Upper Peru, called. in honor of B. Bolivia. Striving to consolidate forces and unite young Latin Americans. state in the confederation, B. convened a continental congress in Panama (1826). However, due to the outbreak of separatist uprisings and opposition from England and the United States, Congress did not support Plan B. In Peru and Bolivia, the government of B. was overthrown. Then there was a threat of separation from Colombia by Venezuela and Quito, which forced B. in the beginning. 1830 resign. Activities of V., direction. to eliminate colonialism, objectively contributed to the elimination of feudal relations and bourgeoisie. development of states that arose in the former. Spanish colonies in America. The name B. is very popular in Latin America. countries. A number of provinces and cities, streets, monetary units were named in his honor, and numerous buildings were erected. monuments.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia were used.

Bolivar y Ponte, Simon (1783-1830) - one of the most prominent figures in the war for the independence of the Spanish colonies in America. B. was born in Caracas (Venezuela) into a Creole landowner family and was educated in Europe. In 1810 he took part in the movement for the separation of the Spanish colonies from Spain, becoming a member of the first independent Latin American government - the Caracas Junta. B. stood out for his political outlook, good knowledge of the international situation and ability to maneuver in difficult political conditions. The Caracas junta sent him as its diplomatic representative to England. Upon his return from there (1811) and until the complete defeat of the Spaniards in Latin America (1824), B. waged a continuous struggle against Spain. In 1820, B. rejected the peace proposals of Spain, which amounted to granting administrative autonomy to the colonies, declaring that he would only conclude a peace that would be based on the recognition of the complete independence of the former Spanish colonies in America.

B.'s military, political and diplomatic activities played a major role in the liberation of modern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Bolivia.

B. believed that the separatist movement in Spanish America could count on victory only if it was supported by England. In 1824, B. wrote: “Only England, the mistress of the seas, is capable of protecting us against the united forces of European reaction. If England does not declare itself the patroness of America, then sooner or later we will be defeated.”

The British government provided support to the Spanish-American separatists and B. in particular, especially after the end of the Napoleonic wars and Camping's coming to power (see). In a letter to Grenville dated December 17, 1824, Canning openly expressed the real reasons for this policy of England. “If we manage things cleverly enough,” he wrote, “then liberated Spanish America will become English.” The British government encouraged the recruitment of volunteers in the so-called. the “foreign legion,” which consisted of the British and Irish and was one of the most combat-ready units in B.’s army. English bankers gave B. and other leaders of the newly formed Latin American states large loans (totaling more than 20 million pounds sterling).

England formally recognized the new republics in 1825, but it had diplomatic agents in Latin America for several years before that.

The United States supported Latin American separatists and recognized a number of newly formed republics even before England. But even then, Anglo-American contradictions were emerging in Latin America, and the United States was not inclined to actively support such a pronounced Anglophile as B. In a number of cases, American emissaries in Colombia and Peru opposed B.

B. hoped that at the end of the war for independence it would be possible to conclude an all-American pact, which, “uniting all the republics into one political body, would allow America to appear before the world in an aura of such greatness that the peoples of antiquity had never known.”

At B.'s insistence, the Republic of Gran Colombia, founded by him in 1819 (it included modern Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador), began negotiations on the creation of a confederation with other Latin American countries. 6. VII 1822 in Lima, the Peruvian-Colombian treaty “on the eternal alliance, league and confederation” was concluded (ratified by Peru. 15. VII 1822 and Colombia on 12. VII 1823). The treaty provided for mutual assistance against Spain and any other aggressor. Similar treaties were concluded by Colombia with Buenos Aires (modern Argentina), Mexico and other Spanish-American countries.

In 1826, in Panama, Brazil managed to prepare and convene a United Congress with the participation of representatives of a number of Latin American republics (see Panama Congress). And here B. remained true to his Anglophile tendencies. This is evidenced by the text of the memorandum he drew up in Lima in February 1826: “The Congress of Panama will unite all the representatives of America and the diplomatic agent of His Britannic Majesty ... The Holy Alliance will be less powerful than this confederation, since Great Britain will wish to participate in it as a legal member "Mankind will bless this health-improving League a thousandfold, and America and Great Britain will enjoy the benefits it will provide them."

B.'s efforts were unsuccessful. The ruling circles of the Spanish-American states opposed the unification. Moreover, both Great Britain and the United States preferred that Spanish America remain fragmented.

