Federal War

Federal War
Part of theVenezuelan civil wars
Combat of Maiquetía, during the beginning of the Federal War, 2 September 1859
Date 20 February 1859 – 24 April 1863 Location Mainly theBarinas,Portuguesa,Cojedes,ApureandGuáricostates ofVenezuela Result Treaty of Coche,establishment of aFederalistgovernment
Belligerents
Federalists	ConservativeGovernment
Commanders and leaders
Ezequiel Zamora† Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Antonio Guzmán Blanco Francisco Linares Alcántara Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual Juan Antonio Sotillo	Julián Castro José Antonio Páez Pedro Gual Escandón Manuel Felipe de Tovar León de Febres Cordero
Casualties and losses
100,000+ dead

TheFederal War(Spanish:Guerra Federal) — also known as theGreat Waror theFive Year War— was acivil war(1859–1863) inVenezuelabetween theConservative Partyand theLiberal Partyover the monopoly the Conservatives held over government positions and land ownership, and their intransigence in granting any reforms. This drove the Liberals – known as theFederalists– to look for greater autonomy for the provinces: a new federalism for Venezuela, as it were. It was the biggest and bloodiest civil war thatVenezuelahad since itsindependencefrom Spain on 5 July 1811. Around a hundred thousand people died in the violence of the war, or fromhungerordisease,in a country with a population of just over a million people.

The conflict was a struggle for power between the conservative government ofPresidentJulián Castro,who had ousted his predecessorJosé Tadeo Monagasin March 1858, and the liberal opposition led byEzequiel Zamora.
The Liberals initially gained the upper hand, winning several battles in 1859, until their crushing defeat in theBattle of Copléin February 1860. After this defeat and the death ofEzequiel Zamora,the new Liberal leaderJuan Crisóstomo Falcónswitched to guerilla warfare, that by 1863 had weakened the government troops and caused the desertion of thousands of their soldiers. This forced the Conservative leaderJosé Antonio Páezto sue for peace.

Struggles in the government and society

Venezuela was facing many social and governmental struggles during this time period. Many factors contributed to the start of the war within the country, including social problems inherited from the struggle for independence, tensions among the diverse economic and political groups, a succession of armed movements in rural areas, and the hopes for a change in the government structure which was a centralist-federalist government.

Course of the war

Battle of Santa Inés, the first major conflict during the Federal War

1859

On 20 February 1859, Lieutenant Colonel Tirso Salaverría occupied the northern Venezuelan military base inCoroand proclaimed the creation of afederation,the abolition of the death penalty, universal suffrage and political pluralism. As a result, fighting broke out in various parts of the country, starting the Federal War in Venezuela. The first major battle was theBattle of Santa Inéson 10 December 1859. The Federalists, led by GeneralEzequiel Zamora,won. Zamora was able to consolidate his control of the Llanos and prepare the Liberals' advance north.

1860

Zamora's troops besieged the city ofSan Carlosfor a week in January 1860. Ezequiel Zamora was killed by a sniper on 10 January 1860 and the Federalists had to break off the siege.

After Zamora's death, his brother-in-law, GeneralJuan Crisóstomo Falcón,took command of the insurgent troops. Since they were weakened after the unsuccessful attack on San Carlos, Falcón decided to avoid battle and wait for reinforcements from a contingent under General Juan Antonio Sotillo. The government troops under General Febres Cordero went after Falcón. At Coplé, a crossroads betweenCalabozo,Camaguán and Guayabal, theBattle of Copléwas fought on 17 February 1860, in which the government troops were victorious.

Nevertheless, the defeated Federalists managed to withdraw in an orderly manner. Falcón changed his strategy: guerrilla warfare instead of pitched battles. On trips to Colombia, Haiti and the Caribbean, he sought and found help to continue the war.

1861

Falcón returned to Venezuela in July 1861. The Federalists consolidated their positions so that their units could make more and more advances against the government troops. The first peace negotiations took place in December 1861, but were unsuccessful.

1862

During 1862, the Federalists won several victories, namely at Pureche, El Corubo, Mapararí and Buchivacoa.

1863

The government troops were now weakened by the long guerrilla war and the desertion of thousands of soldiers. When the Federalists surrounded Coro in April 1863, the Conservatives were willing to negotiate. On 22 May 1863, PresidentJosé Antonio Páezand General Falcón signed the PeaceTreaty of Coche(named after an estate not far from Caracas), which sealed the victory of the Liberals. Falcón became the new President.

End of the war

The Federal War in Venezuela went on for four years until April 1863 due to the signing of the treaty of Coche that put an end to it. Many changes came with the end of the war:

• Juan Crisóstomo Falcónbecomes president of Venezuela on 15 June 1863
• Abolition of the death penalty.
• Establishment of the Federation, with the entry into force of theconstitution of 1864.
• Shortage of the agricultural activity in the plains due to the fires.
• Decrease in foreign trade.
• Reduction of the central government army.

Important people

Ezequiel Zamorawas the Federalist who won theBattle of Santa Inesin 1859. Zamora was a Venezuelan soldier and leader of the Federalists in the Federal War. Through his friendship with the lawyer José Manuel García, Zamora learned a lot about philosophy and the foundations of Roman law, and he soon advocated for the "principles of equality" and the need for Venezuela to have this implemented. He was named the Federalists' "Chief Operating Officer of the West" after the battles he won there.

León de Febres Corderowas an army and political conservative from Venezuela who was a key leader in the war for independence of the country. He was also a key person in the Federal War and won many battles for the Conservatives including the battle of Coplé. Leon lost the battle of Santa Inés, where he retreated to save his troops. Later, he regathered strength, and in Caracas, Febres Cordero defeated the Federalists and celebrated victory in the battle of Coplé.

Ezequiel Zamora,the federalist who won the battle of Santa Inés, 1859.

León de Febres Cordero y Obertothe leader of the conservatives who won the battle of Coplé.

Sources

• Micheal Tarver, Julia Frederick: The History of Venezuela. Palgrave MacMillan, New York 2006, ISBN 1-4039-6260-X, p 67.
• Malcolm Deas: Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador: the first half-century of independence. In: The Cambridge History of Latin America. Band 3: From Independence to c. 1870. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1985, ISBN 0-521-23224-4, p 525–526.
• Frédérique Langue: Histoire du Venezuela. De la conquête à nos jours. Ed. L’Harmattan, Paris Langue, ISBN 2-7384-7432-2, p 397.
• Orlando Araujo: Venezuela. Die Gewalt als Voraussetzung der Freiheit. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1971, p 32.

External links

• Guerra Federal
• Bednar, R. (2017c, April 25).10 Characteristics of the Federal War in Venezuela.Life Persona.
• Encyclopedia.