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Hidalgo led the original charge of the revolution. However, he was soon defeated. Morelos was the next person to lead the revolution, however he was defeated be Iturbide. Iturbide then switched and declared independence for Mexico.

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On September 16, Mexicans around the globe will celebrate the anniversary of the country's independence from Spain. The day is marked by a national holiday in Mexico, a reenactment of a historic moment from the revolution's leader, and an array of performances from fireworks to dance routines.

Often confused with Cinco de Mayo by people living in the United States, Mexico's independence day actually marks the moment in 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest known as Father Hidalgo, made the first cry for independence. After a moving speech in the Mexican town of Dolores, Hidalgo took up the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a Roman Catholic image of the Virgin Mary as she appears to Juan Diego, an indigenous Mexican believer who was later sainted by the church.

"Independence commemorates the beginning [of the struggle]," says Elena Albarrán, associate professor of history and global and intercultural studies at Miami University in Ohio. "In this case, you celebrate the moment of insurgency, the possibility, and the hope."

A decade-long struggle

As Hidalgo took up the banner of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, many people were inspired to follow him. Albarrán says they amassed a large, unruly, hodgepodge army that included women, children, grandparents, and livestock. Untrained and difficult to control, it was eventually defeated, with many of its members going back home to harvest their fields.

Hidalgo was defrocked as a priest by the Spanish Inquisition, says William Beezley, professor of history at the University of Arizona. He was later beheaded by the civil government as punishment for revolting, and his head was displayed in Guanajuato, where he and his army were charged with causing a massacre.

Another priest, José María Morelos, took up the mantle of revolution, sending home anyone from the first army without a weapon and horse. Beezley says this tighter version of the army was more effective, but Morelos was also eventually taken before the Inquisition and beheaded-and the struggle for independence sunk into a period of chaos as Mexico continued to fight a weakening Spanish rule.

Then, in 1821, Agustín de Iturbide, a Spanish-supporting soldier who flipped to become a leader in the Mexican independence movement, led troops into Mexico City, decisively seizing control of the city and declaring the country's independence. His following political promise, called the Plan of Iguala or the Plan of Three Guarantees, sought to free Mexico from Spanish control, solidify the country as Roman Catholic, and ensure that all citizens were equal. Iturbide became emperor of the new nation, setting up a monarchy-style system and spending much of the new country's budget on lavish clothes that resembled Austrian royal court fashions at the time.

Ultimately, this system failed as well. Military leaders jostled and vied for power, and, finally, a democratic republic was set up, led by an independence-era fighter- Guadalupe Victoria -who became Mexico's first president.

"Mexicans don't celebrate or acknowledge Iturbide as the father of independence," Albarrán says. "The hero that's selected as the father of independence uniformly is Father Hidalgo, the charismatic but disastrous priest who gets the ball rolling."

Confusion with Cinco de Mayo

In America, people often confuse Mexico's independence day celebrations with Cinco de Mayo, says Albarrán: "Every time I teach Mexican history and I ask students when the Mexican independence day is, they either have no idea, which is fine, or fully half or the majority assume it's Cinco de Mayo."

She says many Americans assume Cinco de Mayo came to the U.S. because immigrant communities brought it with them, but a big reason why the holiday is so played up in the U.S. is corporate promotion from adult beverage companies.

"Beer advertisers began promoting beer sales in Mexican communities and neighborhoods," says Beezley. "It was an advertising gimmick and the date was wrong. It's still sponsored in a lot of places that way."

Albarrán says because Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in Mexico, it is celebrated on a vastly different scale there than it is in the U.S. She has seen this difference illuminated by her students. During an assignment where she asked students to blog with their peers in Mexico City, U.S. students posted about Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the U.S.

"The Mexican students could not believe it," she says. "They were cracking up, rolling around laughing. They couldn't believe the hodgepodge of Mexican iconography and kitsch being incorporated into the U.S. celebration." ( Here's why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated)

Remembering the first revolt

As per tradition on Mexico's independence day, however, the president honors the legacy of Father Hidalgo by performing a reenactment of sorts from the National Palace in Mexico City. Beezley says on the night of September 15 at 11 p.m., according to Mexican tradition and folklore, Hidalgo went into the parish church in the town of Dolores, rang the church bell, and told the villagers who came running that they needed to revolt.

