In 1804 a young man from Venezuela stood on a small hill in Rome and made a grand declaration. He said, “I swear before you, I swear before the God of my fathers, I swear by my fathers, I swear by my honour, I swear by my country that I will not rest, body or soul, until I have broken the chains with which Spanish power oppresses us.”
His name was Simón Bolívar and over the next 30 years he made good on his promise, so much so that his name is synonymous with the removal of Spanish rule from South America. He has become more icon than man, a romantic hero and revolutionary symbol, but what did he actually do to achieve such fame and was it the power of ideas that drove him to success or the fortune of events?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
History podcast of the day
Simon Bolivar;
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