Key Events Leading to Venezuelan Independence

Leonardo Chirinos Insurrection (1796)

1. Occurred near Coro, considered the first independence movement in Venezuela.
2. Supported by more than 3,000 enslaved Black people who lived in the Coro area.
3. The Creoles refused to emancipate the enslaved Black people.
4. Proclaimed the freedom of enslaved people.
5. Failed; Chirinos was beheaded and his head displayed in the outskirts of major cities in Venezuela.

Gual and Spain Conspiracy (1797)

1. Located in La Guaira and spread from there to Caracas.
2. Found support among middle sectors of society, including artisans and Pardo (mixed-race) military personnel.
3. Defended the slogans of the French Revolution.
4. Juan Bautista Picornell, who had led a coup attempt in Spain, facilitated the revolt for Gual and his partner.
5. Involved the enactment of 44 ordinances.
6. They were financially aided by Picornell.
7. Failed, like Leonardo Chirinos's insurrection.

Strategic Importance of La Guaira

La Guaira was the gateway for import and export in Venezuela due to the presence of the Royal Guipuzcoana Company.

Miranda's Attempted Invasions (1806)

• Two attempts: April 27 and August 3.
• The first attempt reached the shores of Ocumare but was repelled, forcing Miranda to return to Trinidad.
• From Trinidad, he set sail again on the Leander, heading for Coro, where the flag of Venezuela was first seen.
• Miranda's plan for an independent government combined indigenous, Roman, and monarchical state institutions, but this displeased the local population by not including popular participation.

Simon Bolívar's Full Name

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios.

Origin of the Bolívar Surname

This surname is of Basque origin from the thirteenth century and is linked to a family involved in struggles against the Castilians.

Origin of the Bolívar Family

The family came from a town called Puebla de Bolívar in Vizcaya (now Spain), located in the Marquina district. From the beginning of the colony, members of the family distinguished themselves through their actions in Venezuela.

Causes of the French Revolution

• Aspiration to reorganize the organization of production and trade.
• Concurrence of the bourgeoisie, who wanted to break the hierarchical inequalities of the Ancien Régime.
• Spread of anticlerical and Encyclopedist ideas.
• These factors, combined with the misery of the French people in contrast to the wealth of the monarchy, created an atmosphere of extreme social radicalism by 1789.

The Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution was a series of events where France attempted to regain control over the island and drive out the English. The island remained under French rule for a time, and a Black governor (Toussaint Louverture) was appointed, who directed and approved a draft constitution, establishing a form of non-direct French rule. When Napoleon heard of this, he tried to regain full control. However, a Black insurgent leader named Jean-Jacques Dessalines, along with yellow fever, decimated the French army. Dessalines then proclaimed the independence of Haiti and later became its emperor.

Consequences of Revolutionary Movements

1. Changes in social structures and economic policies in the United States and European countries.
2. Finalization of monarchical absolutism.
3. Struggle between England and France for colonial and maritime supremacy.
4. Consecration and dissemination of human rights.
5. Establishment of the division of public powers.
6. Stimulation of revolutionary movements in Latin America.

Venezuela in Bolívar's Time

1. Thanks to revolutionary ideas, enslaved people continued to believe in equality and their entitlement to it, seeking power relative to the Creole aristocracy, who in turn sought power relative to Spain. In short, they desired power comparable to that of the Crown.
2. Revolutionary events in America and France.
3. Internal situation of the Captaincy General of Venezuela.
4. Years of conflict.
5. Influence of Enlightenment thought in Venezuela.
6. Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808.
7. Promulgation of the ideals of the French Revolution, such as freedom and equality.

Internal Crisis of Colonial Society

This crisis manifested through various uprisings and rebellions by the lower social classes against the higher classes, driven by desires for social and economic change.

The social unrest was suppressed, despite the spread of egalitarian ideas. Furthermore, the economic situation was poor, partly because Spain was making payments to England and facing other financial burdens.