After the failure of the Panama Congress, B. tried to create a union of the three republics that were actually under his rule (Colombia, Peru and Bolivia). But he failed to do this either. Venezuela (1829) and Ecuador (1830) emerged from Gran Colombia itself, and its borders were reduced to those of the former Spanish colony of New Grenada.

B.'s political influence was undermined, and he had to give up power over New Grenada (1828) and Venezuela (1830).

The peoples of the former Spanish colonies in America still honor B. as their liberator.

Diplomatic Dictionary. Ch. ed. A. Ya. Vyshinsky and S. A. Lozovsky. M., 1948.

BOLIVAR, Bolivar y Palacios Simon (full name Simon José Antonio) (July 24, 1783, Caracas - December 17, 1830, Santa Marta, Colombia), one of the leaders of the War of Independence of the Spanish colonies in America, military and a statesman in South America, where he is known as the Liberator (since 1813).

early years

Born into a noble Creole family of Basque origin. Lost his parents early. The upbringing and formation of Bolivar’s worldview was greatly influenced by his teacher and older friend, the prominent educator S. Rodriguez. He spent his youth in Europe (1799-1806, Spain, France, Italy), where he married early, but was soon widowed. On August 15, 1805, on the Monte Sacro hill in Rome, in the presence of Rodriguez, he vowed to fight for the liberation of South America from the colonial yoke.

Venezuelan Republic

He took an active part in the overthrow of Spanish rule in Venezuela (April 1810) and the proclamation of its independent republic (1811). After the defeat of the latter by Spanish troops, in 1812 he settled in New Granada (now Colombia), and at the beginning of 1813 he returned to his homeland. In August 1813, his troops occupied Caracas; The 2nd Venezuelan Republic was created, headed by Bolivar. However, not daring to carry out reforms in the interests of the lower classes, he failed to gain their support and was defeated in 1814. Forced to seek refuge in Jamaica, in September 1815 he published an open letter there, expressing confidence in the imminent liberation of Spanish America.

Education Colombia

Finally realizing the need to free slaves and solve other social problems, Bolivar convinced Haitian President A. Petion to provide military assistance to the rebels and in December 1816 landed on the coast of Venezuela. The abolition of slavery (1816) and the decree issued in 1817 on allocating land to the soldiers of the liberation army allowed him to expand his social base. Following successful actions in Venezuela, his troops liberated New Granada in 1819. In December 1819, he was elected president of the Republic of Colombia proclaimed by the National Congress in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolivar), which included Venezuela and New Granada. In 1822, the Colombians expelled Spanish forces from the province of Quito (now Ecuador), which annexed Colombia.

Liberation of South America

In July 1822, Bolivar met in Guayaquil with J. de San Martin, whose army had already liberated part of Peru, but was unable to agree with him on joint actions. After the resignation of San Martin (September 20, 1822), he sent Colombian units to Peru in 1823, and in 1824 (August 6 at Junin and December 9 on the Ayacucho plain) the last Spanish forces on the American continent were defeated. Bolivar, who became the dictator of Peru back in February 1824, also headed the Republic of Bolivia, created in 1825 on the territory of Upper Peru, named so in his honor.

Collapse of the Colombian Federation

In an effort to unite the Spanish-American states, Bolivar convened a congress of their representatives in Panama (1826), but was unsuccessful. After the end of the liberation war, in contrast to his centralist policy, centrifugal tendencies intensified in the region. As a result of separatist protests, Bolivar lost power in Peru and Bolivia (1827-30). At the beginning of 1830 he resigned and soon died.

Bolivarian

In Latin America, the name Bolivar is very popular. It is immortalized in the names of the state, provinces, cities, streets, monetary units, with the help of numerous monuments. Biographical essays, works of art, and historical works are dedicated to him. Since 1822, Bolivar's faithful friend and inseparable life partner, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate, was the Quito-born Creole Manuela Saenz.

M. S. Alperovich

Copyright (c) "Cyril and Methodius"

Simon Bolivar was born into a wealthy aristocratic family of a Creole landowner in Caracas, Venezuela. He lost his parents early, but his guardian showed truly fatherly care for the boy, giving him an excellent education and upbringing.

He began his military activities in 1810, being already a fairly mature man. At first, Simon Bolivar sided with Francisco de Miranda, who rebelled against the Spaniards, and soon became one of the most authoritative leaders of the rebels. Among other rebel leaders, he stood out for his education and knowledge of military affairs.

