THE COLONIAL CRISIS & THE ENLIGHTENMENT
THE FLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY
The eighteenth century was, for the Spanish colonies in America, a time of
contradictions, some lived an economic and demographic boom while others languished and fell They were in crisis.
A key process was the introduction of Bourbon reforms, which sought to impose new imperialism in the Spanish colonies and produced a growing Creole
discontent that, in some regions, it would have to end, beginning of the 19th century, in the movements of independence
THE CHANGE OF DYNASTY
The 18th century began for Spain with the succession wars (1701-1713). King
Charles II, who he had no children, he appointed Felipe
de Anjou as his successor, grandson of Louis XIV of
France, and great-grandson of Philip IV, who was crowned
with the title of Felipe V.The Habsburg dynasty ended
and began the Spanish throne the dynasty of the Bourbons.
Being Felipe V descendant of the French king, the idea that, in the future, Spain and France will get to have the same monarch disturbed the other European
powers, especially to England and Holland, who waged war on the New King.
THE BOURBON REFORMS IN AMERICA
As it is easy to imagine, the new ruler Spanish was found with huge debts of war,
which led him to overload taxes, fees, and obligations to the Hispano-American colonies, where, due to the decline of the mines, Spain I was getting less and less
gold and silver. Felipe V undertook "the reconquest of his colonies ", an ambitious project that
took momentum with his son Carlos III (1759-1788) and had strong impacts on he system colonial in crisis.
Politically, they sought to reinforce real power and limit the autonomy of the
groups' localities (creation of Intendants to supervise to the officials, prohibition that the creoles occupy the key positions); territorial reorganization (new limits
and jurisdictions, creation of the viceroyalties of New Granada in 1739 and Rio de la Plata in 1776).
Economically, the Bourbons ordered that the colonies will not negotiate between
them that they bought everything to Spain.
The tobacconists, that is, the state monopoly of commerce were spreading to more and more products: tobacco, aguardiente, gunpowder, salt, mercury, and
cards.
The alcabalas were the tax on the circulation of goods and they were charged
until in the last town lost from the Andes to the Indians who left sell their vegetables in the markets.The indigenous uprisings are multiplied, especially in the second half of the XVIII.
The largest was that of Tupac maru, in Peru (1780-1781), severely repressed, like the riots in the hearings of Quito, Mexico, and Upper Peru.
The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 took America an important consequence: The Crown Topped the lands of the society of Jesus, (Jesus company). So he got
more income.
. THE ENLIGHTENMENT
In Europe, things were changing. First in ideas: after the terrible wars of religion
(between Catholics and Protestants) that ravaged the continent in the previous century and a half, a new consciousness emerged: did not matter more than a
man was good and honest, no matter what religion or opinions
he had? And, second, if there were differences of opinion,
would not it be better to discuss them based on the reason and
not go to blows or war? These two elements, tolerance (respect
the beliefs of others) and reason (argue logically, clearly, with evidence and, if it were necessary, with scientific experiments) step to a third consensus: if all
human beings they are rational, they are equal (The same teaching of Christianity, they are all children of God, but that had not been applied in
interreligious wars), and if they are equal, they must be treated equally. A group of French thinkers threw themselves to a gigantic company: summarize
all the human knowledge in a collection of books they called the Encyclopedia. Thinkers, like Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, defended these ideas in
the Encyclopedia and other books.These ideas added to the
hunger of the people, they caused the Revolution to
break out in 1789 French, who dethroned and
executed King Louis XVI and to his wife María
Antonieta (1793). This sowed fear in all the royal houses of Europe. The kings, like that of Spain, Carlos IV
(1748-1819), reinforced the despotism and they abandoned any opening based on Enlightenment.
FRANCE OCCUPIES SPAIN
Napoleon did not give up. To break the economy British and prevent everything
from trade with Europe, decreed the "continental blockade". And like Portugal, an ally of the English, he refused to follow him in this action, Napoleon decided to
submit by force, coercing Spain to that invaded Portugal, as indeed it did. The French army crossed the peninsula and entered without resistance in Lisbon
(11/30/1807). The day previous, the Prince Regent, John VI, together with 15,000 people, had fled by sea to Brazil, where he would establish the court for fifteen
years. While the Spanish armies were in Portugal, the French armies, with 65,000
effective, they completely controlled Spain by several years. The Spanish people rebelled against King Charles IV in 1808, who abdicated and left as sovereign to
his son, Fernando VII.
