What if Gran Colombia Never Collapsed?

[@AlternateHistoryHub]

Shorter video this time. Finished two shorter 10 minute videos, next one up next week. I want to explore more of the Gran Colombia scenario, so I'll upload an unlisted video about what was cut/reasoning for decisions/fleshing out the scenario more around tomorrow.

[@fatkid66]

Mmmmmm very nice

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Day 7 of begging Cody to admit that he hates Furries. I saw you on that Flashgitz animation, do you think your weak friendship with Emperor Tigerstar will hide it? Wrong.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Don't hate ya for it, bro, just admit it. I saw ya on Mister Metokurs video about Kero. Admit. Be brave, dammit.

[@urk273]

woooo yay vids in quarantine

[@cassianoneto1553]

Hey, do you have any plans to reupload or remake the Paraguay War Video?

[@nikitaivachtchenko6375]

Gran Colombia in real-life: Collapses in 11 years. Gran Colombia in Civilization VI: Conquers the world in 11 years.

[@legend716xerneas3]

Every civ in the game: No, you cant just attack again after promoting your units. Gran Columbia: Haha, Ejército Patriota goes brrr. Seriously tho, its kinda ironic that a nation that collapsed in such a short timespan is ranked as top-tier in a strategy game.

[@Atabanza]

Llaneros was too OP

[@arandomargie]

oh ok

[@512TheWolf512]

@@legend716xerneas3 it's overpowered, not "top-tier". because you can only play it against bots, so basically not at all.

[@donotcare57656]

It's because Civ 6 doesn't have proper revolution mechanics, loyalty is just a joke.

[@xeanderman6688]

"War between nations" *shows picture of Europe* "Unrelated image" Suuuure Cody..

[@greatermad8288]

WW1 Map

[@T-34_Chan]

But Europe IS in a perpetual state of war, whever it be cold or hot.

[@gmat5046]

I shouldn't laugh....buuuuut

[@k.5425]

@Caratacus 😂😂

[@zakhatik9086]

thats the joke

[@somefancycashews4418]

Everyone forgets that the Atlantic-Pacific canal was originally going to be in Nicaragua. Eventually the negotiations for construction and land rights started getting somewhat annoying, and Teddy Roosevelt felt it would be easier to abuse a weak Colombia and create an even weaker Panamanian state that it could easily influence to get easy, no-hassle canal rights. In a world with a massive, powerful Gran Colombia, the US may find it much easier to simply go through the paperwork and negotiations with Nicaragua than to pick a fight over Panama.

[@nicanornunez9787]

The French were way before the USA in Panama and had part of the job done.

[@manuelaparcedo417]

wouldn't a much richer and powerful Gran Colombia just go ahead and do their own canal where it is now?.

[@estabonrolon4851]

@@nicanornunez9787 They wouldn't in this timeline.

[@occam7382]

@@estabonrolon4851, I mean, they might. Gran Colombia may be powerful in this timeline, but they are still rife with divisions in the population, and I imagine corruption is still a big problem. Not to mention the army would still be sapping much needed funds from the economy in order to put down strikes, protests, and rebellions. So, odds are Gran Colombia may allow the French to try and work on a Panama Canal in order to use the taxation of travel between the Atlantic and Pacific to boost their own economy. And then, America gets involved in order to take the canal land themselves. I actually imagined an alternate history scenario where the US straight up takes over Panama from Gran Colombia and annexes the country, turning Panama into a US state in order to reap the benefits of the Canal.

[@theluftwaffle1]

Problem with building a canal in Nicaragua is that the lake provides a large amount of fresh water to the Central American countries. If America seriously considered it in this timeline they’d get a lot more push back by the central American nations even if ultimately futile.

[@UncleAsmos2005]

As a Latin American, whenever I see anyone in the internet talk about us and just point out the potential for greatness that we had in the revolutionary age, just destroyed by rampant corruption makes me die inside a little bit.

[@rimfire8217]

Lo Siento. I will wish you the best in years to come.

[@christiandauz3742]

Nothing short of a Time-traveler can save Granc Columbia by giving advanced technology and future knowledge to Simon Bolivar But that would turn Gran Columbua into Uruguay/Scandinavia on steroids

[@MrPro897]

Yes, it's so sad, Latin American nations are so selfish and lack ideals.

[@christiandauz3742]

@@MrPro897 Walt Socha's Crossover Series. Read the two books

[@cseijifja]

@@MrPro897 they have too many ideals , actually , the usa works because they arent as free as they think , latin america does not work because everyone does as they please , absolute freedom , thats why dictatorships hapen so much , people want a semblace of order.

[@captain.carcrash7207]

As a colombian this feels like one of the worst failures in modern history. So much lost potential.

[@leotheboss6130]

As a Venezuelan, I support this message

[@suppleleaves]

Yeah definitely, it was kinda Bolivar’s worst nightmare

[@andresbonilla153]

As another colombian, i agree

[@quintustheophilus9550]

As a Puerto Rican, it would've been interesting to see Gran Colombia play out.

[@N11Productions]

Indeed

[@corg_9939]

Everyone: Simone, you've just founded a flourishing republic, where are you going? Simone: Aight sorry lads, gotta r e v o l u t i o n Peru brb

[@enriquecolmenares6596]

Joke made me laugh hahahaha. But trying to put a little more context, ir was kind of justified to go to Perú before consolidating power in Colombia, because Perú was the most pro-spanish of the south américa colonies back then. So if left aleno spain could use it as a base to reconquer the rest of Latin América

[@alex8130a]

It was the territory with the strongest spanish presence but not neccessarily the most pro-spanish of the colonies, and even then it would have been likely that Peru followed with the process of independence, plus he stayed after the victory at Ayacucho, so he could've returned and continued with his project with the option of leaving somebody like Santa Cruz behind, so the spanish at Bolivia could be defeated and the territories of High Peru would likely be incorporated in Peru. Also I like the idea of Peru being a wall against communism :v

[@Justinian43]

Simon**

[@diegoramirez261]

As a Venezuelan who would have loved living in (Gran) Colombia, I don't blame Bolívar for going after the Spaniard forces in Perú. In fact, the question at the time wasn't if we needed to go there or not, but whether who would do it (and how much it would cost). That's why Bolívar met with the Argentinian leader San Martín in Guayaquil. They agreed that Bolívar would take care of the Spaniards in Perú because at the time, Argentina couldn't. Both of them knew that if Spain had Perú, it would be a matter of time for them to try to recover the rest of their former colonies. That's why it was so important to liberate Perú.

