It is important to note that the Bourbon reforms played a pivotal and vital role in the development of colonial Latin America. When it comes to the implemented programs, these were systematic and comprehensive affecting everything from commerce to power rebalancing. The change was a success for the most part, and the impacted parties included the colonies, the Spanish Empire, the church, and financial institution. The purpose was modernizing the empire by making it more efficient and financially feasible.
One should be aware that the Bourbon reforms were both economic and political in their inherent structure. The Bourbon monarchs, especially Charles III, hoped to reform the mainland’s economic relationship with the colonies by decreasing their power and solidifying imperialism (Burkholder and Johnson 2018). The administration and government underwent a complete overhaul. The Catholic Church was subdued as an another axis of power in order to ensure the authority of the king. The crown began receiving more funds from overseas through facilitation of research, modernization, commerce, and trade (Burkholder and Johnson 2018). It was additionally needed to bolster the Spanish Empire’s position in the global arena to be secure and protected. All of these reforms mostly accomplished what was hoped for, which implies they were successful despite not being fulfilled to the fullest extent.
In conclusion, the Bourbon reforms were aimed to increase the state’s power, weaken the local and Church influences, and solidify the empire strength in the international arena. Four modalities were mainly used, such as research, modernization, commerce, and trade, in order to stimulate the influx of funds to the crown. It should be noted that these programs were successful at improving the previously stale, stagnant, and inefficient administration.
Bibliography
Burkholder, Mark, and Lyman Johnson. Colonial Latin America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.