“The Liberator”: The Story of Simón Bolívar, the South American Hero

There is always too little talk, in the news and in the media, about South America. And little study is done on the history of this wonderful and varied continent, unfairly overshadowed by its proximity to the United States, a giant capable of monopolizing attention with its history, its political importance, its impact on culture and customs.

For this reason, the recent publication of a volume dedicated to one of the most important figures in the struggles fought by South Americans in the nineteenth century to free themselves from the colonial yoke of Spain is good news. We are talking about the essay Simón Bolívar (Armando Editore, 2025, pp. 356) in which Giorgio Seccia focuses on the struggle for the independence of Venezuela (1811), a key moment for the entire Latin American world.

An independence narrated in the aspects that determined it, social, political, religious, military, argued and supported by historical evidence. The charisma of Simón Bolívar emerges in the context, inflaming the population with speeches and writings of a patriotic and Pan-Americanist nature . Far-sighted and shrewd politician, but also a skilled tactician and strategist, el Libertador, the Liberator, is the authentic promoter and leader of the independence movement.

But who was this character adored in South America and almost forgotten in our longitudes? Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1783 to a family of the rich Creole aristocracy, that is, he was part of the richest class formed by whites of Hispanic origin born in the colonies, aristocrats who wanted to escape from the state of political and economic dependence on the mother country, Spain. In his destiny, according to his father's wishes, there was a career in the Spanish army that controlled a good part of Latin America but things went differently. In his youth, in fact, Bolívar made a long stay in Europe and came into contact with the ideas of the Enlightenment and the ideals of freedom and equality of the French Revolution . During this period he became convinced that the time had come for Latin America to free itself from European domination, so much so that in 1805 he swore a solemn oath that would accompany him throughout his life: "I swear by my honor and I swear by my country that I will not give rest to my arm, nor peace to my soul, until I have broken the chains that oppress us by the will of Spanish power."

Upon his return to his homeland, Bolívar tried to exploit the weakness of the Spanish, who were engaged in the fight against Napoleon in Europe , to launch a revolt against colonial rule between 1808 and 1809. The conflict with Spain was very harsh and, faced with the merciless repression of the Spanish, Bolívar issued his famous proclamation of “Guerra a muerte” , with which he decreed war without quarter against the enemy. In a short time, anti-Spanish insurrections took place in all of Spain’s dominions and in a few years the independence movement managed to prevail, thanks also to Bolívar’s courage and qualities as a leader.

In the fight for the liberation of Latin America, the leader, in fact, was the protagonist of great victories and an epic feat : in June-July 1819 he and his men sailed up the Orinoco River and unexpectedly arrived in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, located at 2600 meters above sea level, after crossing a long stretch of the northern Andes. Once independence was achieved, Bolívar aimed to reunite all the former Spanish colonies of South America in a confederation on the model of the United States . For the Latin American leader, this was the only way to have true independence, both economically and politically, from the European powers and especially from the United States. However, his project failed due to the fierce opposition of the local oligarchies of the various states born from the independence struggle.

In 1830, disappointed and also ill, Simón Bolívar decided to retire to private life in Colombia and within a few months he died, leaving South America free, independent, but still divided and unstable. South America as we still know it today, unfortunately different from how the Liberator had imagined it.