The Independence of Spanish America - 9780521622981

The Independence of Spanish AmericaAuthor(s): Jaime E. Rodrguez\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521622981, 978-0521622981\nSynopsis\nThis book provides a new interpretation of the process of Spanish American independence [tel]; one which emphasises political processes and cultural continuities, instead of the break with Spain. It is the first book to examine the representative government and popular elections introduced by the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Rodrguez argues that independence did not constitute an anti-colonial movement, as many scholars assert, but rather formed part of the broader Spanish political revolution. In America, a struggle over who would govern accompanied this revolution. Despite significant participation by the masses, the struggle for independence resulted in the triumph of the criollos, the New World bourgeoisie. The liberal tradition of constitutional, representa.