Simon Bolivar and Latin American Revolutions

Simon Bolivar is a famous military leader. It was because of him that many South American countries were set free from Spain. Simon Bolivar was born in Venezuela. He received a decent education after the death of his parents. He was also schooled in Spain, and traveled through Italy and France. There he became inspired by enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke. He also traveled to the US. The United States convinced him that his nation needed changes as well.

On July 5th, 1811, Simon started a revolution that led to Venezuela's independence. After Venezuela was freed from Spain's ruling, Simon continued to reinforce his army and military power. He controlled more and more countries over time. Then, he established the Republic of Colombia, where he was president. He then continued to free more country's in South America, and by the end freed Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Simon Bolivar is considered a great revolutionary hero for South America. He liberated almost all of South America from Spain's control. However, he was not as good a political leader than he was a military leader. His Government rule was unbalanced, and there were many civil wars in his own countries. A civil war is a war where both sides are part of the sam country. Simon Bolivar was considered the 'George Washington' of South America.