However, Spain had no intention of losing its colony on the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea. Soon the royal troops launched a counter-offensive against the rebel troops, poorly armed and poorly organized.

At this time, Simon Bolivar led the defense of the country's most important port city, Puerto Cabello. However, he lost to the Spaniards, commanded by General Juan Domingo Monteverde, in a battle under the walls of the city - one of his closest subordinates turned out to be a traitor and betrayed the Bolivarian military plan to the Spaniards.

After the complete defeat of the Venezuelan Republican Army, Simon Bolivar and his like-minded people settled in neighboring New Grenada (modern Colombia) and began preparing the rebel forces for the next stage of the armed struggle. His volunteer detachments experienced great difficulties with firearms, and the lack of commanders with military education affected them.

In the spring of 1813, the rebel army of Simon Bolivar entered Venezuela. Advancing with fighting, it won convincing victories over the Spanish royalists at Arara, La Victoria, San Mateo, and in the state of Carabobo.

Having occupied the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, they solemnly proclaimed the 2nd Venezuelan Republic, led by Simon Bolivar. However, the very next year they had to defend the republic from the Spaniards and local opponents of the revolution. And this time the forces of the warring parties turned out to be unequal - the rebels were defeated by the troops of General Boves in the battle of La Puerte.

After a new defeat near the town of Santa Marta, the leader of the Republicans had to flee abroad with several of his like-minded people. He eventually ended up on the island of Haiti.

From this island in the center of the Caribbean Sea, Simon Bolivar made several landing expeditions to the northern part of South America, but the Spanish garrisons on the coast managed to repel all attempts by the rebels to gain a foothold there.

In December 1816, a rebel army landed on the Venezuelan coast. Now Bolivar had a clear program of military and political action. After the abolition of slavery and the proclamation of the decree on allocating land to the soldiers of the Republican Army, a wide influx of volunteers began into its ranks.

The decisive battle took place on February 16, 1817 near Barcelona. One of the main reasons for the military success of the revolutionary rebel forces was that Spain, located at the opposite end of the Atlantic Ocean, was tormented by serious internal contradictions and therefore could not send troops to its American colonies.

In 1819, Simon Bolivar, having found the necessary funds, strengthened his army with European professional mercenaries, participants in the recently ended anti-Napoleonic wars. A military base was established in Angostura (New Grenada) where the rebels were trained.

On August 7, Simon Bolivar, with a surprise attack, defeated the Spanish troops under the command of Colonel Barreiro, who were defending the settlement of Boyaca (Boyaca). In that battle, the sides had approximately equal strength. Bolivar's British Legion, consisting of veterans of the anti-Napoleonic wars, especially distinguished itself. The Spanish troops were scattered and no longer posed a threat. Three days later, the rebel army, no longer encountering organized resistance on its way, liberated the capital of New Grenada, the city of Bogota.

On December 17, 1819, Simon Bolivar proclaimed the creation of the Gran Colombia Republic, which included Venezuela and New Grenada (Colombia), and became its president. But it took him another two years to finally liberate Venezuelan territory from Spanish troops.

This happened only after the victory in the Battle of Carabobo on June 24, 1821. On that day, Simon Bolivar commanded an 8,000-strong army of Colombian patriots; he was opposed by the royal general de la Torre with 5,000 Spaniards. The Colombians inflicted such a heavy defeat on the enemy that only 400 Spaniards managed to get to nearby Puerto Cabello and take refuge there.

Bolivar did not stop there. He already had far-reaching plans. Spain still retained dominance over the vast territory of South America.

In 1822, an army of Latin American rebels under the command of Bolivar and Sucre liberated the city of Quito and the province of the same name, winning the Battle of Mount Pichincha, where the Spanish governor-general Melchior Aimerich was forced to capitulate.

In 1824, Simon Bolivar's army liberated Peru. This happened after the complete victory of the Latin American rebels over the enemy army at the Battle of Ayacucho, which took place on December 7.

Here, the 7,000-strong army of Simon Bolivar and General Sucre defeated the 10,000-strong Spanish army, led by Viceroy Jose de la Serna.

Having liberated Peru, Simon Bolivar became the head of the independent Republic of Bolivia, formed in Eastern Peru, named after him.

In 1826, a continental congress was held in Panama, at which Bolivar’s proposals did not meet with support due to separative speeches and opposition from the United States and Great Britain. Neither Washington nor London wanted to see a strong independent state in Latin America. A personal factor also played a role - Simon Bolivar's rule was authoritarian, which scared away possible political allies from him.

