Latin American Struggle for Independence
...ic in early 1823. 6. Brazil's loyalty to Portugal stems from the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil in 1808. It maintained the loyalty of the colonial loyalty and stimulated the economy. Pedro I declared Brazilian independence as a constitutional monarchy with himself as emperor. He reconciled Brazil's desire for independence and his desire to maintain the royal families hold on Brazil since he was heir to the throne of Portugal. Personalist leaders were political leaders who relied on charisma and their ability to mobilize and direct the masses of citizens outside the authority of constitutions and laws. The model for this type of leader was Napoleon. The American personalist leader was Andrew Jackson and his Venezuelan counterpart was Jose Antonio Paez. The difference in the experience of personalist leaders in the United States and Latin America had to do with the rate of development. Latin America's slow development of stable political institutions made personalist politics more influential than in the United States. Still, Andrew Jackson did push the limits of his authority; however, the US never experienced an armed resistence that overturned the results of our election as was the case in Latin America. Latin American leaders had fewer checks on their ambitions and often rose to the status of dictators. The Confederacy fell part to poor timing. All successful successions occurred during the first years of a nation's existence. The United S...