The chapter opens with a discussion of the background that set the stage for the Latin American revolutions and the events that immediately preceded them. These revolutions are compared to the North American Revolution. A survey of the revolutionary process in each of the four main centers follows, with attention to the leadership roles of the great liberators. The relatively peaceful nature of the Brazilian transition to independence and the initial social revolutionary character of the Mexican Revolution are stressed. The chapter concludes with a summary of the major political, economic, and social changes resulting from the achievement of independence.