Spanish War of Independence: Impact & Phases (1808-1814)
The Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814)
The War of Independence (1808-1814) was primarily a means of national liberation. This historical conflict profoundly marked Spain's subsequent history, not only due to its economic consequences but also for its social effects. Many of its events had a reformist character, unleashed by the conflict. The War of Independence has been described as a major national disaster. The economic and social destruction caused by the British and French to the nascent nuclei of the Spanish textile industry delayed the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The economic-demographic catastrophe and the financial crisis conditioned Spanish foreign policy to the extent that it became unable to maintain its American colonies.
The Revolutionary War established a number of practices and customs. The creation of municipal boards, formed to defend against French invaders, was a phenomenon that recurred in multiple political insurrections throughout the century.
The significance of the guerrillas during the conflict also left a lasting mark on the Spanish people. For much of nineteenth-century Spanish society, many social customs, the standards of living imposed by existing laws, and indeed the practice of creating and improvising militias to promote political insurrection, were shaped by this legacy.
Phases of the War of Independence
First Stage: Initial Uprising & Resistance (1808-1809)
The first stage of the war began with the Madrid Uprising of May 2, 1808. The Junta Central soon attempted to organize resistance. The war was characterized by three main forms of engagement:
- Regular military operations
- Sieges
- Guerrilla warfare
Between 1808 and 1809, the national uprising disrupted the French plan to control the main peninsular ports. The defeat of the French army corps under General Dupont at Bailén and the capitulation of Marshal Junot before the British army forced the government of Joseph Bonaparte, imposed on the throne of Spain, to withdraw behind the Ebro line.
Second Stage: Napoleon's Intervention (Late 1808)
The war took a new course when Napoleon, in November 1808, leading the Grande Armée, entered the Peninsula, destroying one by one the Spanish corps raised by the Junta, which were often poorly organized. The defeat of the Spanish army was a defining event of this phase.
Third Stage: French Dominance & Guerrilla Warfare
The third phase of the war, under French dominance, was also characterized by the resistance of some major cities: Zamora, Girona, Tarragona, and Valencia. The guerrilla emerged as a new form of struggle and resistance, a manifestation of the Spanish popular will.
Final Stage: Allied Victory & French Withdrawal (1812-1814)
The last phase of the conflict (1812-1814) coincided in part with Napoleon's campaign in Russia. The Anglo-Luso-Spanish armies launched a victorious offensive, forcing Joseph Bonaparte to abandon Spain. Only Eastern Spain remained in French hands until 1814, the year in which the French permanently withdrew.