[@philipthegreat7230]

Simone is girl name hahahaha

[@Th3_Kek]

This was cool, especially because this is the third time I’ve heard Nebraska in a non-Nebraska video

[@grandadmiralshadow7293]

Someone even mentioning Nebraska is a pleasant surprise in itself. You won't believe how many people get confused of what "a Nebraska is" when I say where I'm from

[@eringehrig1690]

@@grandadmiralshadow7293 ya i live in nebraska to not many people know nebraska is a state

[@eringehrig1690]

Yep Nebraska is not talked about alot

[@JDubs1464]

Why haven’t we gotten “What if Nebraska seceded.”

[@jerry3790]

Not a huge fan of Nebraska myself. It’s pretty flat and boring. Didn’t see a single tree the whole time I was there also. The people are nice though.

[@Reagankarr1]

If gran Colombia still existed, the US probably would have built their canal in Nicaragua instead of in panama

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

Or just Eat Panama in a war with Gran Colombia

[@eliegbert8121]

If they built it at all

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

@@eliegbert8121 They would definitely build it either way. The Panama Canal was a necessity for trade. The route around South America was just too dangerous and took way too long. Either way, America or Gran Colombia is building it, as both have trade ports on the Atlantic and Pacific. There would possibly be even two, the Nicaragua Canal, and the Panama Canal

[@hvallejob.8841]

Or maybe... just maybe... have offered a bit more than 10 million dollars.

[@the0ne809]

Much later. It is possible to build a canal in Nicaragua but it would have been far more expensive and it would have taken longer.

[@brandonbonett6416]

Bolivar must be rolling in his grave with everything that has happened with Colombia and Venezuela... But then again it seems that they were always like that...

[@RyoKasai25]

I mean, specially Venezuela where a Stalin knock off uses his name to justify his every action.

[@vincenzorutigliano5435]

@@RyoKasai25 The mythology of Heroes. An American Dictator would justify everything with Washington and the founding fathers.

[@danieldelgado8059]

Not necesarilly, I've seen a lot of people studying the begginings and current history and just discard everything in between. While Colombia was a country on the verge of dissolving, Venezuela was prosperous (of course with it's own problems); now Venezuela is in a state similar to the war of independence while Colombia is thriving as a country. Seems we can't have good things at the same time

[@danieldelgado8059]

I believe that's the greatest tragedy of Chavismo, so much more had been done with so much less, while Chavez was just happy with giving oil revenue to other "allied" countries and Cuba, stealing the rest with his cabinets, and throwing the scraps to the people in the most populist dirty way. In the end, it is unjustified that Venezuela is living through what it is suffering today. It used to be the only beacon of democracy (the again with its failures) while the rest of Latin America was dominated by far right or communists dictatorships. Now we have a Stalin knockoff with shit under his nose.

[@theultimategamer8537]

As a child of Colombian parents I really am glad that my homeland has gotten a lot better over the years, now that the major drug cartels are gone. The sad part is that all that instability and corruption left for Venezuela instead, I've got Venezuelan family friends who are worried about their family there especially during this crisis. I'm also proud that my countrymen also have been generous with giving some of them refuge in these hard times. In the end Latin America seems to get stuck with some pretty crappy leadership but our people also very good at persevering through the hard times. I got a bit off track with this comment but I wanted to express my pride for the old country you know.

[@alexross1816]

Gran Colombia doesn't just hand over Panama. USA: *THAT WASN'T VERY CASH MONEY OF YOU*

[@misterchips358]

Cowabunga it is

[@phyrexian_dude4645]

The funny part is that in this time line, the US paid Colombia to ease the breaking of Panama after flexing its military.

[@TheGetout04]

lol

[@frankmurphy7234]

Lol

[@michaelhowze8198]

@@phyrexian_dude4645 That's pretty standard we did the same with Spain and Mexico.

[@ZontarDow]

>"Encompases what is today 3 nations" Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador, yup seems like 3 to me.

[@groinBlaster31]

South American

[@luispablogonzalezv4522]

3 South American and 1 Central American

[@zogian5991]

3 nations and a shortcut

[@hunzahua1397]

if we count countries that were not totally part of Colombia but with part of their modern day territories the count would go up to: Republic Dominican, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Brasil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile.

[@Saucer305]

Listen before you post, he said 3 SOUTH American countries. Panama is in Central America

[@MrWhiteVzla]

I studied this in high-school and Bolivar failed in several key aspects when forming Gran Colombia, which is why it was doomed to fail from the start. 1) Using Colombia as the name instead of Venezuela. The large part of his support came from Venezuelan generals and caudillos, not Colombian supporters. And those same generals were not happy to know that Venezuela not only was not going to be independent, but also under control of Colombia. And the capital will be also going to be located in Colombia. 2) Putting Santander in power and leaving for Peru. Santander was not the most beloved person by other generals or by the people. And he made sure to act like a ruthless leader as soon as Bolivar appointed him to control things. That kind of forced Bolivar to rethink his strategy with Santander, but the damage was done. 3) Bolivar never considered how much people didn't like him, even though they tried to killed him several times. A lot of the infightings between his own caudillos and generals were superseded by their common dislike for Bolivar. That doesn't not mean that Bolivar wasn't charismatic. He was. He was also a good general. But Bolivar was more of a leader that galvanises people together under their common dislike of him more than because he was wildly beloved. So once he died, that "common enemy" was gone and the generals went back to infighting. This is a very simple version of a complex and fascinating issue that people rarely talk about (South America's wars of independence). But it's what IMO were the biggest flaws behind the plan of creating Gran Colombia

[@MDFification1]

Modern Colombia wasn't called that when Bolivar was in charge. At the time it was known as New Granada. It only took the name Colombia as its own after his revolution, and the term "Gran Colombia" was retroactively invented to describe when there was another, larger entity using that name.

