The Causes of the Federal War Were diverse. Among them is the treatment of certain families to the detriment of those who had been slaves.
The Federal War (also called Long War or Five Years War) was an armed conflict that was generated during the second half of the 19th century (specifically from 1859 to 1863) in Venezuela .
The dispute between conservatives and liberals generated what is remembered as the most costly military confrontation after independence and the only civil war in all Venezuelan republican history (History Guy, s.f.).
The main motivation of this contest is that the conservatives tried to maintain intact the social order that had been established in Venezuela during the Colony, while the liberals proclaimed ideals of equality and freedom (Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, 2008).
Great characters came together during this civil war. Thus, Ezequiel Zamora and Juan Crisóstomo Falcón led the liberal front while José Antonio Páez represented the conservative side (Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, s.f.).
The Federal War had a marked character of guerrilla warfare. So much so, that in five years of fighting, only two of them are considered real battles: The Battle of Santa Inés (December 10, 1859) and the Battle of Coplé (February 17, 1860).
After unsuccessful negotiations and thanks to the civil and economic wear and tear caused by the war, it ended on April 23, 1863 with the Car Treaty.
Causes of the Federal War
1- Favored treatment of certain families
The distribution of land and livestock favored some families and military leaders who had battled during the War of Independence
From 1830, after the separation of The Great Colombia , The Venezuelan social structure continued to favor dominant elites when Venezuela was a colony.
A political agreement was created that contributed to an oligarchic system of government composed of creole white remnants and new power groups that appeared during the War of Independence.
Their position and benefits were clearly reflected in the domination of the lands they had received as a result of the transfer to new hands of the colonial latifundio.
Also, it is necessary to point out the presence of a commercial bourgeoisie that was surpassed by the supply that offered more than fifteen years of independence campaign (Miter, 1893).
This social structure operated under the centralized power of José Antonio Páez And other conservative governments.
As a result, other strong groups, with ambitions to direct the reins of the republic, will begin to raise different uprisings and insurrections in the country in search of the reestablishment of its privileges and the legitimization of a federalist government that protected its regional dominions.
2- Situation of misery of the ex-slaves
The discontent and the misery that lived about forty thousand ex-slaves to not having opportunities of work also propitiated the beginning of the Federal War. These returned to the homes of their employers or wandered in different parts of the country in poverty
The abolition of slavery was a company that was in the minds of many independence figures and had several attempts to crystallize.
However, it is not until March 24, 1854 that the president José Gregorio Monagas (Alchetron, s.f.), and despite the resistance of many landowners, decrees the definitive abolition of slavery in Venezuela.
Since the War of Independence the desire to abolish slavery had manifested itself and during the Republic was one of the strongest slogans of the liberal party.
When President Monagas carried out this task, he had an aim: to strengthen the positions of the liberals and of his own government vis-a-vis the conservatives, who defended slavery.
Now the liberation of these slaves put them in the difficult situation of not having land to work, nor the sustenance or maintenance that gave them being slaves, reason why many of them returned to the houses of their old employers or roamed By the streets of the country in precarious conditions.
However, the most direct consequence that emerged were the various uprisings (of conservatives with Paez leading the way), which produced the conditions for the outbreak of the Federal War and attempts to pay off the debts left in the process of independence.
3- Dissemination of liberal ideas on social equality
The spread of liberal ideas about social equality put the people against the conservatives and owners of large estates and herds.
In addition to the progressive ideals of equality and social justice that represented the banner of the liberal party, it advocated the establishment of a federal government that intended to limit federalism to central power.
The Liberal Party also defended granting landowners greater political and economic prerogatives.
These ideas were disseminated and developed in large part by the journalists Antonio Leocadio Guzmán and Juan Vicente González.
Antonio Leocadio Guzmán was the founder of the Liberal Party and managed to create a matrix of opinion against the conservatives through his position as director of the newspaper"El Venezolano", which constantly used the messages and ideals of this party.
It should be noted that the conservative government responds with the expulsion of characters such as Juan Crisóstomo Falcon, Ezequiel Zamora, Wenceslao Casado, Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, José Gabriel Ochoa, Fabricio Conde and other future leaders of the later race (Brown, 2012).
4- Economic crisis of 1858
This economic crisis brought about the loss of export earnings. Not having a strong productive development, the country was at the mercy of the corresponding global crises, many of them caused by the United States War of Secession (1861-1865) (Hassler & Weber, 2016).
These crises caused the prices of coffee, cocoa and hides to fall; All of them areas on which the Venezuelan economy depended because of its marked monoproductive character.
The 1840s are a period of strong national economic crisis, in contrast to the 1830s. It is estimated that one third of the population was outside the cash economy and practiced barter, especially in rural areas.
As a result of this crisis and during the term of the Monagas hegemony, the environment is created that is conducive to the beginning of the Federal War.
Internal economic circumstances can be understood through the confiscation of assets of those who rebel against the government (for example, cattle), the increase of internal and external debts by the increase of the military expenses and the deterioration of the salary of the Public employees, for the wrong government policies.
References
- Alchetron. (S.f.). Jose Gregorio Monagas . Obtained from Alchetron's website: alchetron.com.
- Brown, M. (2012). The Struggle for Power in Post-Independence Colombia and Venezuela. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. (S.f.). History For Kids . Retrieved from the website of Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: venezuela-us.org.
- Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. (2008). Federal War (Venezuela, 1859-1863) . Retrieved from the Encyclopedia: encyclopedia.com website.
- Hassler, W.W., & Weber, J.L. (May 11, 2016). American Civil War . Retrieved from the Encyclopedia Britannica website: britannica.com.
- History Guy. (S.f.). Wars of Venezuela . Retrieved from History Guy website: historyguy.com.
- Miter, D. B. (1893). The Emancipation of South America. Argentina: Chapman & Hall.
- Nichols, E. G., & Morse, K. J. (2010). Venezuela. California: ABC-CLIO.