In the “Cartagena Manifesto” and the “Letter to Jamaica”, Simon Bolivar provides information on the fight for South American independence and the reasons why states emerging countries have struggled to remain lasting republics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Bolivar begins with his opinion that the First Republic of Venezuela was weak due to its government's system of tolerance. This, according to Bolivar, resulted in a weakness that caused unnecessary rebellions and conflicts. For example, the city of Coro was able to fortify itself and become an enemy of the state because the junta gave Coro the opportunity and time to transform itself into a formidable force. Furthermore, Europeans were always attempting to subvert and overthrow the government. However, when their conspiracies were discovered, they were always acquitted by the courts. Therefore, being humane and tolerant only served to undermine the strength and legitimacy of the Venezuelan government. Furthermore, because Venezuela was a federalist state, it was unable to provide a well-trained and effective army. Instead, the army was replaced by numerous poorly trained militias. Due to the existence of so many militias, the salaries required to pay the staff officers depleted Venezuelan coffers. Furthermore, with the creation of the militias, the farmers were forced to abandon their lands. This caused unnecessary contempt for the government. The conception of Venezuela as a federal republic only served to actually cause tension and divide the country. The idea of ​​self-government embodied by federalism was a significant factor leading to the fall of the First Republic of Venezuela. The internal factions created worked against Venezuelan freedom and led to anarchy. Therefore, Venezuelans were unable to unite to remove the “yoke of tyranny.” The impending fall of Venezuela was further hastened by an earthquake in 1812. Bolivar argues that if Venezuela had a strong centralized government, the government's response might have been quicker and more effective. effective, and perhaps the fall of Venezuela could have been avoided. Unfortunately, Venezuela was too weakened by the earthquake to maintain its freedom from Spain. In discussing Spanish America as a whole, Bolivar believed that nations needed centralized governments. Centralized governments were necessary because the people had no concept of government and, therefore, would not be able to effectively form strong federal governments. Their inability was due to colonial rule which left them in an infantile state regarding public affairs. According to Bolivar, they were simply not prepared to be liberated from their homeland. Furthermore, any effort on their part would be undermined by the underlying weakness of federalism. Bolivar believed that federalism excessively exaggerated the sovereignty of the individual, thus weakening the government's authority and causing its collapse. According to him, the fall of Venezuela was a prime example of how flawed the federalist system actually was. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In order for the emerging Spanish-American nations to become strong and lasting powers, the concept of federalism had to end and centralized government was needed to replace it. This was necessary because, according to Bolivar, even if the federal system was the most perfect “and suitable for guaranteeing human happiness in society, [it] is, however, the most hostile form to the interests of… emerging states)