Shortly after the Panama Congress, Gran Colombia disintegrated. In 1827-1828, Bolivar's power was overthrown in Peru and Bolivia, and in the next two years Venezuela and Ecuador separated from Colombia. A strong blow for Bolivar was the murder of his faithful comrade-in-arms, General Antonio de Sucre, in whom he saw his worthy successor.

All this forced Bolivar to resign as President of Colombia in early 1830. He wanted to go into voluntary exile in Europe, but in December of the same year he died of tuberculosis in the city of Santa Maria.

Materials used from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/

Essays:

Selected works. M., 1983.

Сartas del Libertador. Caracas, 1929-1959. V. 1-12.

Obras completas. La Habana, 1950. V. 1-3.

Decretos del Libertador. Caracas, 1961. V. 1-3.

Escritos del Libertador. Caracas, 1964-1983. T. 1-16.Op.:

Literature:

Lavretsky I. R. Bolivar. 3rd ed. M., 1981.

Marx K. Bolivar y Ponte. - Marx K., Engels F. Op. Ed. 2nd. T. 14;

Lavretsky I. R. Bolivar. Ed. 2nd. M., 1966.

Simon Bolivar: history and modernity. M., 1985.

Masur G. Simon Bolivar. Albuquerque, 1948.

Madariaqa S. de. Bolivar. Mexico; Buenos Aires, 1953. V. 1-2.

Mijares A. El Libertador. Caracas, 1969.

Bolivar y Europa en las cronicas, el pensamiento politico y la historioqrafia. Caracas, 1986-1995. V. 1-3.

Simon Bolivar is one of the brightest revolutionaries in world history. For residents of the New World, the name of the politician is a symbol of the liberation movement in the countries of Latin America, former colonies of Spain. Bolivar believed that slavery should be abolished, and the indigenous population should have equal rights to a decent life.

During his lifetime, Bolivar received the title “Liberator of America.” There are ups and downs in the life of a politician. Until his death he remained true to his ideas. His name is immortalized in the name of the country - Bolivia, a former Spanish colony of Upper Peru.

Childhood and youth

Bolivar was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas. Full name: Simon José Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar de la Concepción y Ponte Palacios y Blanco. Researchers of the politician's biography have established that the ancestors of the future revolutionary arrived in South America from the Basque country back in the 16th century. The settlers successfully integrated into the life of the Spanish colonies and soon began to take an active part in the life of the new settlements.

Thanks to his activity, Simon's grandfather acquired the title of viscount, which was never approved by the king of Spain. Simon's father, Juan Vincente Bolivar, strengthened the family's position. After their death, Simon's parents left plantations, factories, houses, slaves and jewelry to the young heir. If compared with the state of modern rich people, Bolivar could be on the list of dollar billionaires.

The orphan was raised by his uncle Carlos Palacios. The teacher for the main subjects was the philosopher Simon Rodriguez. He initiated young Simon into the ideas of the enlighteners of France and spoke in detail about republican ideals. After Rodriguez's escape, Simon is trained by the Governor General's secretary, Andres Bello. Thanks to his mentor, Simon meets the scientists Alexander Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, who had a strong influence on the worldview of young Bolivar.

In 1799, the guardians decided to send the young man to Spain to study law. Bolivar is received by the royal family. He maintains communication with Prince Ferdinand, the future king of Spain, who will later become the politician's main enemy.

Four years later, in 1803, Simon moved to France. Here he studies courses at the Paris Polytechnic and Higher Normal School. His cousin Fanny actively associated with freethinkers. Bolivar also entered their circle, sharing with them common views on politics and the world order.

The future revolutionary came to the United States of America in 1805. The example of the liberation of the United States from British rule becomes a model for the revolutionaries of South America. Bolivar is among them. He is confirmed in his political views. The idea of ​​creating the United States of South America on the territory of Latin American countries becomes a priority for him.

Political activity

In 1810, Bolivar participates in a revolt with Francisco Miranda, which leads Venezuela to the declaration of independence a year later. The Spanish government is trying to return colonial lands. In 1812, the Venezuelan army was destroyed and Miranda was sent to prison. Bolivar escapes from the country and hides in the territory of New Grenada.

