Simón Bolívar by Marie Arana

I'm rounding out my study of the 19th century with this biography of the 19th century general - The Liberator - as he was known - from Venezuela who played the leading role in freeing South America from colonial rule by Spain.

His story reveals so much about civilization and the human race, a story that has repeated itself in countless ways through the millennia.  A few themes:

• Although ending slavery in South America was one of Bolivar's major accomplishments, it led to significant carnage and death for many decades following.  The story parallels the freeing of slaves in the U.S. following the American Civil War.  Unfortunately freedom is only the beginning of the process towards betterment for the formerly enslaved.
• Although ending the one-sided colonial rule by Spain was another of Bolivar's precious accomplishments, it also led to significant carnage, war, rapine and death for many decades following.  As with the end of slavery, it appears that sometimes things need to get much, much worse before they can begin to improve.
• Civil societies, in order to prosper for the long-term, must be ruled by laws, not men.  Great leaders do emerge and can lead society forward for a time, but only the rule of law can lead to long-term progress.  Bolivar's means to freeing South America required the often brutal leadership of a military general.  One could even argue that a strong military leader is needed for a time after liberation (just as General Washington was needed as President Washington to manage the transition in the U.S.).  But eventually a legal framework must be established, respected and followed by all.  In South America this process took many decades (in fact its still unfolding in Venezuela today) to reach a point of prosperity and progress for manyof its people.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote  that "Liberty is a succulent food, but hard to digest."  Just as in the American and French Revolutions, this statement was never so true as in the liberation of South America.