[@fanmovie357]

Agree with all you said except the Colombia name part, It was Nueva Granada, not Colombia back then.

[@MrWhiteVzla]

@@fanmovie357 You may be thinking of Las Provincias Unidas de Nueva Granada, which was the name of Colombia before 1819 (the year Gran Colombia was created). Gran Colombia, or Colombia as it was called back then, is the country Bolivar created and lasted from 1819 to 1831. After that failed experiment, modern Colombia changed its name to Republica de Nueva Granada

[@MrWhiteVzla]

@@MDFification1 Like I told the other guy, the name was actually Republica de Colombia. The reason it's called Gran Colombia is so people don't confuse it with modern Colombia, which it's also called Republica de Colombia. Las Provincias Unidas the Nueva Granada was the name of modern Colombia BEFORE Gran Colombia. Likewise, after the dissolution of Gran Colombia, modern Colombia went back to its original name and called itself Republica de Nueva Granada.

[@juanf.6266]

1. Colombia didn't exist before the Independence wars, it was a United Hispanoamerican State project thinked up by Francisco de Miranda, that Bolívar would try to rescue and execute later. The predecessor of the actual Colombia was the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which included within it jurisdiction the Real Audiencia of Quito, which included the actual territory of Ecuador, Northern Peru and some parts of Brazil. Colombia took its actual name in 1863. Venezuela was organized since 1777 as a Captaincy General, independent from New Granada. It is true that Venezuelan generals concentrated the military power of Gran Colombia, but the New Granada (Cundinamarca in Gran Colombia) concentrated the political power, and that was an actual reason of the fall of Gran Colombia, but rather than the name, because of the national identities that composed the union. 2. Santander participated along Bolívar during the Campaña Admirable, and along Páez during the liberation of the Llanos, so he become a figure of authority and a confident of Bolívar. But Santander was some of a book liberal, instead of Bolívar, who believed in a powerful State, a powerful leader and the necessity to adapt the ideas to the country, and not otherwise, so this would lead to a series of disagreements that would end with the exile of Santander. Also, Santander had too many problems with Páez and the Venezuelan military, so Venezuelan upper classes started to conspire with the military agaisnt Santander; Bolívar tried to calm down the tensions with Páez, but after his leaving, the tensions arose and Páez would separate Venezuela from Colombia, meanwhile in the south, Flores separated Ecuador. 3. The generals didn't go back to infighting, in fact, they never ended. When Bolívar was in the north, plannig his leaving to Europe, he was informed that Urdaneta, a Venezuelan general, did a coup d'etat and deposed the previous government. The separation of Venezuela was earlier than the coup. With the death of Bolívar, Urdaneta pacted his leaving and the New Granadians oficially dissolved the Republic of Colombia. Santander would only return after knowing that Bolívar was dead. Before his death, Bolívar had the support of the people in Ríohacha and Mompox, and other parts of northern Colombia, so if his death wasn't so inminent, probably it would have lead to a civil war. The major problem with Bolívar's popularity, it was his vision of a strong, united Colombia, rather than a federation and his proposals were not seem by the political classes with good eyes, so they turned their own interests over the national unity. Bolívar said before his death: "If my death contributes to the consolidation of the union, I will calmly go down to the grave".

[@FidesRomana]

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

[@trauko1388]

God, I wish... but three irregular teams dont make a good one.

[@aze94]

That's it, we've found the correct answer.

[@lewatoaofair2522]

Football is one thing, but what of Venezuela’s love for Baseball?

[@trauko1388]

@@lewatoaofair2522 They would be made to like actual sports.

[@victordavila9812]

With out Brazil or Argentina I doubt it ajajaj (I m from Venezuela an our team sucks)

[@warlordofbritannia]

Real life Simon Bolivar: Look at how they massacred my boy Alternate History Simon Bolivar: Everything is going as I have foreseen

[@Capbarrelhead]

Hey man, ok so, now that you talked about Gran Colombia, you can also talk more about Latin America. I think a good video would be "What would happen if the Federal Republic of Central America never collapsed?" I mean, it's curious to think about if Panama joined the republic. Or perhaps you can go more south to talk about Argentina or Chile.

[@sovietpotato4540]

Or maybe a video on the Empire of Brazil

[@1998kwab]

Or as it's on video, what if the US didn't interfere with Latin America

[@alevegaliolios]

it would be interesting to see what if Argentina managed to retain all its territory from the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata (Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Bolivia and parts of Chile) after independence.

[@agustinmendezposadas]

@@alevegaliolios this pls

[@giovanni21mas]

@@1998kwab That would be very interesting

[@ModernWhoFan5B]

"While you may not personally be Simon Bolivar*-" *Disclaimer: You may be Simon Bolivar The time is right, my brothers. The time is now! Viva la Revolucion!

[@AshGamer007]

Time for a 2nd Revolution for Gran Columbia lads!

[@nikhiliyengar]

That's cute, now go back to bed.

[@ModernWhoFan5B]

@@nikhiliyengar You're absolutely right, I haven't slept once in the two years since I've written that throwaway comment.

[@shadowpresident4203]

In elementary school, I was assigned to read a biography and write a report on it. I randomly chose Simon Bolivar from a stack of books without knowing anything about him, or even knowing who he was (like most Americans). Reading about such an obscure figure really opened my eyes to what he fought for, and I've always had a soft spot for South American self-determination. With Gran Colombia having Caracas as its capital (or not, maybe it was only to ever be Bogota?) it's understandable why Venezuelan Chavistas such as Maduro refer to their movement as the "Bolivarian Revolution".

