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Originally Posted by Cicero  Please Pinguin give me your opinion on this subject! |
Thanks Cicero!
There was a big difference between the British colonies and the Spanish. First, let's see the cases of Brazil and Canada. They ended as whole and unfractured nations simply because they were released from the control of the metropolis in a relative easy way. There wasn't massive wars, like the ones that existed in the U.S. and Spanish America.
Now compare the thirteen original colonies of the U.S. and see how close they were together. It is just common sense they will end unified.
In the Spanish colonies of America it wasn't the same case. Because the region was so widespread, the land was divided in several diferent Viceroyalties and Kingdoms, all relatively independent between them: Cuba, New Spain, New Granada, Peru, La Plata etc. Those colonies already have a sense of different identities, even before the Independence wars. Remember that the Spanish Colonies lasted 3 centuries! More than most the colonies that existed worldwide.
When Spain was invaded by Napoleon, the criollos went there to fight for the freedom of Spain. There they meet together and after started to plot the Independence of the colonies. The Independence wars that started in 1810 was several wars in parallel, directed by different groups.
After Independence, the Spanish colonies were devasted. And the situation had nothing to do with the colonies of that made the United States. Here it was a society directly extracted from the Middle Ages, with a feudalist system of land explotation, with large uneducated masses, with widespread poverty, alcoholism, etc. Even worst, after Independence, civil war and wars between states were relatively common.
At that time, it was very hard to unify the region.
Several attempts have been made to unify, at least South America, but for now it doesn't work. Countries are developing at different rythms and mentalities vary a lot. For instance, how could we unify Chile and Argentina when Chileans believe in no trade barriers at all, and Argentina still plays with protectionism? In any case, these countries collaborate quite a lot more than what it is known abroad.
Finally, with respect to the person that said he didn't know South America at all, but knew Africa... I would say simply that I can't deduce the lifestyle of Sweden studying Bangladesh
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