In order to analyze Salamanca's contributing actions to the development of the war and how these played a key role in the conflict, it is necessary to first understand his personal ideals. Daniel Salamanca was elected as the president of Bolivia in 1931. He was a very respected president with a political trajectory that gave him credibility within the country and its Congress. He was an advocate for free trade, and had over 30 years of political career. As historian and ex-president Carlos D. Mesa describes, , “[Salamanca’s] credentials were the honesty and the open devotion to the republican institutions.” Even though many considered him a positive figure, historians like Teresa Gisbert and Jose de Mesa reveal that Salamanca carried internal …show more content…
There were not enough military resources in the Chaco region, accompanied by 1200 army recruits without any military training. Additionally, the fiscal treasury was in poverty as a consequence of the global economic crisis. It was evident that Bolivia was in a position in which victory could not be assured. In addition to the military opposition, Salamanca also avoided the advice and consent of his personal cohort, the group in charge of providing the president with counseling in these types of scenarios. In July of 1932, a violent eviction of the Bolivian troops occurred in Laguna Chuquisaca, Paraguay. The Bolivian soldiers were attempting to occupy a section of Lake Chuquisaca. Salamanca took military action as a response to the Paraguayan expulsion. It is often disputed among historians that President Salamanca was simply carrying out orders of war due to the popular vote; Salamanca considered the eviction an act of outrage against national sovereignty. Historian Roberto Querejazu states that the blame of the war was not to be fully placed on Salamanca since there were citizens that went out to the streets to ask for revenge against the Paraguayan invader. However, Salamanca responded in disproportional manner to the events in Laguna Chuquisaca, and ordered the conquest of the Paraguayan forts of Toledo, Corrales, and Boquerón. Generals Osorio and Quintanilla resisted against …show more content…
In November 1934, the relations between Salamanca and the high command were unbearable. After the shameful fall of the Ballivian fort, the president was overthrown by Peñaranda, Toro, Busch and Moscoso. The president had no other choice but to resign. Later Jose Luis Tejada Sorzano took the leadership as the new president of Bolivia with the objective to seek peace as soon as possible. It is clear that Daniel Salamanca proved that his internal desires for not willing to lose his popularity influenced him in executing political decisions not a statesman but as a human full of personal ambitions. As stated by historian Roberto Querejazu, Salamanca “[was] mistaken in believing that the Paraguayan government would feel compelled to negotiate diplomatically with Bolivia occupying three forts in the Chaco.” This exhibits how Salamanca took the invasive approach to start diplomatic relations, which ended up working against his favor. Salamanca’s confidence was illusory, believing that the Neutral Commission of Pan Americanism would succeed in preventing the impending conflict and forcing Paraguay to conclude a treaty was naive. Additionally, he was carried away by the belief that Bolivia needed to lift its civic morale
He attempted this primarily through his portrayal of Montezuma’s system of governance as brutal and is people as disloyal to him. He described the apparent willingness of the peoples he encountered to abandon the Aztecs and swear allegiance to the King of Spain, “Although they were subjects of Montezuma … they had been reduced to that condition by force …and when they had obtained through me some knowledge of your Highness … they declared their desire to become vassals of your Majesty, and to form an alliance with me”(Second Letter, 38–39). Cortés justified his conquest further through his proclamation to the his king that he was acting in defense of these newly acquired vassals. Cortés wrote that Montezuma subjected the local people to violent and tyrannical repression and, “took from them their sons to be slain and offered as sacrifices to his idols”(Second Letter,
Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain." In Sources of Making of the West, by Katarine J. Lualdi, 269-273. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
...ything and everyone that were there. At times they would work with the Natives at other times they would be at war with the natives. The Spanish had been engaged with the natives longer and over time felt the best way to control them would be to convert them or put them into same locations where they could “keep an eye on them”. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was proof that no matter what they tried, when one man, country, or society tries to oppress another, war is almost always inevitable.
Bolivar illustrates the relationship between the Spanish American colonies and Spain. The relationship could be described as bitter, at least in the eyes of the Spanish colonies. Inferiority led the Spanish colonies to the ideas of revolution. Although their rights come from the Europeans, they do not acknowledge themselves as Europeans or Indians. The people of the Spanish colonies claim to be, according to Bolivar, “[…] a species midway between the legitimate proprietors of [America] and the Spanish usurper” (411). “Usurpers” meaning a position that is held by forces which entails an unwanted or uninvited relationship. It is because of the Europeans, as stated by Bolivar, that “we have to assert [European] rights against the rights of the natives, and at the same time we must defend ourselves against invaders [which] places us in a most extraordinary and involved situation” (411). This is also evidence of a bitter rela...
Mexicans who have similar direct conflicts with the United States, including President José Joaqun de Herrera, were viewed as traitors. Military opponents of de Herrera, supported by populist newspapers, considered Slidell's presence in Mexico City an insult. When de Herrera considered receiving Slidell to settle the problem of Texas annexation peacefully, he was accused of treason and removed. After a more nationalistic government under General Mariano Paredes y Arrillaga came to power, it publicly reaffirmed Mexico's claim to Texas; Slidell, convinced that Mexico should be "chastised", returned to the U.S.