[@genericyoutubeaccount579]

Well Bolivar was a slave owner so he wasn't really a progressive. In fact, for most of his life Simon Bolivar would have been putting these modern day "Bolivarians" into chains to work on his plantation.

[@CallMeRito]

As someone from Colombia this puts a smile in my face.

[@cykablyatman1000]

as someone from venezuela this puts a smile in my face too

[@CallMeRito]

@@cykablyatman1000 Pensé que estarías molesto que en esta línea temporal tu país también es arruinado por Commies.

[@ChangeUrAtOnYT.comSlashHandle]

@@CallMeRito Creo que esta jugando contigo ya que su nombre es russo

[@cykablyatman1000]

@@CallMeRito comente eso antes de ver el final, parece que venezuela esta destinada a sufrir por el comunismo

[@darken2417]

Why? Simon Bolivar eventually regretted the whole revolution. After independence the continent was plunged into lawlessness, violence and chaos. Grand Colombia staying together would not have made this much better.

[@KommandoLando]

It's a small detail but I love when Cody has himself wearing an outfit appropriate to the time and place he's discussing. Thanks for another great vid!

[@franciscocano6856]

As a Colombian, I believe that a federate state as Santander wanted could've worked; keeping in mind that in current time Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador there are culturally separated (just as an example someone from the Andian región is culturally different from someone in the Caribbean región In Colombia). Bolivar was a hard centralist and believed a country should be managed from a central or capital city, which has been a problem, because it creates a sense of difference between the Capitol cities and the other big cities in a country (think of the feud between Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Cartagena) A confederate country allows more state development and identity without losing cohesion as a nation.

[@MonsieurDean]

But what if we had a cross-over between Andrew Jackson, Bolivar, and Napoleon?

[@bunniifangz]

we already have a legendary crossover with this comment

[@kingced741]

Interesting

[@SuperAzoz99]

MilkyBunnii at one time I thought they were the same person.

[@ravenknight4876]

Unlikely with napoleon's clear focus on europe and Bolivars' focus on south america. Any cooperation between them would loo k like more than the Axis than the Allies.

[@MaxwellTornado]

@@ravenknight4876 God, the Axis was such a fucking joke.

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

Argentina and Mexico were both on par with the United States at various points in their history. Now, they are relative backwaters, and the United States became one of the most culturally and militarily dominant factions in the world. This is almost entirely due to America's industrialization and economic policies. I figure that Gran Colombia's success would entirely depend on whether the nation makes those same policies.

[@kordellswoffer1520]

That is not true. At no real point was Mexico wealthier and more powerful than the us. Maybe the original 13 colonies but by time america expanded to the pacific, it was not close to being on par. The us became the way it is through strong and healthy culture and policies but also geography.

[@aaronTGP_3756]

The only Latin American country that had the chance of becoming a great power was the Brazilian Empire. Under Pedro II the country was stable, economically growing, and was reasonably democratic. Then a coup happened and a corrupt republic brought it crashing down.

[@JJ-sq1fv]

Not necessarily. Mexico at no point was ever on the same level of economic success or stability that the USA was. Argentina on the other hand was until they started losing money in the early 1900s in which corrupt Argentinian officials sold the rights to the Argentinian cattle industry, Great Depression, and then Juan Perón. Of course later on the USA during the Cold War would begin to heavily interfere in Latin America, these things where all before that.

[@mrvespuccia.k.ameganite1747]

Trygve Plaustrum I think the main culprit is really the corruption that both nations had in their colonial past which made them have such bad economic policies Bc during colonial times they were run by elites who basically ruled over a bunch of workers and took all their money. That caused the elites to not really care about industrialization or improvement bc their model worked so well for them which basically killed Argentina the second the Great Depression hit. Mexico is different however bc the elites left after Mexico gained independence mainly bc they were all from Spain which plummeted Mexico into civil war for the majority of its history.

[@AnDoneCom]

Not true, argentina even in it's period of "wealth" was just a massive slumber for most people, so was mexico.

[@iGabenewell]

So basically the South American equivalent to Yugoslavia.

[@danielforeroc]

But without the wars, Gran Colombia collapse was pacific.

[@mrpalaces]

Except we share race (as a mix), language, and religion, yet keep squabbling like idiots

[@whafflete6721]

but with 30% less ethnic tension

[@tfishappeningxd5915]

But not socialist

[@Threezi04]

@@mrpalaces Yugoslavs share the same race and language too, no matter how vehemently they'll deny it.

[@dillguy9]

Spain: ¡No! You can't just blitz through and liberate my colonies. Bolívar: ¡Jaja! Llaneros go *guitar noises*

[@gaiusjuliuscaesar8450]

You dropped this "¡", king

[@farraca731]

ohhigins and san martin: "hey! you cool, want to hang out?

[@lil_vault_boy]

Yo no hablo Español

[@MaxwellTornado]

@@gaiusjuliuscaesar8450 Why do you have that, anyway? What's the point?

[@gaiusjuliuscaesar8450]

@@MaxwellTornado It determines exactly what part of the sentence is being exclaimed, whereas in english you just have to infer it. It is kinda redundant most of times, it shows just how regular Spanish is.

[@MrAlegeniale]

"What's now 3 nations" Panama: Am I a joke to you?

[@NorseGraphic]

Panama is a short-cut....

[@proxy4620]

Yes

[@juanducas6967]

Yes. You're a province :D

[@caspramio]

Panama = Belgium change my mind.jpg (ok no, Panama is the good guy who doesn't mind to kot be counted)

[@Sinstarclair]

3 **SOUTH AMERICAN** Nations Panama is on Central America

[@TheBigRedskull]

If Gran Colombia never collapsed then there would probably be a video about “what if Gran Colombia had collapsed?”