By 1813, Simon, together with the rebels, organized a new detachment, which managed to gain the upper hand over the Spanish army. Bolivar becomes the head of the Second Venezuelan Republic and receives the title of Liberator. But a year later, the Spaniards manage to knock Bolivar out of the main city of Venezuela - Caracas.

The politician appeals to the Haitian authorities and receives support. In 1816, Bolivar arrives in South America and begins reform. Abolishes slavery and announces the issuance of land to soldiers who took an active part in the Revolutionary War.

By 1818-1819, Simon Bolivar, with the support of an army of like-minded people, established control over most of Venezuela and New Grenada. At the very end of 1819, he was elected president of the Republic of Gran Colombia, which included the territories of modern Colombia and Venezuela.

By 1824, the Spaniards, under pressure from the Colombians, left the territories that are now Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Bolivar becomes dictator of Peru and in 1825 heads the Republic of Bolivia he created. The politician remains faithful to the idea of ​​​​creating the United States of South America, which would include the territory from Panama to Chile.

Bolivar tried to promote it at a special congress, but faced opposition from the local elite. He is described as a supporter of the Bonapartist regime, and behind his back they call him Napoleon. A movement developed against the politician’s activities, as a result of which he lost power in Bolivia and Peru.

In 1828, Bolivar entered Bogota with an army, where he created the residence of the ruler of Colombia. In the same year, one of his associates organized an assassination attempt on him. Bolivar narrowly escapes death and suppresses the rebellion. Bolivar's struggle for power continues. The elite of Caracas advocates the separation of Venezuela from Colombia. The ruler loses influence and power in the country. In 1830 he resigned.

Personal life

At the age of 19, Simon, while in Madrid, meets the aristocrat Maria Teresa Rodriguez. She, like Bolivar, is of Creole descent. After the wedding, the young couple leaves for Venezuela. Here Simon's wife contracts yellow fever and dies. The event greatly shocked the young man, and he takes a vow of celibacy.

Changes in his personal life occurred in 1822, when Bolivar met his second life partner during the entry of troops into the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. As the column moves through streets full of people, a laurel wreath falls into Simon's hands. The revolutionary's gaze meets the black-haired girl standing on the balcony greeting the liberators.

That same evening, Simon and Manuela Saenz met at a ball and from that moment tried to be together. She is also a Creole, 12 years younger. She shared views on the liberation of colonial territories in Latin America. When Manuela met Simon, she was married to Dr. Thorne. The woman considered her husband a good man, but boring. Saenz was instantly drawn to the politician.

Manuela and Simon never officially became husband and wife. He swore to remain faithful to his late wife, and she to her official husband. Bolivar was grateful to her for saving him during the assassination attempt. After the miraculous rescue of their leader, the people began to call Manuela “the liberator of the Liberator.”

When he abdicated the presidency, he convinced Saenz to leave him. She continued to love him and wrote letters from Bogota, telling in detail about what was happening, about how former comrades in the movement were betraying his cause. After the death of her beloved, Manuela left for Paita. She lived in poverty and tried to survive by selling cigarettes and sweets. She saved letters from Simon, but they were burned during the diphtheria epidemic. Saenz died from the same disease and was buried in a common grave.

Bolivar had no children.

Death

Simon passed away at the age of 47. The sad event occurred on December 17, 1830. The cause of death has not yet been established: according to some sources - from tuberculosis, according to others - poisoning. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attempted to dot the i's. A decision is made to exhume the revolutionary’s body.

After DNA analysis, both versions were not confirmed. Hugo Chavez, despite the results, continued to claim that the Liberator had been killed. In memory of the hero of the liberation movement, he changes the name of the country to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Bolivar died on someone else's estate, near the city of Santa Marta. Before his death, he renounced his property and died in poverty. They buried him in someone else's clothes.

After death, the name of Bolivar continues to live its own life. Among the interesting facts is information about the name of the asteroid Boliviana, discovered in 1911, in honor of the politician. One of the highest mountain peaks in the world also bears his name - Bolivar Peak. The currency of Venezuela is bolivars, and the portrait of the politician adorns banknotes of various denominations.

In the US capital, Washington, there is a bronze monument to Simon Bolivar by sculptor Felix de Weldon. It is considered the largest equestrian monument to a politician in the Western Hemisphere.

Films have been made about the revolutionary’s activities. The most famous are “Simon Bolivar” directed by Alexandro Blasetti in 1963 and “The Liberator” directed by Alberto Arvelo, filmed in 2013.

