O'Higgins was born into a wealthy British merchant family in Chile, and his father, William O'Higgins, was a businessman and diplomat who served as British consul in Chile and Peru.
His mother, María Isabella Catros, came from a prominent Chilean family whose ancestors were Spanish colonists and landowners during the colonial period.
O'Higgins was well educated from an early age, his father sent him to England for education, and then he returned to Chile with his father's encouragement to participate in the Chilean independence movement, where he was a radical anti-colonialism in his youth, believing that Chile should be freed from Spanish rule and establish its own government.
O'Higgins distinguished himself in the Chilean War of Independence and was awarded the rank of general, held important positions in the Chilean Civil War, and led a volunteer army to Peru in the early 1820s to support the local independence movement.
Later, O'Higgins left the army to become a politician and businessman, and was one of the founders of the National Bank of Chile.
As one of the leaders of the Chilean independence movement, Bernardo O'Higgins made an important contribution to the success of Chilean independence, and through his outstanding leadership and heroic combat performance, he led the Chilean people to constantly resist the rule of colonialism, and finally achieved independence and freedom.
In the early 1820s, O'Higgins led a volunteer army to Peru to support the local independence movement, and later returned to Chile, where he played an important role in the Chilean Civil War, holding important political and military positions, so his experience played a crucial role in the Chilean independence movement.
Divisions in the Chilean independence movement prior to the liberation of Santiago led to O'Higgins and his supporters calling for a coalition government, a political idea that was eventually adopted and gave a powerful impetus to the progress of the Chilean independence movement.
In the Chilean War of Independence, O'Higgins' troops achieved remarkable victories in many battles, making a significant contribution to Chile's independence and freedom, and in 1820, O'Higgins' troops captured the fortress of the Spanish colonial army, which marked the victory of the Chilean Civil War.
Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile. Santiago dates back to the Chilean colonial period in the 16th century. Under Spanish rule, Santiago grew and prospered rapidly. Over time, Santiago gradually became the political, cultural and economic center of Chile.
History of San Diego
Santiago has always been one of the centers of Chilean political and cultural activity, it is home to the office of the President of Chile and the Chilean Congress, in addition, it attracts many tourists due to its many important historical and cultural sites.
The Piñera government's policy focus is mainly on strengthening Chile's economic and social development, and their policy initiatives include promoting foreign investment, creating more jobs, and improving health care and education.
In recent years, the Chilean political scene has undergone some significant changes, and in 2019, there were large-scale social protests in Chile, and dissatisfaction with the country's government and economic system broke out, which led to profound political and social changes and promoted the further development and fairness of Chilean society.
The Spaniards built many magnificent churches, monasteries and government buildings in Santiago, mostly in European styles such as Baroque and Neoclassical, which have become a major feature of downtown Santiago today and attract many tourists.
They promoted commerce and the economy through a gift-based trading system in Santiago, as well as silver and copper mining in Chile, which promoted mining and metallurgy.
In Santiago, the Spaniards established administrative institutions and educational institutions, set up organizations such as district courts and town halls, strengthened local politics and management, and promoted the process of Christianization in Chile by promoting the Catholic faith in Santiago and calling on the local population to convert to Catholicism.
In the Chilean War of Independence, Santiago was an important military and political stronghold, in 1810, the Chilean War of Independence broke out, Santiago became the center of revolutionary forces, on September 18, 1810, Santiago declared independence and established the first provisional government, which marked the real beginning of the Chilean independence movement.
After Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808, Spain's authority in Latin America was weakened, and the elites of Santiago began to rebel against Spanish rule and recruited peasants and workers from many places to participate in the rebellion, which was victorious in the September 1810 uprising, occupying major cities and provinces.
After being occupied by Spanish forces in 1814, Santiago became the center of gravity of the Chilean independence forces, and in 1817, Chilean leaders O'Higgins and Ignacio Comenal began to organize troops in the south until February 12, 1818, when the last Spanish army was defeated in the decisive battle of the Chilean War of Independence, the Battle of Macchijuela, officially gaining Chilean independence.
How O'Higgins liberated San Diego
O'Higgins was an important leader and hero during the Chilean War of Independence, employing a variety of tactics and tactics in the liberation of Santiago.
Launching a massive peasant uprising, his strategy was to gather several thousand militiamen, most of them peasants and workers, who fought against the local tycoons, royal representatives, and local police forces still loyal to Spain.
In Santiago and the surrounding area, these rebels captured many cities and gathered into large armies, and these peasant rebels contributed to the success of the Chilean War of Independence.