[@chiangkaishrek5123]

This man speaks facts

[@layke3299]

No no no, he has a point

[@realauthenthickpopfannosar7304]

What if Panama existed no what if venezuela had a economic crisis but what if gran Columbia was just Columbia I like that

[@Brandonhayhew]

Thats a really good point

[@hkarmy7526]

Interesting, how about Jose never die

[@williamapple7705]

Man. I really, REALLY wish the United States had maintained good relations with Cuba (or even maintained it as a state) and helped form a powerful ally in Columbia. It would've been great to see some Central and South American nations that weren't heavily connected to a European power (Brazil-Portugal) that could solidify a Pan-American identity, instead of the fractured western hemisphere we see today. Of course the language barrier would have been a huge hurdle regardless, but I wish things could have played out a bit differently. Edit: Just thinking about it more, Cuba could have been a wonderful carribean state that thrived on tourism once modernization started to take form, and Columbia could have been a stellar ally to the US with their oil reserves, abundant natural resources, and excellent location for trade. The US and Colombia (and maybe Mexico) could have permanently created a sphere of influence over Latin America that DIDN'T result in the dozens of wars, rebellions and insurrections that occured in the region. With a more stable Latin America, I wonder what the influence on nations like Brazil and Argentina would have been. A strong Gran Colombia with close ties to the US would certainly drastically change history for Brazil.

[@TheCronq]

Dude Russia controls cuba, so...

[@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim]

@@TheCronq That was only a thing because of the Cold War. That wouldn't have likely happened if we had two friendly superpowers in the region.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Venezuela would’ve loved that, they view Simon Bolivar as a saint. Or at least the government does

[@cykablyatman1000]

maybe the fact that the official name of venezuela is the bolivarian republic of venezuela is enough to confirm this

[@yang592]

As a Venezuelan, I can confirm this.

[@sohopedeco]

Weird that Simon Bolivar was pretty much a right winger, but 21st century "bolivarianists" didn't account for that.

[@danielforeroc]

In a specific part of Colombia, Bolívar is hated; something that history hides is that Bolívar wasn't very kind with indigenous and black people, in a indigenous majority city called Pasto, people didn't trust Bolívar (they were right not trusting him, btw) and Bolívar sent his armies to kill everyone in the city... twice. Bolívar wasn't the best guy.

[@danielforeroc]

@chinsaw2727 But some some politicians and movements (Hugo Chávez and his comrades), worship him like a god.

[@bluedog843]

What I love about these videos is that it clearly has enough speculation to position itself as an alternate history video, but it is also based with some genuine facts and realistic ideas that really doesn’t make it seem too far out of reality.

[@pampitam]

Yes but no, the second part in which Colombia turns comunist is in fact a far out reality. Maybe today Venezuela is a leftist county but Ecuador and especially Colombia (the one with the largest population of the 3 by far) have historically been very religious and conservative, to me where he went wrong was in assuming a country that is against the US would be communist when it would probably be something like Nasser´s Egypt or Peron´s Argentina

[@flamingoxe5984]

My spanish teacher’s power would be over 9000

[@ale-xsantos1078]

As a brazilian I must say I love how Imperial Brasil looks in your style So freakin' cute

[@sohopedeco]

We have a crown and all. 👑

[@wassabii2810]

ia ser foda um episódio sobre o brasil tipo se a escravidão fosse abolida antes ou alguma coisa assim

[@sohopedeco]

@@wassabii2810 se a monarquia tivesse continuado!

[@ale-xsantos1078]

There's many possibilities For example, if the revolution on Pernambuco managed to rescue Napoleon from his exile(yes they tried that) If the Farrapos's rebellion won If Pedro I or his dad Dom João stayed in Brasil instead of returning to Portugal If Canudos under António Conselheiro survived against the old republic If the Empire of Brasil never fell or if the Mauá Viscount succeded If the navy rebellion had succeded on restoring the monarchy If the Quilombos survived(for those who are fans of Zumbi dos Palmares) Or if you want a super evil Brasil- if Getúlio Vargas joined the nazis in WWII Really, there's a looooooot about our history that would make for a great what if, it might seem like I said many because these are the ones that came to my head as I was typing but there must be so many more

[@TeyuYagua]

@@ale-xsantos1078 first brazilian comments and this is what i see, dear God...

[@jplago646]

After this video, you could try doing a "What if the Brazilian Empire has never been overthrown". That would certainly be cool

[@mylesjude233]

That would be an interesting video

[@aaronTGP_3756]

Brazil might not have descended into corruption. Even if Empress Isabel had to give up all of her real power.

[@iceturtle-nb6rc]

This idea deserves more than just 10 minutes

[@Kilzel]

Dominican here: It would be great if you made a video on this topic: What would have happened if the Dominican Republic had been part of Gran Colombia? Since in 1821 there was a failed attempt to incorporate my country into Gran Colombia, all this thanks to the Spanish writer Jose Nuñez de Caceres, who believed strongly in the ideas of Simon Bolivar, and wanted the country, then known as the State Independent of Spanish Haiti / Republic of Spanish Haiti, it will be part of Colombia, to safeguard its independence from an imminent Haitian invasion. Maybe the explanation to this would be very long and mostly negative, but it would be an interesting topic to deepen.

[@jasonchen9645]

Glad to see you back Cody. Back in 2016-2018, you were churning out great videos practically every week, then it just stopped. Always thought provoking episodes. I look forward to watching more.

[@EasternCatholicLusophone]

I have a video recommendation to do : What if the Empire of Brazil didn't fell (Had survived)?

[@l.c.7445]

It would led to total world domination by 1950. Just kidding, but I am 100% sure that Brasil would be a looooooot better

[@occam7382]

So, is the idea that Brazil just keeps its monarchy to the modern day? Because if so, I'd have to disagree. I could imagine if different decisions were made, The Brazilian Empire might have existed for a few more decades than it did in real life, but the monarchy would still eventually fall. Perhaps by the 1950's or at the latest, the 1970's, like with Ethiopia.

