232 Hispanic America
the economic interest of a whole country to a romantic
cause. The Republic of Venezuela was destroyed three
times, and, after independence was attained, nothing of the
prosperous condition of the colonial life remained. The
creative character of the work of Bolivar, the hero embody-
ing the Colombian movement, is still clearer. In the cam-
paign of the year 1813, Bolivar, with only five hundred
soldiers, conquered the principal part of Venezuela against
an army of more than ten thousand soldiers. The reaction
of the plains, of the ferocious armies of the semi-barbarous
tribes, led by Boves, destroyed the second Venezuelan
Republic. Economic interest was evidently against the
continuation of the struggle. However, Bolivar was not
discouraged. He started a new campaign, and failed again,
but immediately after he renewed the fight in the fourth
campaign which led him to ultimate success. During these
years the material interests of all kinds of people, of all
the social classes, was in favor of peace, and against the
continuation of the revolution.
Regarding the observation of Professor Paxon, we may
say that the influence of the English merchant was im-
portant, but by no means decisive or creative. This influ-
ence, according to the same professor, took place chiefly
in Buenos Aires, and Buenos Aires was not the centre or
the focus of South American independence. The centre of
the great southern emancipative current was Cuyo rather
than Buenos Aires, and the northern current started and
developed with entire disregard of economic conditions.
The second theory, which we call the intellectual expla-
nation of Independence, throws some light on the ideals
and purposes of this time, but it is not enough to account
for the dynamic character and the marvellous efficiency
of the movement. In human evolution, will and feeling