San Martin and Bolivar come to an agreement

[BlackMage]

On July 26, 1822, Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin met to decide the future of South America, which they had both effectively liberated. Details are at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guayaquil_conference. They were unable to come to an agreement on the future shape of South America, and both left disappointed. San Martin retired, leaving his nations as a series of republics, whereas Bolivar's Gran Columbia collapsed after a few years.

So, what if the two men had managed to come to an agreement on the future United States of Latin America? Apparently, the disagreement was over whether it should be a republic or not; Bolivar favoured a republican government, whereas San Martin apparently favoured importing a European prince to be head of state. Bolivar's liberalism probably means San Martin is the only one who can conceivably back down. Could the nation survive, or is it as doomed as Gran Columbia was?

 

[The Man]

Maybe they import a European Prince for the sake of a stable figurehead with good connections but they give him more or less the power of the british king/queen OTL-Present.

 

[AzureOwl]

That article is a bit misleading. San Martin’s idea wasn’t to bring a prince to reign over South America; the idea was to bring a king for Peru. The Viceroyalty of Peru (present day Peru plus Bolivia and the northern third of Chile) was the only Spanish possession that remained a colony. The others got their independence relatively easily. San Martin didn’t face much resistance in Argentina and Chile, and the same goes for Bolivar in Nueva Granada (later renamed Grand Colombia). But Peru was a different matter. For starters, the Peruvians were loyalists. They wanted to remain part of the Spanish empire. The Peruvian elites were monarchists and absolutists. And the merchants of Lima had a monopoly on the trade coming from the Philippines. The famous Manila Galleons were the property of limeño businessmen. Independence would’ve meant the end of that. Spain didn’t send any armies to try and hold onto their colonies the way the British did. It was the Peruvians themselves who fought tooth and nail against independence (particularly the people of what is today Bolivia and the Southern half of Peru. The northern Peruvians were more open to the idea). Peru was the area of South America where the Borbon absolutism took root the best.

But the other countries knew that their independence would be in jeopardy if a powerful Spanish possession remained in South America. While he was in Lima, San Martin realized that the only way the Peruvians might agree to become independent would be under a king. That’s why he sent a mission to look for one in Europe. But the plan never panned out.

 

[The Man]

That article is a bit misleading. San Martin’s idea wasn’t to bring a prince to reign over South America; the idea was to bring a king for Peru. The Viceroyalty of Peru (present day Peru plus Bolivia and the northern third of Chile) was the only Spanish possession that remained a colony. The others got their independence relatively easily. San Martin didn’t face much resistance in Argentina and Chile, and the same goes for Bolivar in Nueva Granada (later renamed Grand Colombia). But Peru was a different matter. For starters, the Peruvians were loyalists. They wanted to remain part of the Spanish empire. The Peruvian elites were monarchists and absolutists. And the merchants of Lima had a monopoly on the trade coming from the Philippines. The famous Manila Galleons were the property of limeño businessmen. Independence would’ve meant the end of that. Spain didn’t send any armies to try and hold onto their colonies the way the British did. It was the Peruvians themselves who fought tooth and nail against independence (particularly the people of what is today Bolivia and the Southern half of Peru. The northern Peruvians were more open to the idea). Peru was the area of South America where the Borbon absolutism took root the best.

But the other countries knew that their independence would be in jeopardy if a powerful Spanish possession remained in South America. While he was in Lima, San Martin realized that the only way the Peruvians might agree to become independent would be under a king. That’s why he sent a mission to look for one in Europe. But the plan never panned out.

So... then what need really is there for a compromise except in the ego of the two men?