Simon was born on July 24, 1783 into the noble Creole family of Juan Vincente Bolivar (1726-1786) of former Basque origin. The Bolivar family came from the town of La Puebla de Bolivar in Vizcaya, Spain, then located in the Marquina district, and with the beginning of colonial life the family took an active part in the life of Venezuela. The boy lost his parents early. The upbringing and formation of Bolivar’s worldview was greatly influenced by his teacher and older friend, the prominent educator Simon Rodriguez. In 1799, Simon's relatives decided to send him to Spain, to Madrid, away from the restless Caracas. There Simon Bolivar studied law, then went on a trip to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England and France. While living in Paris, Bolivar attended the Ecole Polytechnique for some time. In 1805, Bolivar visited the United States of America and here he conceived his plan for the liberation of South America from Spanish rule.

Venezuelan Republic

He took an active part in the overthrow of Spanish rule in Venezuela (April 1810) and the proclamation of its independent republic (1811). That same year, Bolivar was sent by the revolutionary junta (people's assembly) to London to seek support from the British government. The latter, however, chose to remain neutral. Bolivar left agent Louis-Lopez Mendez in London to conclude an agreement on behalf of Venezuela for a loan and the recruitment of soldiers and returned back with the transport of weapons. The Spaniards turned to the semi-wild inhabitants of the Venezuelan steppes (llaneros) for help. The war took on the most brutal character. Bolivar decided to respond in kind, ordering the extermination of all captives. After the latter was defeated by Spanish troops, in 1812 he settled in New Granada (now Colombia), where he wrote the “Manifesto from Cartagena”, and at the beginning of 1813 he returned to his homeland. In August 1813, his troops occupied Caracas; The 2nd Venezuelan Republic was created, headed by Bolivar. However, not daring to carry out reforms in the interests of the lower classes, he failed to gain their support and was defeated in 1814. Forced to seek refuge in Jamaica, in September 1815 he published an open letter there, expressing confidence in the imminent liberation of Spanish America.

Education Colombia

Finally realizing the need to free slaves and solve other social problems, Bolivar convinced Haitian President A. Petion to provide military assistance to the rebels and in December 1816 landed on the coast of Venezuela. The abolition of slavery (1816) and the decree issued in 1817 on allocating land to the soldiers of the liberation army allowed him to expand his social base. After an unsuccessful attempt to gather all the leaders of the revolution around him in order to act according to a common plan, Bolivar, with the help of Brion (a Dutch merchant), took possession of Angostura in May 1817 and raised the whole of Guiana against Spain. Bolívar then ordered the arrest of his former associates Piara and Marino (the former was executed on October 16, 1817). In February 1818, thanks to the sending of soldiers from London, he managed to form a new army. Following successful actions in Venezuela, his troops liberated New Granada in 1819. In December 1819, he was elected president of the Republic of Colombia proclaimed by the National Congress in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolivar), which included Venezuela and New Granada. In 1822, the Colombians expelled Spanish forces from the province of Quito (now Ecuador), which annexed Colombia.

Liberation of South America

On June 24, 1821, near the settlement of Carabobo in Venezuela, the volunteer army of Simon Bolivar inflicted a crushing defeat on the Spanish royal army. In July 1822, Bolivar met in Guayaquil with Jose de San Martin, whose army had already liberated part of Peru, but was unable to agree with him on joint actions. After the resignation of San Martin (September 20, 1822), he sent Colombian units to Peru in 1823, and in 1824 (August 6 at Junin and December 9 on the Ayacucho plain) the last Spanish forces on the American continent were defeated. Venezuela, which declared independence in 1811, was completely liberated from the colonialists only in 1824. Bolivar, who became the dictator of Peru in February 1824, headed the Republic of Bolivia, created in 1825 on the territory of Upper Peru, named after him.

Collapse of the Colombian Federation

According to Bolivar's plan, the Southern United States (Sur de Estados Unidos) was formed, which was to include Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, La Plata and Chile. On June 22, 1826, Bolivar convened a congress in Panama from representatives of all these states, which, however, soon collapsed.

Soon after Bolivar's project became widely known, he began to be accused of wanting to create an empire under his rule, where he would play the role of Napoleon. Party strife began in Colombia. Some of the deputies, led by General Paez, proclaimed autonomy, others wanted to adopt the Bolivian Code.

