May Revolution (1810)

May Revolution (1810) The May Revolution (1810) was a week-long series of events in Buenos Aires that removed Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and installed the Primera Junta, initiating the process that led to the Argentine War of Independence and the eventual formation of Argentina. The movement combined influences from the Spanish American wars of independence, the Peninsular War, the ideas of the Enlightenment, and the political upheavals in Spain and Portugal. Key actors included local criollo leaders such as Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Mariano Moreno, and Cornelio Saavedra, with notable involvement from institutions like the Cabildo of Buenos Aires and military units such as the Patricios Regiment.

Background and Causes

The crisis began with the abdications at Bayonne involving Ferdinand VII of Spain and Charles IV of Spain, which energized supporters of provincial autonomy among the criollo elites in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, including urban notables from Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Córdoba, and Salta. International shocks from the Napoleonic Wars, especially the occupation of Madrid and the Battle of Bailén, intersected with economic tensions affecting merchants tied to Seville and Cadiz trade networks, while ideas from the French Revolution, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire circulated in salons, lodges, and newspapers such as La Gazeta de Buenos Ayres. Local disputes between peninsulares and criollos involved actors like Santiago de Liniers and institutions such as the Real Audiencia of Charcas and the Consulado de Comercio. Famine, commercial restrictions imposed by the British blockade intermittently, and fiscal strains linked to the Bourbon Reforms contributed to unrest among groups including artisans, merchants, and militia members like the Húsares de Pueyrredón.

Events of the May Week (May 18–25, 1810)

The week began with open agitation following news of the fall of the Supreme Central Junta in Spain and the capture of Cádiz by Napoleonic forces, prompting meetings at the Plaza de la Victoria and the Cabildo abierto convened on May 22. On May 18, crowds gathered near the Viceroyal Palace and the Mayor's office demanding the resignation of Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, while military formations such as the Regimiento de Patricios and supporters from the Milicias asserted pressure. On May 21, deputies from the Cabildo and representatives from suburbs like San Isidro and Santiago del Estero debated proposals influenced by figures like Mariano Moreno, Juan José Castelli, Manuel Belgrano, Cornelio Saavedra, and Miguel de Azcuénaga. A failed attempt by Cisneros to placate opponents by calling for open consultations led to the decisive Cabildo abierto on May 22 in which speakers including Leandro N. Alem—historical namesake inspirations in later politics—and petitioners demanded formation of a local junta. On May 25 the Primera Junta was proclaimed, with members such as Cornelio Saavedra as president and secretaries like Mariano Moreno initiating administrative changes; the act sent delegations to provincial capitals such as Mendoza, San Luis, and Tucumán.

Provisional Government and Political Changes

The newly formed Primera Junta assumed executive functions and issued decrees to secure allegiance from provincial cabildos and military commanders including José de San Martín and Juan Martín de Pueyrredón. Political rivalry emerged between the Saavedrist moderate faction represented by Cornelio Saavedra and the morenista radical faction represented by Mariano Moreno and Juan José Castelli, affecting appointments to the Junta Grande and policies toward provinces like Upper Peru and Paraguay. Diplomatic outreach targeted European powers such as Great Britain and regional actors like Portuguese Brazil, with strategic concerns about the Viceroyalty of Peru and the Captaincy General of Chile. The Junta created organs like the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres to communicate policy, commissioned military expeditions such as the one led by Juan José Castelli to Upper Peru, and faced counterrevolutionary uprisings in towns like Córdoba and Montevideo.

Social and Economic Impact

The Revolution altered social hierarchies among elites in Buenos Aires, empowering criollo merchants, military officers, and professionals including Domingo Faustino Sarmiento-era antecedents and longtime families such as the Pueyrredóns and Azcuénagas. Economic policies affected trade routes with Brazil, Bengal-linked merchants, and Atlantic commerce via the Port of Buenos Aires, while local industries tied to cattle ranching in the Pampas and estancias of Luján experienced shifts in labor demands involving gauchos and estancia workers. The administration confronted fiscal challenges inherited from the Bourbon Reforms and negotiated customs revenue and tariffs with merchant houses and consular bodies like the Consulado de Buenos Aires. Social mobilization involved organizations such as mutual aid societies, lodge networks like the Logia Lautaro (later associations), and civic groups that influenced later cultural figures including Esteban Echeverría.

Aftermath and Path to Independence

The May events triggered a chain of military campaigns and political developments: expeditions by leaders such as José de San Martín in the Army of the Andes, the campaigns of Manuel Belgrano in Paraguay and Upper Peru, and the naval actions of Guillermo Brown in the River Plate theater. The process produced institutional iterations from the Primera Junta to the Junta Grande, the First Triumvirate, the Second Triumvirate, and the Assembly of Year XIII, all navigating tensions over centralism and federalism that later involved figures like Bernardino Rivadavia and José Gervasio Artigas. Regional pronunciamientos, treaties such as local capitulations, and battles like Battle of Suipacha shaped military-political realities leading toward the formal Declaration of Independence of Argentina in 1816 at Tucumán. The May week remained a symbolic foundation in Argentine political culture, commemorated in civic rituals around the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo of Buenos Aires, and national holidays that recall the roles of participants like Mariano Moreno, Manuel Belgrano, Cornelio Saavedra, and Juan José Castelli.

Category:Argentine War of Independence