Southern Cone Under the British

Bolivia and Peru

     In Auchmuty-Whitelocke World (AWW), the British victory at Buenos Aires in 1807 has had significant implications on both Bolivia and Peru.  First of all, in both these places, loyalty for the Spanish held up for a little longer than in our world, given that they hated the British even more than the Spanish-speakers in the Plate Colony.  In fact, the Anglo-Plate War, which was caused by Criollo opposition to British control in the northwestern part of the erstwhile Viceroyalty of La Plata (including what is now Bolivia), was fought for a large part in these northwestern lands.  While the British won from the present-day Argentinian province of Salta southwards, they lost to the Spaniards north of that.  The Congress of Vienna decided in 1815 to officially return Bolivia (then called Upper Peru) to Spanish control as a result of Spain’s victory in Upper Peru; that is why Bolivia is not a part of Argentina.  In any event, after roughly 1810, people in Upper Peru and elsewhere that was left of the Spanish Empire became more disgusted at Spain, and so wanted independence (accelerating after 1815). 

     In 1820-21, Jose de San Martin, together with Bernardo O’Higgins, invaded Peru by sea from Chile, using the army that they formed together in Chile from among the Chilean patriots.  Peru was liberated in 1821, but it only gained independence in 1824, a year after Bolivar, who worked to liberate northern South America from the yoke of Spain, came over there.  Bolivia followed suit in 1825, becoming the second-to-last Spanish possession to gain independence (only Chile was later, in 1826).  In subsequent years, Bolivia lost much territory, largely to Chile, Paraguay, and Brazil, but a little sliver was handed over to Argentina in 1899, an area known as Los Andes.  The Los Andes Territory was split up in 1943 among Salta and Tucuman provinces.

     From independence onwards, in AWW, Britain has exerted a major influence over Bolivia and Peru, either directly or through Argentina, in many ways.  It, along with Argentina, has mediated over various conflicts involving either or both countries, like the War of the Pacific (1879-81), which was shortened relative to this world.  The breakup of the Bolivian-Peruvian confederation in the 1830s was also done peacefully as a result of Britain’s intervention.  This world’s Chaco War of the 1930s did not even take place in that world due to Britain’s successful resolution of the Bolivian-Paraguayan border skirmishes of the late 1920s.  As well, Peru and Bolivia have benefited enormously from trade with Britain and Argentina, and from the prosperous British and Anglo-Argentine communities in Peru and Bolivia, especially in and around Lima and La Paz (the latter countries’ respective capitals).  Still, they have been far less developed than Chile or Brazil, let alone Argentina and Uruguay.  Per capita income in Bolivia is $1500 (perhaps the lowest in South America), and in Peru, it is $3000.

 
     The area of Bolivia is 1,098,581 square kilometres (or 424,165 square miles), while that of Peru is 1,285,216 square kilometres (or 496,225 square miles) - just like in our world.  Bolivia's population in 2001 was 8,263,608, while that of Peru was 27,058,287 in 2005; these are very slightly less than in our world.

     Today, Bolivia and Peru are the targets of lots of Argentine investment, and there are small angloparlant (English-speaking) and/or British-ancestry communities in each of those countries (1% and 1.5%, respectively).  The angloparlants in Peru and Bolivia form a significant part of the elites in those countries.  There are some people from the Southern Cone who go to the Peruvian coast either to surf (there are very good waves in parts of Peru) or to retire.  In fact, there are quite a few retirees from Argentina and, to some extent, Uruguay and Chile along the coast of Peru (mostly in the north and around Lima).   

     At the same time, Peru and especially Bolivia have been significant sources of recent immigration (much of it illegal) to Argentina. (Chile gets even more Peruvian immigration and some Bolivian immigration, while Uruguay receives little of either).  They work in menial jobs in Argentina and other destination countries, seeking much higher wages than back home.  In Argentina, Peruvians number roughly 200,000; Bolivians count for about 800,000. 

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