Culture of Soccer in Uruguay, and how Uruguay Gained Independence Research Paper

Culture of Soccer in Uruguay, and how Uruguay Gained Independence - Research Paper Example The struggle for independence of Uruguay began in February 1811, when Buenos Aires was about to face an offensive by Elio. Buenos Aires, which was the interior of Banda Oriental, was headed by the captain of Blandengues Corps, Josà © Gervasio Artigas. Artigas was annoyed by this move and announced his offering of services to Buenos Aires (Burford 15). Artigas had been profoundly influenced by federalism; he always had had an issue with Elio regarding its discriminatory commercial policies against Montevideo. Artigas led an army that scored the most important victory against the Spaniards who played a decisive role in the independence of Uruguay on May 18, 1811through what is known as the â€Å"Battle of Las Piedras†. He then moved on to besiege Montevideo from May 1811 to October 1811. Elio was able to save Montevideo by inviting forces from Brazil, which was under Portuguese occupation, which entered the Uruguay and governed most of the country by July of 1811. In the Octobe r of that month Elio, signed a peace treaty with Buenos Aires which state that all the forces including that of Artigas, Portuguese and Brazilian will evacuate Uruguay and provide an airlift to the cordon of Montevideo. 13,000 civilian evacuated Salto and on the Rio Uruguay and moved to Argentinean town of Ayui, where they lived as refugees for quite some time. The series of steps marked the beginning of Uruguayan independence even though the Spanish and Portuguese troops did not withdraw until 1812. In 1813, after the return of Artigas to Banda Oriental, where he was hailed as immortal campaigner for the cause of federalism and unitary centralism of Buenos Aires; a constituent assembly was called upon in Buenos Aires by the new government. Delegates from Banda Oriental’s started to elect assembly representatives congregated and under orders issued by Artigas, propositioned a series of political directives, which were later to be called as "Instructions of the Year Thirteen; these directives included of the colonies' independence and the formation of a confederation of the provinces (the United Provinces of the Rio de a Plata) from the former Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata (dissolved in 1810 when independence was declared). This political formula was based upon the constitution of ‘United States of America that would have led to political and economic freedom of for every area including Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, the assembly refused to let this happen, Buenos Aires pursue a form of government who ruled on the basis of Unitary Centralism which resulted in Artigas breaking with Buenos Aires for a second time besieged Montevideo. In 1814, Artigas lifted his siege but a civil war type situation rose in which resulted in massive casualties among the Uruguayans, Spaniards, and Argentines, until he capitulated to the troops of Buenos Aires, while his army was controlling the countryside after which he remerged and took the city again in 1815. The B anda Oriental appointed its first autonomous government after the troops left the city. Artigas then moved on establish an executive center in the northwest of the realm, where he managed a federal league under his authority. The new country consisted of six states including Rio Parana, Rio Uruguay, and Rio de la Plata with Montevideo as its overseas port. In the same year, Artigas attempted to put into practice agrarian reform in the Banda Oriental by allocating sequestered from his enemies of the revolution that included Mestizos (people of mixed Indian and Europe descent) and Indians. In 1816, Portuguese troops again took control of Banda Oriental from Brazil and took Montevideo the next year (Andrien 282). Artigas was defeated after 4 years of struggle and went into exile in to Paraguay and died there in 1850. Portuguese Brazil then appropriated the Banda Oriental as its Southern most Cisplatine province. After Brazil gained independence from Portugal in 1822, Brazil was faced b y the strife in the Banda