...ur taken prisoners. As a result, Wilson prepared a letter to Congress demanding a full-scale war and an ultimatum was sent to Carranza, demanding the release of all American prisoners, which Mexico had already threatened to kill. Within days, all prisoners were released and all international bridges were seized. Although Carranza was finished, Pancho Villa was not ready to throw in the towel. Thus, he prepared for a series of attacks to come. General Pershing reported to Wilson of Villa’s repeated violence, but Villa continued, capturing many towns held by Carranzista forces. On January 1917, Pancho Villa gathered his forces to capture Toreon. In the end, hundreds of his men were dead and his defeat was seized upon by Wilson as a convenient way out of the problems in Mexico.
In the early 1900’s, one man bested the rival troops and used his intelligence to defeat the oppressive Mexican regime. Doroteo Arango Arámbula, also known as Pancho Villa, was born into a poor family and worked in the fields. Pancho Villa escalated from a peasant outlaw into a well-known revolutionary war strategist and folk hero. Pancho Villa could easily outsmart troops and use his popularity to help his cause for equality. His actions could not atone for any previous transgressions in his life of crime, but his tactics as a revolutionary war commander made him almost unstoppable when it came to fighting for equality.
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina reigned over the Dominican Republic in a dictatorship, extending over thirty years. He is known as having been the “most ruthless dictator in Latin America.” However, there is another side to the story. Trujillo was the third son of a humble sheep herder and worked as a sugar plantation guard in his adolescent years. He enlisted in the United States Marines Corp during the U.S.’s occupation in the Dominican Republic. He built himself up to National Commander and claimed presidency in 1930. He was a man known to be surrounded by “a surfeit of booze, women, wealth, power, and enemies.” Until his final years, he was admired by the Dominican people and seen as a demi-god and savior. During his first prosperous years
Vargas Vila’s speech, “Facing the Barbarians” is about his view of American imperialism. The speech takes on a very angry tone. He explains that the Americans revel in their victory of conquest, leaving the Latin Americas weak, defeated, and afraid. He views American imperialism as conquest, invasion and extortion. He believes that the Americans are, “an arrogant and voracious race, hungry for [their] territory, fixed on conquest.” In other words he doesn’t see any benefits to the American’s having power over their country. He believes that as a people, they need to form a union and, “join together to defend [themselves] against invasion and extortion against Europe and North America.” In Vargas’s speech he conveys his disdain for the Americans
Smitha, Frank E. “Rebellion against Spain in Latin America.” Macrohistory and World Report. Frank E. Smitha, 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. .
The character of Demetrio Macias proves to be quite ironic. One facet of his character reveals his determination to find Pancho Villa’s army, while the other side of his character parallels the extraordinary qualities Pancho Villa had as a hero. People viewed Pancho Villa as a revered hero who pushed out foreign "proprietors" and fought for the common man. On one hand, there is the compassionate man who helped those in need and rescued orphans providing them with food, education, and a home. On the other hand, there was the ferocious general who destroyed villages and killed innocent victims. Villa was generous and helpful to his followers, of which he insisted on loyalty and trust, but to those who violated his trust and authority, he was merciless and cruel. We can clearly see the similarities of these two leaders when we analyze their noble actions. Demetrio’s reluctance to stop ...
A Texan, William B. Travis and a small group of Texans attacked a squad of Mexican troops in Anahuac with the motive that “taxes should not thus be collected from them to support a standing army in their own country” (SOS 1) and soon drove them back. Travis retreated to San Felipe and were assisted to Bexar. Skirmishes and the threat of war with Mexico soon followed.
“The Conquest of New Spain” is the first hand account of Bernal Diaz (translated by J.M. Cohen) who writes about his personal accounts of the conquest of Mexico by himself and other conquistadors beginning in 1517. Unlike other authors who wrote about their first hand accounts, Diaz offers a more positive outlook of the conquest and the conquistadors motives as they moved through mainland Mexico. The beginning chapters go into detail about the expeditions of some Spanish conquistadors such as Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, Juan de Grijalva and Hernando Cotes. This book, though, focuses mainly on Diaz’s travels with Hernando Cortes. Bernal Diaz’s uses the idea of the “Just War Theory” as his argument for why the conquests were justifiable
Death of course by assassination planned by El Jeffe’s forces that was skillfully carried out to make it look like a tragic accident. Of course it was no coincidence to anyone, it was meant by Trujillo to intimidate potential followers of the ever rising rebellion. Their fight to the end showed how they were proud and willing to fight for the better life and brake the chains of living in oppression. They proved they would not tolerate living miserably under an unjust government and this was truly inspiring. This is a genuine and desirable trait that they held strongly, and it gained them due respect and honor.
The Conquest of New Spain Cortés came not to the New World to conquer by force, but by manipulation. Bernal Daz del Castillo, in the "Conquest of New Spain," describes how Cortés and his soldiers manipulated the Aztec people and their king Montezuma from the time they traveled from Iztapalaopa to the time when Montezuma took Cortés to the top of the great Cue and showed him the whole of Mexico and its countryside, and the three causeways which led into Mexico. Castillo's purpose for recording the mission was to keep an account of the wealth of Montezuma and Mexico, the traditions, and the economic potential that could benefit Cortés' upcoming conquest. However, through these recordings, we are able to see and understand Cortés' strategy in making Mexico "New Spain." He came as a wolf in sheep's clothing and manipulated Montezuma through his apparent innocence.