[@occam7382]

@Tucan of Casanova, the fact is, the monarchy only managed to stay in place for as long as it did thanks to the leadership of Emperor Pedro ll, who was very popular among the people for almost his entire reign. It was when he abolished slavery in 1888 when the military, and the landowning class deposed him, despite popular support. Even if Pedro wasn't deposed, by the time he died, the monarchy would not be able to survive for long. Pedro stayed in power because he was an actually good leader who was popular with the people. Once he's gone, there would be no one who could take his place. I think with some reforms, and US backing, yes, the monarchy could survive for a few more decades, but without somebody like Pedro at the helm, and the Cold War looming, Brazil's monarchy could not survive.

[@occam7382]

@Tucan of Casanova, right.

[@narutorasbat]

Another thing most people ignore is that when the Dominican Republic declared independence from Spain they actually wanted to join Gran Colombia, they even sent representatives to meet Simon Bolivar, but by the time they got there Bolivar had already left for Peru, and they were shortly afterwards conquered by Haiti for a couple of decades. Had Bolivar stayed to consolidate the new republic then he would have met with the representatives to annex the Dominican Republic, probably renamed to something like the Dominican Department, and Haiti would have probably backed off to avoid war with Gran Colombia.

[@bosstoober8782]

Thank you, by the way, for being one of the 4 people who actually try in their ads. You don't just say "buy the thing", you do a bit, which is what all KZbinrs should be doing

[@thebiologist8662]

Here's a suggestion: What if the Spanish Empire never broke up and instead became a federal state. Keep in mind that the Spaniards didn't see their overseas territories as colonies, but as provinces in their own right.

[@arriba_teruel]

fun fact: since the conquest of america the indigenous civilizations that helped the conquest (and later everyone) were considered full spanish citizens and slavery was quite regulated and harassing slaves was ilegal

[@roash101ify]

Hey there Mr Alternate History Guy, a couple of facts you may have missed in your research. 1. Race was never a real issue in the dissolution of Gran Colombia, back in 1820s white Colombian Criollos held most of the power and wealth sure but people of mestizo heritage could hold important military and governmental postings as did Afro Colombian freemen whose artisans and business men and women would be influential in the earlier phases of the revolution in Cartagena, the first city of the New Grenada (Colombia) to declare independence. The fact that more than 86% of Colombians and Venezuelans are of mostly European descent, 36 to 40% White and 56% mestizo with the highest European blood ratios (62% overall in an average “mestizo” of European and Amerindian descent) In the region. 90% of the Native American population had been wiped out by disease in the early 1700s, this meant that regionalism was a more determining factor because the mayority (white and mestizo) shared cultural traits that differed only between the regions and that’s where the difficult Geography kicks in. This also means that although Gran Colombia was a Country founded by disgruntled white elite looking for self governance while the rest was more or less cannon fodder, its cultural diversity was acknowledge if not immediately, still a lot earlier than other more enlightened American Revolutions. 2. Foreign Relations with the U.S and European great powers. Great Britain and the United States where among the first to recognize Gran Colombia, you weren’t wrong that the some absolute monarchy’s such as Russia, and Spain would take a little longer but in the long run Colombians couldn’t give two Fs about Russia and it had just won a war against Spain and was winning another for it was the Gran Colombian Army who liberated Peru, created Bolivia and thus consolidated the independence of the northern theater in mainland S.América. (Peru was the last royalist stronghold) Great Britain would prove instrumental in the revolutionary wars for it not only helped with loans for the war effort but also thousands of British and Irish volunteers fought in the revolutionary war and many of Bolivars generals where British. The U.S where among the first to send an ambassador and lauded the nation with John Quincy Adams going as far as even calling it one of the most powerful nations on the planet (not as exaggerated as you might expect at least for a couple of years from its inception). 3. Your assumption that American intervention in Panama would sour relations well into the 20th century needed just the minimum amount of research to be proven wrong because Panama gained it’s independence from the actual Republic of Colombia in 1903 and although it was due to U.S pressure it only came after Colombia had been utterly devastated by it’s bloodiest civil war the 1,000 days war and after Colombian shit for brains politicians had declined to lease the canal. Still the U.S would be kind enough to pay a couple of millions in today’s currency but believe me as humiliating as this was no one in Colombia remembers this and as of today Colombia remains the oldest U.S ally in the region and the only Latin American NATO global partner. Same cannot be said of Venezuela of course but since the capital of gran Colombia was Bogota not Caracas as you claim in the video and the New Grenadian territory (modern day Colombia) the most populous state in the federation and where most of the man power and military strength came from then future sympathies with the Soviet Union would have led to as it in fact happened low scale asymmetric guerrilla war against peasant armies who al thought not as pissed off about the separation of Panama where more pissed at The banana Massacre where 300 workers on strike against the United Fruit Company where murdered by the government on its behalf. They are also pissed at inequality, or the fact that the very pro- U.S Colombian government has waged war with no truce against Marxist Guerrillas (except for the peace deal with FARC) Oh and as for your Cold War hypothesis Colombia did support with troops but on the Allie’s side in the Korean War. You got one thing right though, Gran Colombia was doomed to fail. So I wonder if your supposedly hypothetical events that actually happened but were so completely off from your predictions are results of a lack of research and understanding of the geopolitical context and development of each individual actor. Or is it just that you lack serious imagination and end up treating this like a Micheal Bay Cold War stereotype of evil Anti-US Latin American Equator banana republics. I’ll check the rest of your vids but here’s one, maybe not alternate history but tell us how China has dawned and the U.S sadly has begun the slow transition from dusk to that deep and dreamless slumber.

[@rikroch4782]

Well, that's a thought. Hope more people could enlighten us the way you have old chap, Cheers!

[@JuanitoK556]

Regardless of what happened, we are still brothers. Mucho amor para miss hermanos y hermanas Venezolanas y Ecuatorianos. 🇪🇨🇨🇴🇻🇪 ❤❤

[@williamtheconqueror7807]

As a Civilization 6 fan, I approve of this video. Long Live Gran Colombia and Simon Bolivar!

