Peasant insurrection of 1846
Part of the Venezuelan civil wars

Carlos Soublette, president at the beginning of the war
Date1 September 1846 - 25 May 1847
Location
Provinces of Caracas, Barcelona and Carabobo. Current states of Aragua, Carabobo, Guárico and Anzoátegui State
Result Conservative victory
Belligerents
Conservative government Federal rebels
Commanders and leaders
Strength
1,155 troops (492 line and 663 militiamen) and 2 schooners (Constitución and July 28) in September 1846[1]
4,096 troops, 3 schooners and 3 archers in December 1846[2]
5,208 troops in the West, 3,302 in the East, and 2,575 in the center in 1847[3]		 -

The Venezuelan peasant insurrection of 1846 was a popular and social rebellion that broke out in various agricultural areas of Venezuela in September 1846 and lasted until May 1847.

Background

The main causes for the upheaval were multifaceted. First, a devastating crisis that had been grappling the nation since 1842. Second, rural discontent with the fiscal measures implemented by the government of Carlos Soublette in 1843. Third, incitement by the liberal faction led by Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, who engaged in vigorous and harsh propaganda campaigns against the Conservative government. These factors culminated into insurrection.

An insurrection took place in Villa de Cura under the command of Juan Silva in June 1844, then another in September in Orituco under the command of Juan Celestino Centeno. Finally, an assault on the Calabozo prison in December 1845 orchestrated by Juan and José Gabriel Rodríguez. All three were quickly and promptly suppressed by the government; such rebellion however was clear evidence of the social discontent simmering within the country.

By mid-1846, the economic and social crisis had worsened, leading to political chaos due to the presidential campaigns in August of that year. The main competitors were José Tadeo Monagas, Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, Bartolomé Salom, José Félix and José Gregorio Monagas; the first had the support of the government; the second, that of the Liberal Party. Soublette increased the number of army recruits, a decision which was denounced by his opponents as a way to intimidate voters. The elections were finally held in great order; however, the chaos caused by the previous campaigns prevented a definitive and universally accepted electoral result from being achieved.

Seeking to calm the situation, Santiago Mariño planned a meeting in Maracay, intending to meet with General José Antonio Páez, the most powerful man within the conservative regime, as well as with the defeated candidate Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, who was then residing in Caracas, to reach an agreement with the opposition. Guzmán however left for the valleys of Aragua with a large number of his supporters who were then joined by new forces along the way. The government was alarmed by this and put the army on high alert on 1 September. Because of this, the meeting never took place.

War

Ezequiel Zamora
José Antonio Páez, highest representative of the conservative oligarchy.
José Tadeo Monagas was the candidate of harmony between conservatives and liberals.

On 2 September, Guzmán was in La Victoria when Francisco José Rangel rose up in rebellion and began an uprising at dawn near the town of Magdaleno, stemming from the fact the authorities had confiscated away his land and prevented him from voting in recent elections. Rallying behind Guzmán, he attacked along with his men the hacienda of Yuma near Güigüe, property of lawyer and Paecista politician Ángel Quintero, killing his butler, wounding some of its inhabitants, and freeing its slaves. The government blamed Guzmán for what had happened and later arrested him. While rebel forces began to increase with the constant influx of peasants and slaves to their camps, they were eventually joined by Ezequiel Zamora, who was with Guzmán in La Victoria and became one of his main leaders in Villa de Cura.

Seeing that the peasants' rebellion was spiraling out of control, Soublette began to take steps to quell it. He appointed Páez as first chief of the army and sent him with 6,000 men to regain control of the central-western region and also appointed José Tadeo Monagas as second chief, in charge of retaking the Barloventeña and eastern region with 3,000 soldiers. Soublette also requested a loan of 300,000 pesos in order to put down the insurrection.

Consequences

Guerrillas remained scattered throughout the Venezuelan territory and the chaos allowed a sharp increase in common crime, with bands of outlaws attacking everyone without political background.[4] These forced to maintain an army of 813 line veterans, 972 militiamen and 212 municipal policemen as late as January 1848, when an amnesty had been given between June and August. The rebellion forced the conservatives to make an agreement with the liberals that brought Monagas to power, thus ending the hegemony of the former, called the Conservative Oligarchy, and beginning a new period called Monagato that lasted until 1858 and the March Revolution.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Irwin G., Domingo & Ingrid Micett (2008). Caudillos, militares y poder: una historia del pretorianismo en Venezuela. Caracas: Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, pp. 105. ISBN 9789802445615.
  2. ↑ Irwin G., 2008: 106. Archers used in Ciudad Bolívar for river transport, by that time the rebellion was unable to overthrow the government.
  3. ↑ Irwin G., 2008: 106.
  4. ↑ Irwin G., 2008: 108
  5. ↑ G, Domingo Irwin; Langue, Frédérique (2005). Militares y poder en Venezuela: ensayos históricos vinculados con las relaciones civiles y militares venezolanas (in Spanish). Universidad Catolica Andres. ISBN 978-980-244-399-4.
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