Simón Bolívar's Ideas in His Own Handwriting

Abstract

This paper examines the original Bolivarian thought expressed by Simón Bolívar through his own writings. The objective is to understand the authentic content of the liberator's ideals, without mediation or interpretation, on political, social, and economic issues. A large body of documentation has been compiled, consisting primarily of his correspondence with political, military, economic, and family figures of the time. It is evident that Bolívar's thought was strongly committed to the ideals of the Enlightenment and political liberalism, with an emphasis on the principles of the republican form of government and the separation of powers, while strongly rejecting other forms of government such as absolutism and autocratic governments. Economically, he expressed his commitment to fiscal balance and the system of contracts and commitments; he did not support ideas such as agrarian reform (in the style of Artigas and Sarmiento).