[@javier1zq]

3:22 Thats not where caracas is btw

[@thekiller7994]

My alternate history scenarios 1. What if the French invasion of Mexico succeeded? 2. What if Andrew Jackson lost the 1828 presidential elections? 3. What if the Mexican Revolution never happened? 4. What if France won the Franco-Prussian war? 5. What if Abraham Lincoln lost the 1860 presidential elections? 6. What if the Spartacus uprising succeeded? 7. What if the Mexican-American war never happened? 8. What if World War l never happened? 9. What if Russia never sold Alaska to the US? 10. What if Germany became communist instead of fascist?

[@GlassJoe1337]

I'm curious in this scenario instead of going to Mexico, Germany sends the Zimmerman telegram to Gran Columbia.

[@juandiegochona4574]

you just made mad a whole country

[@Great_Olaf5]

But why? The Zimmerman telegram was sent to Mexico because there was territory they would have liked very much to get. While Gran Colombia dislikes the US in this timeline their only territorial desire would be Panama. I could see Germany trying to send messages to *both* of them, but not just one or the other. Of course, the thing that made the idea fail in our timeline would still be present, that being that it's a really stupid idea to send messages to potential allies when the only way to get those messages there requires sending them through the territory of a country you're already at war with. The intercontinental telegraph lines went through both Britain and the US before reaching Mexico.

[@LazyAndFabulous]

@@Great_Olaf5 We can't also forget that the British did favor the Gran Colombians, during the time where a revolution happened against Spain, the British even send volunteers to fight under Bolivar.

[@manuelaparcedo417]

why not both?, Mexico is still right at the USA border.

[@LazyTurtleDelta]

I've been hoping you'd make a video on this for a while now and I really do love the concept of a united Gran Columbia. It always seemed like a nation that had such a massive potential but it didn't last long enough to be realized.

[@gwest3644]

I can imagine Red Colombia almost being the last link in the communist chain in this timeline alongside the USSR and China, with the Sino-Soviet split even becoming a Sino-Soviet-Colombian split as Colombia pushes their own brand of nationalist and intensely anti-imperialist socialism a la Castro or Chavez. It would also give both sides of the Cold War significantly more interest in Latin America as a whole, with the Soviets trying to use Colombia as a springboard for a larger influence campaign and the US developing closer relations with Brazil and Peru to combat it

[@sanchez3138]

Finally! I've been waiting for this!

[@republicradio431]

Wen you call Peron a far right : *screams in a thousend ideological factions*

[@ArgKaiser]

@marios gianopoulos Peron was an authoritarian. His economic policy was straight outta USSR, he established a cult of personality around him and his wife, and co-opted the labour movement into his amorphous blob of an ideology, not to mention the crackdown on dissidents. He also admired Mussolini, although he governed as basically Stalin-lite. I'm not saying he was a communist, but he might as well had been.

[@johnarbuckle2619]

Peronism was a third positionist anti communist and socially conservative movement that actively crushed leftists opposition. Whether being through the suppression and exclusion of communists, anarchists and revolutionary syndicalists from trade unions to monopolize the labour movement or the direct persecution and extermination of those grups with the use of paramilitary groups and state terrorism in the third government of Perón (triple A).

[@x900fulanito4]

Is always fun see americans reac to peronism.

[@MrSupermarvel2000]

Peron peron que grande sos

[@johnarbuckle2619]

@@ArgKaiser I would say Perón was closer to Fascism than to the USSR. Sure, Perón in his first and more so his second government implemented some measures of planned economic industrialization (planes quinquenales and IAPI) but he did it within the framework of capitalism and private property and he even abandoned this notions in his third term.

[@sp691]

I'm actually early to one of these videos. Sick

[@brivdon6746]

Same usually very late.

[@Ragagaraga69]

Me too

[@joelongo450]

Same

[@clairvoyance6847]

wyd u up

[@sp691]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 pretty sure everyone likes alternate history

[@samharold9022]

Each title of your videos are just new things I’m learning about, posed in a hypothetical question going the different direction.

[@zamathellama9708]

Last time I was this early, these types of comments used to be popular.

[@davidselby3435]

same yo lmao

[@abdessamadbadredine7066]

I would like to imagine a large scale series of conflicts starting between the US and Gran Coloumbia over the panama straight something similar to the punic wars and sicily, especially in the way that it only ends with the complete collapse of one of the two empires

[@vytautas4065]

What if Polish-lithuanian commonwelth never collapsed? 🇱🇹🇵🇱

[@MrHat.]

It never did, it just got partitioned

[@jjjace2152]

I wanna see that I also feel sorry because it’s like, whenever a war starts Poland gets invaded and disappears. Like I think that might be a requirement for a world war. Also I know that Poland didn’t get invaded in ww1 relax. But it still was gone

[@mieszkothemigrantmercenary2808]

“Disclaimer: YOU MAY BE SIMON BOLIVAR” Me: Ah yes, finally someone has made a disclaimer that is relevant to me.

[@lessthanamillionsubscommun5845]

Yes!! I’ve wanted this forever!!

[@playero248]

Same

[@l.40s-87]

Same

[@georgeyang9165]

One thing to remember is that after over 100 years since the official dissolution of the Spanish Empire (the interpretation of the history and consequences of the Spanish Empire will inevitably depend on the individual in question) it is interesting if not impressive that Spanish influences, culture, politics and ideas survived in the Americas.

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

tl;dr : Gran Colombia would be at the forefront of oil AND coca production.

[@truedarklander]

Cartagenan Coal could fuel a stronger Aluminium industry in the venezuelan Amazonas

[@davidgomez7882]

Wait a minute, I heard this before somewhere.

