- by Graham Holton
- The Guardian
- Issue #2154
Simón Bolívar. Image: Public domain.
Known as Simón Bolívar Day, 24 July marks the anniversary of his birth in 1783. Bolívar is revered as “El Libertador” (The Liberator) for his crucial role in the liberation of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru from Spain, making him a national hero and a symbol of independence. The defeat of the Spanish Empire in South America dealt a crushing blow to more than 300 years of colonialism.
Bolívar’s revolution has had a profound and lasting impact on Latin American politics and culture. His writings, especially the “Letter from Jamaica,” promoted republicanism, popular sovereignty, anti-imperialism and Latin American unity. He abolished slavery in 1820 using emancipation to gain support. Bolívar’s image is found on currency, statues, and in the names of cities and institutions, reflecting his status as a great historical figure in South America.
Spain sent a strong expeditionary force to put down the rebellion. Bolívar received money and weapons from Haiti. Fresh from the Napoleonic Wars Britain sent its armies and navy to assist the wars of independence. British officers brought European battle experience, tactics, and discipline to Bolívar’s army, transforming it into a capable fighting force.
Bolívar praised the British Legion, as the “saviours of my country,” but there was a catch. Spain was replaced by foreign powers, with republics becoming dependencies of European Metropoles. The new republics soon became dominated by British merchants, French culture and investments, and German investments. After 1914 the US dominated foreign investments in the continent. For the next 100 years South America had to fight US imperialism which treated the republics as its colonies. It is a struggle that continues to this day.
Bolívar influenced anti-colonial struggles, independence movements, and revolutionary movements globally. In Africa Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Patrice Lumumba of Congo cited Bolívar as an inspiration in their struggles against European imperialism. In Asia, Ho Chi Minh and other anti-colonial revolutionaries referenced Bolívar as a model of national liberation.
Bolívar’s guerrilla warfare tactics, including forced marches and civilian mobilisation, influenced Mao Zedong, Vietnamese resistance leaders, and Che Guevara. In Latin American he inspired Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.
In the late 1990s Hugo Chávez promoted socialism, anti-US imperialism and Latin American unity. The Movimiento Bolivariano called for 21st-century socialism based on Bolívar’s ideals of equality, justice, national sovereignty and resistance to US hegemony. The Bolivarian Revolution is a modern reinterpretation of Bolívar’s anti-colonial and republican ideals.
Its key themes include social justice through poverty eradication, education, and health for the poor. Chávez made a significant reduction in poverty and illiteracy thereby empowering marginalised communities. The Revolution encourages popular participation in politics through referendums and local councils.
Venezuela nationalised its petroleum, telecommunications, and electric power industries and used the profits to fund social programs. Chávez co-founded ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America), a trade and political bloc to counter the US-dominated OAS and IMF. He increased cooperation with UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations), and had a large impact on the Global South. He inspired the leftist movements of President Evo Morales in Bolivia, and President Rafael Correa in Ecuador. After Chávez’s death in 2013, his successor Nicolás Maduro continued the Bolivarian Revolution. Maduro had to deal with US political and economic pressure and international sanctions that resulted in a severe economic crisis forcing 7 million Venezuelans to emigrate.
The Bolivarian Revolution represents a resurgence of the values and ambitions of the Global South. Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution has been at the forefront of this movement. Latin America moved towards greater regional integration, economically and politically, and challenged neoliberalism and US imperialism.
Today Simon Bolívar is celebrated as a great visionary who inspired the fight for freedom, justice, and regional unity. For 200 years his ideals have influenced Latin American politics, social movements and national identities, making him a timeless symbol of resistance against foreign oppression. His ideals of freedom and sovereignty are still invoked by leaders and movements advocating for independence from foreign influence and internal corruption.