"As a result, September 15, the president of Mexico will step out on the balcony, ring that same bell, and give a speech that is supposedly Hidalgo's words," he says. "Nobody wrote down what Hidalgo said. He was beheaded, so who knows what happened to the [real] version of it? But Mexicans across the country, and in the U.S., and wherever they are, can watch it on TV, and that's what's celebrated."

Despite the uncertainty around Hidalgo's exact words, the speech today celebrates his passion for Mexico and its people-and honors the moment when he pushed the country toward its eventual independence.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Agustín de Iturbide led troops into Mexico City in 1921; it was actually in 1821.

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Mexico's Independence Day marks the beginning of a decade-long revolution

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On September 16, Mexicans around the globe will celebrate the anniversary of the country's independence from Spain. The day is marked by a national holiday in Mexico, a reenactment of a historic moment from the revolution's leader, and an array of performances from fireworks to dance routines.

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After Napoleon put his brother in as the Spanish King, HIdalgo and the creoles rebelled. After years of battling, Iturbide declared independence for Mexico.

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Mexican War of Independence | 3 Minute History

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In the early 1820s, after Napoleon had been defeated, Brazil officially broke away from Portugal. King John wanted to make Brazil a colony again, but the citizen did not. So, they signed a petition to make Dom Pedro the Prince, and he officially declared independence from Portugal with no bloodshed.

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This is the only revolution of this time with no bloodshed. Dom Pedro officially declared independence for Brazil.

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Brazilian Independence | 3 Minute History

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Otto von Bismarck unified Germany through multiple wars. His goal was to unify all German speaking states. He was elected Prime Minister and then later he was crowned Emperor.

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by James Graham

Herr Otto Von Bismarcks iron-man image and the unique personality was the crucial factor in the unification of Germany. His skill as a diplomat was unrivalled during his reign as chancellor of Prussia and Germany. The mastery he showed in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all other powers and make their leaders look pathetic.

Bismarck inherited the ideas and political principles of the Junker class of which he was born into. Bismarcks father was loyal to the Prussian crown and narrow minded in his outlook, except for his choice in wife. Whilhelmine, Bismarcks mother was from a middle class background and cultured. She passed onto her son her love of music and literature. He was later to become a master in many fields of knowledge through his interest in reading. Bismarck disliked his mother but revered his father. From his family Bismarck gained a highly autocratic, intensively conservative and monarchical outlook on life. He also became a Prussian patriot. Bismarck born into nobility accepted its beliefs as his own.

Bismarck had a mostly typical Junker education that he used to gain employment in the Prussian Civil Service. Bismarck started his education in Berlin at the spartan boarding school Plenum Academy where religious and physical exercises dominated. He later transferred to the Gymnasium (high school) at which he learnt foreign languages. In 1832 he entered the University of Gottingen and studied law. Gottingen was one of the centres of German liberalism and a strange choice for Bismarck. He rarely attended lectures preferring instead to drink, duel and womanise. A dabbling in Liberal literature and German philosophy took up the rest of his time. Liberalism had no appeal to him so he changed universities to the University of Berlin where he passed in 1835. As Bismarck himself put it "mob interference with political authority conflicted with my Prussian upbringing and I returned to Berlin with less liberal opinions than when I quitted it." After reluctantly serving his compulsory year in the military as a Gardejager (sharpshooter) Bismarck entered the Prussian Civil Service. He disliked following other people's policy and left the Civil Service in 1839 to look after his estates. Bismarck lived a restless life on his estates but did manage to marry Johanna von Puttkammer. His first political break came in 1847 when he was appointed in place of an ill man to the United Diet. It was in the United Diet that Bismarck emerged as a defender of the monarchy and a Junker reactionary. Bismarcks reactionary stance and anti liberalism endeared him to the Prussian government. In 1851 he was appointed Prussian representative to the restored German Bund as a reward for his stance in the United Diet. During his time in the Bund Bismarck formed an anti-Austrian view point. He insisted on equal status for Prussia and Austria and emphasised it by smoking at the Bund. This violated diplomatic procedure as only Austria previously smoked. Regent William sidelined Bismarck in 1859 for his anti Austrian views and sent him to St Petersburg. As Ambassador in the Russian capital he formed a great respect for Russian strength. In 1862 he was made Ambassador in Paris. Bismarcks views and attitudes saw him hold a series of political posts.

