Andres De Santa Cruz Had a Lot

Andres de Santa Cruz had a lot of importance in politics, and contributed greatly to the Peru-Bolivia Confederation. He grew up in the aftermath of an indigenous rebellion, which prepared him for the political role he would play (Perea 2011). He made his mark in Peru and Bolivia, but what he accomplished is often overlooked throughout various books on the history of the area. As the Spanish Empire unraveled, Santa Cruz was able to become instrumental in ensuring freedom and growth for a region struggling with where it had been and where it was going in the future (Perea 2011). He wanted to see union between Bolivia and Peru, which he was able to get for a time in the Peru-Bolivia Confederation (Perea 2011). Even though it was only present from 1836 to 1839, it has a time that has been marked in history. Santa Cruz considered Peru to be his homeland, but he ended up being considered a foreigner in that land. He struggled with that, because it is very difficult to be told one does not belong to an area in which one feels at home.

Despite the trials he faced, Santa Cruz persevered and continued working for the things in which he believed (Perea 2011). He was deeply committed to the military and first went to war when he was only 17. He wanted to keep the provinces around Lake Titicaca united, and that was one of the main foci of his career, because he believed that the linkages between the two areas were too strong to allow them to become separate from one another. In 1830, Santa Cruz changed sides and began fighting with those who were committed to independence from Spain (Perea 2011). However, even during that time he wanted to see the provinces near Lake Titicaca stay together as one. He created a national army and transferred a great deal of intelligence and experience from the colonial army to Peru's first army. He also became more aware of the rhetoric he needed to use and the way he needed to operate in order to work for freedom more effectively.

Because he was not in a position of command, it can be hard to determine how much of the rhetoric Santa Cruz really subscribed to, and how much of it was used just because he needed and wanted to move forward with freedom from Spain (Perea 2011). He saw successful government as something that would have complete control and that would dominate the armed forces (Perea 2011). His goal was for the Confederation of Peru and Bolivia, and he wanted to see that work out in the long-term. It did not, but that does not negate what Santa Cruz was trying to do or the value he has in history. He was considered to be a caudillo, which is a word meaning leader. However, the word is used loosely and could also sometimes apply to viceroys or military members. There were also negative connotations that were associated with the use of the word, depending on the context and the person who was being discussed (Perea 2011). It was not always a favorable term.

Napoleon was called by the term, which was thought to be very positive at the time (Perea 2011). Later, he was still called a caudillo but only as a more derogatory term. Many other men were called caudillos throughout their life, including some of them that were working against the military and trying to invade or otherwise cause problems for the country. While there was much meaning ascribed to the term, it was very hard to pin a specific meaning onto it in any way. That is something important to remember when considering that period in history and the way in which Santa Cruz was viewed by others. The way the term is viewed was affected by Santa Cruz, because he had some of the nuances and traits associated with it but not others (Perea 2011). In other words, whether he was an accurate reflection of that word has been called into question. There are many nuances between various leaders who have been called by the term caudillo, and Santa Cruz is just one of the men throughout the history of the region who has carried that term (Perea 2011).

One of the most significant issues pointed out about Santa Cruz was the way he changed sides from supporting Spain to fighting for freedom from it (Perea 2011). There is no way of knowing his thought processes on this, because there are no surviving documents attesting to the reasons behind his change of heart (Perea 2011). It was possible he saw that a Peru-Bolivia confederation would be more significant and important than one that was tied to Spanish rule, but what made him see this over time? Why did his view change? Those questions will have to remain unanswered. One thing that is certain, though, is that Santa Cruz was not alone in his decision to make a change (Perea 2011). Many other men of that time period also made a change and decided that they would fight for freedom from Spain instead of continuing to support the Spanish rule of their country.