354. Liberator of Latin America: Simón Bolívar vs The Spanish Empire (Part 1)
4/27/202636 min
Who was the man who liberated Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish rule? How did a privileged upper-class teenage boy become South America’s leading revolutionary of the 19th century? How did tragedy in his youth set Simón Bolívar on the pathway to power? Get the entire Simón Bolívar miniseries early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com In Episode 1 of this series on the life of Simón Bolívar, Anita and William explore his childhood and what it meant to be from the Creole class in Venezuela in the 1800s. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe and Imogen Marriott Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Editor: Vasco Andrade Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsWilliam Dalrymple· Host0:00
If you want access to bonus episodes, reading lists for every series of Empire, a chat community, discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, ad-free listening, and a weekly newsletter, sign up to Empire Club at www.empirepoduk.com.
Speaker 10:18
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Anita Anand· Host0:48
[upbeat music] In January 2026, President Trump ordered a military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was seized from his compound in Caracas. He was transported to New York and now faces narco-terrorism charges.
William Dalrymple· Host1:16
This is the culmination of years of tension between the US and Venezuela. 25 years ago, left-wing populist Hugo Chávez came to power and took Venezuela's incredible oil reserves out of the hands of US companies.
Anita Anand· Host1:29
Mm-hmm. And while oil