O'Higgins teamed up with Argentine leader José de San Martín to form a multinational coalition that included volunteers from Chile, Argentina and other South American nations to fight the Spanish colonists, which ultimately defeated the last Spanish army at the Battle of Macchijuela in 1818, securing Chile's independence.
Other tactics were used, such as his announcement of the lifting of the ban on trade in Indians and slaves, which attracted more supporters, thereby strengthening Chile's military power, strengthening discipline in the barracks, improving the living conditions of soldiers and forming a more specialized army.
After the liberation of Santiago, O'Higgins took a series of initiatives to consolidate his rule and improve living conditions in the city, he reorganized the government and army, and established a series of administrative institutions in the city to ensure administrative stability and effective management.
It has promoted the construction and development of urban infrastructure, including public buildings such as roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, to provide better social services for the city.
Agricultural production was promoted in the cities and land was replanned to enable farmers to make better use of land resources and increase the benefits of food and other production, in addition, he improved the economic situation by implementing tax and trade policies and encouraged foreign investment to attract technology and capital to Chile.
However, during O'Higgins' reign, there were also some people who were dissatisfied with his rule, believing that there were some problems in his control of domestic affairs, some people believed that his rule was too centralized, depriving the people of their freedom and right to speech, and he sometimes used harsh measures to suppress the opposition, which caused a lot of controversy.
The impact of liberating San Diego
During his administration, O'Higgins promoted Chile's modernization and social harmony through a series of measures such as reforming government institutions, strengthening administration, building urban infrastructure, promoting agricultural production and improving economic conditions.
To a certain extent, these reforms have addressed the most urgent needs of the people and brought about rapid social and economic development in Chile.
Among Latin American countries, O'Higgins is one of the very few people with a mixed race identity and serves as the leader of the country, and his successful experience and performance in the liberation war have had an important impact on Latin American socialism and left-wing political thought, inspiring the development and progress of independence movements in other Latin American countries.
O'Higgins' political ideas also became an important example of the thoughts, actions, and explorations of left-wing political leaders in Latin America.
As an important step in the history of Latin America, the liberation of Santiago by O'Higgins can be regarded as an important event in the Latin American liberation movement, and at the same time, in the world, O'Higgins' successful experience has also provided inspiration and reference for other countries to strive for national independence and achieve national development.
The liberation of Santiago opened the door to the Chilean War of Independence and accelerated the process of independence of South American countries from Spanish colonizers, a series of wars against the Spanish Empire in Latin America in the late 18th and 19th centuries, fought in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and other countries.
The victory of O'Higgins in the liberation of Santiago inspired the Chilean people and other South American countries to become independent, and promoted the independence movement throughout South America.
The liberation of Santiago provided important inspiration and reference for other Latin American countries, and O'Higgins' military talent and political wisdom provided valuable experience for the anti-colonial independence struggle throughout South America.
He focused on political and economic reform, promoting socio-economic development through agricultural development, infrastructure construction, and administrative strengthening, providing a model and reference for other Latin American countries.
Chile's vast land and limited Spanish colonizers, who relied on the indigenous population and ultimately failed to stifle the Chilean national independence movement, provided courage and confidence to other Latin American countries to realize that Spanish colonizers were not invincible and could advance the independence process by weakening their dominating power.
The vast majority of O'Higgins' subordinates are Chileans, who have a strong sense and belief in independence and resistance to oppression, and O'Higgins' leadership of his people to win the war shows that the Chilean people have excellent leadership qualities and provide examples and learning objects for other Latin American countries.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Spanish colonists had been colonizing Latin America for centuries, many Latin American countries were seeking independence, and the Battle of San Diego was one of the most important battles of the Spanish-American War, marking the fall of the Spanish Empire and the rise of the United States.
It also revealed that Latin American countries needed more economic, political and social innovation and change in order to emerge from colonial rule and move towards independence and freedom.
O'Higgins was one of the most important figures in Chilean history, leading the Chilean people to revolt against Spanish colonial rule and eventually succeeding in overthrowing it.
This marked Chile as one of the first countries in Latin America to gain independence, and also provided a model for neighboring countries to escape colonial rule, so the liberation of Santiago by O'Higgins had an extremely important impact on Latin American history.
Latin American countries were generally colonized, so O'Higgins' victory inspired the Latin American people to free themselves from foreign domination, and it also called on all Latin American countries to unite and embrace independence and freedom.
The liberation of Santiago by O'Higgins also had a profound impact on global history, marking the fall of the Spanish Empire and pushing for the independence of other colonial powers, and it also inspired anti-colonial and patriotic movements elsewhere.
References: Bernardo O'Higgins: Chilean Revolutionary and Statesman