The constitutional crisis brought Bismarck to power. William I now King of Prussia was by training a soldier and was convinced the brief mobilisation of 1859 had revealed inadequacies in the Prussian military. In collaboration with the Minister of War von Roon and the Chief of General Staff Moltke William presented proposals to the Prussian parliament to increase the size of the army and various other army reforms. The Liberals dominated the parliament and were determined to exercise one of the few powers that the constitution of 1849-50 had given the parliament. That is control over the budget. The expansion of the army naturally involved considerable expenditure that would entail an increase in taxation of 1.5 million pounds a year. The Liberals were opposed to this since they would have to pay the extra taxation. Also another of the reforms was to consolidate the Landwehr a small middle class militia into the Junker dominated Prussian army. By an overwhelming majority the proposed army reforms were rejected and a class struggle ensued. On the verge of abdication William turned to Bismarck for help whose appointment meant no compromise. Von Roon sent Bismarck the famous telegram "Delay is dangerous. Hurray." This was the opportunity Bismarck had been waiting for and he acted quickly making William tear up his abdication document. He drove liberals from office, gagged the press and encouraged William to create the new units by collecting existing taxation. This is an example of Bismarcks Realpolitiks, the pursuing of realistic goals by any available method instead of the pursuit of an ideology. Bismarck never wanted to have enemies for long and hoped to pacify the Liberals with foreign policy achievement notably the unification of Germany. With an expanded army Bismarck resolved to achieve unification with "iron and blood" rather than with Liberal methods. The Liberals rejection of the army reforms forced William to play his final card, the appointment of Bismarck as Minister-President of Prussia.

The Schleswig Holstein war was manipulated by Bismarck to the advantage of Prussia. Schleswig and Holstein were populated by Germans and had for centuries been ruled by the Danish King. In 1863 the Danes formed a new constitution intended to incorporate Schleswig and Holstein into Denmark. Nationalist sentiment erupted all over Germany and Bismarck saw his first great opportunity. The Confederation Diet voted to send troops to Holstein in support of the German prince Augustenburg. Bismarck did not want to be seen as the aggressor so sent Saxon and Hanoverian. Troops. From the outset it was clear Bismarck wanted to annex both duchies, to do this meant war with Denmark. He set about ensuring that no one could help Denmark. Russia was sympathetic due to Prussia's help during the Polish rebellion of 1863, France was bribed by hints of compensation in the Rhineland and Austria was persuaded to form an alliance with Prussia. Britain stood firmly behind Denmark and Palmerston stated "if Denmark had to fight she would not fight alone." Bismarck demanded Denmark submit the matter to a European congress, Denmark encouraged by Britain refused. He correctly called Palmerston's bluff and together with Austria invaded Denmark in February 1864. Isolated the Danes had no chance and were soundly beaten. Bismarcks secondary reason for attacking Denmark was to gain support from nationalists and Liberals at home. This he achieved and his heavy handedness over the army reforms was forgiven and forgotten. Prussia and Austria initially tried a joint rule of the duchies but this fell apart by deliberate design of Bismarck who had ordered the annexation of Kiel. The Treaty of Gastein in 1865 let Austria administer Holstein and Prussia Schleswig. Bismarck now new he could pick a fight with Austria when the need arose. Using diplomatic skill Bismarck ensured Denmark's defeat and laid the foundations of war with Austria.

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Bismarck and the Unification of Germany - On This Day

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Herr Otto Von Bismarcks iron-man image and the unique personality was the crucial factor in the unification of Germany. His skill as a diplomat was unrivalled during his reign as chancellor of Prussia and Germany. The mastery he showed in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all other powers and make their leaders look pathetic.

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Otto von Bismarck used his sly intelligence to unify all German speaking states into one country.

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Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) / German Unification