Bolivar quickly arrived in Colombia and, having assumed dictatorial powers, convened a national assembly in Ocaña on March 2, 1828, to discuss the question: “Should the constitution of the state be reformed?” The Congress could not reach a final agreement and adjourned after several meetings.

Meanwhile, the Peruvians rejected the Bolivian Code and took away the title of President for Life from Bolivar. Having lost power in Peru and Bolivia, Bolivar entered Bogota on June 20, 1828, where he established his residence as ruler of Colombia. But already on September 25, 1828, the federalists broke into his palace, killed the sentries, and Bolivar himself escaped only by a miracle. However, the bulk of the population took his side, and this allowed Bolivar to suppress the rebellion, which was led by Vice President Santander. The head of the conspirators was first sentenced to death and then expelled from the country along with 70 of his supporters.

The following year the anarchy intensified. On November 25, 1829, in Caracas itself, 486 noble citizens proclaimed the separation of Venezuela from Colombia. Bolivar, whose business was completely collapsing, gradually lost all influence and power.

In his brief to the congress meeting in Bogotá in January 1830 to reform Colombia's government, Bolívar complained about the unfair accusations against him coming from Europe and America.

At the beginning of 1830, he resigned and soon died near the Colombian city of Santa Marta on December 17, 1830. Before his death, Bolivar renounced his lands, houses and even his state pension and spent whole days contemplating from the window the picturesque landscapes of the local “snowy mountains” - the Sierra -Nevada.

In 2010, Bolivar's body was exhumed by order of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in order to establish the causes of his death. For the new burial, Chavez presented a new coffin made of mahogany and inlaid with diamonds, pearls and gold stars.

Criticism

The USA, as a young state that relatively recently became sovereign, was interested in expanding its territories and spheres of influence. However, the path to this goal was blocked by French and Spanish colonial possessions. If the issue with Louisiana was resolved by purchase (1803), then with the Spanish Viceroyalties the situation was much more complicated. However, Washington found a way to solve this problem. The United States began to actively spread the ideas of the American Revolution among young members of the aristocracy, dissatisfied with their unfair conditions in the colonies. One of whom was Bolivar. The states actively helped with the necessary resources for the “noble” goals of liberating the Spanish colonies from the mother country. Soon England, which had its own interests, joined this process. The liberation movements quickly developed into fierce fighting between representatives of the same people, split into supporters of the monarchy and republicans. The shortage of new weapons encouraged both sides to purchase them from Britain and the United States. The disintegration of the Viceroyalties into small state entities began. The civil war led to sharp impoverishment of the regions, loss of life, epidemics, famine, constant rebellions and coups d'etat. This dealt a strong blow to the development of the regions and contributed to the start of British and American interventions. In many ways, the responsibility for these processes lies with the fiery revolutionaries themselves: Simon Bolivar and José de San Martin, who fought fiercely and actively promoted their plans. However, they were unable or unwilling to defend the integrity of the young states and prevent the expansion of the Great Powers in Latin America, preferring to retreat from politics in recent years.

Bolivarian

In Latin America, the name Bolivar is very popular. It is immortalized in the names of the state of Bolivia, provinces, cities, streets, monetary units (boliviano - Bolivia, bolivar - Venezuela), with the help of numerous monuments. Biographical essays, works of art, and historical works are dedicated to him. The strongest football club in Bolivia is called Bolivar.

Since 1822, Bolivar’s faithful friend and inseparable life partner, despite all the vicissitudes of his fate, was a native of the city of Quito, the Creole Manuela Saenz.

According to unofficial data, Simon Bolivar won 472 battles.

Bolivar is the main character in the novel The General in His Labyrinth by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. Events develop in the last year of the general’s life. Biographies of Bolivar were written by Emil Ludwig and Ukrainian classicist Ivan Franko. Karl Marx gave a negative characterization of the Liberator in one of his articles. Therefore, in Soviet literature, Bolivar has long been characterized as a dictator who expressed the interests of the bourgeoisie and landowners. The famous intelligence officer and Latinist Joseph Romualdovich Grigulevich decided to break with this tradition and wrote a biography of Bolivar under the pseudonym Lavretsky for the ZhZL series. For his work, Grigulevich was awarded the Venezuelan Order of Miranda and accepted into the Colombian Writers Association.

Bolivar in Freemasonry

It is known that Bolivar was initiated into Freemasonry in Spain, in Cadiz. From 1807 he was a member of the Scottish Rite. In 1824, he founded Lodge "Order and Liberty" No. 2 in Peru.