Lesson 1: The resistance struggle of the colonial people

Latin American Independence Movement

In the early 19th century, in the shadow of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution

Latin America refers to all of the Americas south of today's United States. The region was colonized by Spain and Portugal from the early 16th century, with Spanish and Portuguese as the main official languages, both of which belonged to the Latin family, hence the name "Latin America". By the beginning of the 19th century, most of Latin America was still under Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule.

At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, under the influence of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution, the Latin American region started a movement to resist colonial rule and fight for national independence, and the revolts spread over a vast area from Mexico in the north to Argentina in the south.

In the northern part of South America, Bolivar freed black slaves and promised to give land to the insurgent soldiers after victory. In 1819, Bolivar led his troops to defeat the Spanish army by crossing the snow-covered Andes Mountains against all odds. Bolivar liberated Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador and established the "Greater Colombia Republic". After being elected president, he continued to lead the war of independence in South America. In the southern region of South America, San Martín led the wars of independence in Argentina, Chile and Peru. He and Bolivar are known as the "liberators" of South America.

The Great Indian National Revolt

In the mid-19th century, India was already a British colony. At that time, Britain had completed the industrial revolution and further strengthened its economic plunder and political oppression of India.

India's handmade cotton textile industry was well developed, and a large number of handmade cotton textiles were exported to Britain. In order to develop its own textile industry, Britain imported large quantities of cotton from India and dumped machine-made cotton textiles into India. India's handmade cotton textile industry was hit hard, and many craftsmen went bankrupt. On various pretexts, Britain also annexed the territories of Indian princes, stipulating that if no son succeeded to the throne after the death of the princes, the territories would be owned by Britain. With the stabilization of their rule in India, the British abolished the more favorable treatment of the Indian native soldiers and did not respect their religious beliefs. These practices aroused strong resentment among all classes of Indian people, and there was growing resistance.

In 1857, the Indian native soldiers were the first to rise against the British colonists, and peasants, artisans, and some disenfranchised feudal princes also joined the uprising, which swept through northern and central India. The insurgents seized Delhi. Despite their advanced weapons, it took the British three months to capture Delhi. The British took advantage of the situation and attacked the city of Chandragupta. The young Queen of Chandragupta led the army and people to fight against the British for several days. After the fall of Jhansi, she led her troops to the field. During the battle, she was the first to fight until she died.

The Great Indian National Revolt was a heavy blow to the British colonialists and reflected the awakening of Indian national consciousness. This uprising was also an important part of the national liberation movement in Asia in the mid-19th century.

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