[@totozilla6396]

All I can see there is *_money_*

[@juanpiss]

"coca production" comedy at its maximum level am i right

[@pewpewpandas9203]

"Latin America during the cold war sure was something" Lmao that's one way to put it

[@emanuelfigueroa5657]

1) It could only survive if it became a Federal state from the begining, at that time Federal were aligned with Liberal (the real liberal not the american term). 2) Being liberal, they would have supported european inmigration which means more population today like i don't 145 million or so, so the country could have growth like Argentina did in the XIX centrury. While also having the classical XIX century civil wars between Liberals-Conservaatives, Federals vs Centralists, etc... 3) In the early XX century having the largest oil reserves could have make it a huge economy by the time, or boosted it's industrialization. 4) The country could have still faced problems like one or two coup de etats, and military dictatorships in the second half of the XX century. 5) Just like Argentina a big fiscal problem arising from oil production and mismanagment, classical corruption. 6) Having Venezuela and the Llaneros it would have had a strong militaristic culture, probably having nuclear weapons (like Pakistan), aircraft carriers (like India), and foreing interventions (like France). 7) Due to point 6, It would be expansionist from the begining, like taking Cuba from Spain, the Antilles from France, Netherlands, Britain. Wars against Brazil for portions of the Amazon. Etc... 8) This would have meant sooner or later it would have collided with the USA. Image a Gran Colombia siding with the Spaniards in the Hispanic American war, with the Germans in WWI. Or supporting Argentina in the Falklands, or egaging in anti-colonial wars in the Cold War, or supporting a side in the Spanish Civil War. Colombia did support Paraguay in the Triple Alliance War, so in this universe they would going on a full scale war. 9) It still wouldn't be a developed country but having so much oil revenue it would massive infraestructure projects (like the Guri Damn), while having an high inequality, and social problems. Drug problem would still being strong. 10) The canal would have been build by the French, so Americans would have build another in Nicaragua. Etc... 11) We would have at least a World Cup, and some more Nobel Prizes.

[@NirmalDGR]

I know that this is a thought exercise as usual, but this time I feel like you did some wrong or awkward assumptions, I’ll like to make several clarifications and explain why I picture a different scenario (and also one that includes a successful great Colombia): First of all, the original territory of the República de Colombia was way larger than the one you pictured, including a long part of north Peru (which was by then way larger itself and united with Bolivia as well), at least half of Guyana, a good chunk of Costa Rica, and the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, known then as “Costa de Morrosquillo”, plus several Caribbean islands and territories. If the Great Colombia was meant to worked it would have been because it united to prevent any attempt to be reconquered or invaded by other empire during the first years after its independence, becoming a federal state in the process, and been divided into, let’s say 20 states, and the capital would have been located in Bogota, just as it was during the colony period. In 1821, Dominican Republic decides to be part of it an is annexed by the Great Columbia, eventually the same with Costa Rica, and, due to commercial and accessibility reasons, the capital is relocated to either Cucuta (Angostura was briefly the designated capital) or Cartagena, this by let’s say 1845, by the time the current Colombia went through a period known as “Radical Olympus”, which was a extremely liberal, federal constitution meant to redistribute the wealth and create different types of industries all throughout the territory. Side note: Even if the disparity within races persists, colombia would be one of the first countries to abolish slavery, even when the black and indigenous people would be forced to move to the forest or remote areas just as it happened in our timeline, creating a lot of ports on the pacific coast and autonomous Native American territories on the Amazon. Here comes one of the major differences with the actual timeline, Colombia and Ecuador were very homogenous, conservative countries back then, and they were not very open to immigration, however, in this reality, the whole Colombia feels like there’s a need of a bigger population, so they offer incentives to European citizens, or Colombians themselves to colonize the territory, competing strongly with Argentina and the US as the main focus of immigration, and seeing new towns raise all across the country, particularly in the Venezuelan Amazon, the pacific coast, Antioquia and in the Brazilian and Peruvian borders, setting up the country to new industries, such as gum extraction and an early industrialization in the almost inhabited (since the capital was moved from Bogotá to Cartagena) Andes region. In 1890 Colombia states its intention to build the Panama Canal and contracts a French engineering firm to do it but they fail miserably, just as in real life, opening the door to a US-Colombia treaty to create a canal that would be on Colombia’s territory but administered by the US, opening the canal in 1905, just a couple of years later. In World War One Colombia, a little bit pushed by their new ally, helps the allies throughout the war and also loans them money by the end of it, and, just for fun, let’s say that takes advantage of the situation and decides to claim sovereignty over the whole Hispaniola island, annexing Haiti as well, during the Second World War it would also be an important ally to the allies, specially since it is now one of the world’s largest producers of oil, which would eventually lead to a Colombia which is a fairly strong political power in the Western Hemisphere and with close relationships with European countries like France and England and is a somewhat industrialized country with an above average GDP. This of course, would be an scenario which implies that the great Colombia was a good plan and was still united today, otherwise it could have failed in any moment throughout the history as the idea itself is really hard to accomplish. And, just as another side note, I don’t really see any possibility of Colombia turning into a communist country, at least not without massive European migration and a long war with the US that turned them the other way around (way bigger than the Panama thing, yes) since historically Colombia has been a fairly conservative and religious country that wouldn’t turn into communism or even consider it unless either one of the two, or both, situations mentioned above happened.

[@zhixci958]

"What's now 3 nations" Panama: Am I just a canal to you?

[@jed8592]

This upload schedule is insane! Thanks Cody for all the hard work, we all appreciate it.

[@wildginger01]

8:04 meanwhile in an alternate 2020 *when the trees start speaking Spanish*

[@andresltaifmuller1779]

4:24 1860 to 1870, one of the most brutal wars in history.

[@mrshadowfilmz7623]

What if Nursultan Nazarbayev was immortal?

[@-haclong2366]

Then the whole world would invade Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 to learn his secret.

[@runningcommentary2125]

What do you mean Nursultan Nazarbayev isn't immortal? He shall endure for as long as Kazakhstan endures. Their government said it so it must be true.

[@marcusviniciusmagalhaesdea3779]

Just one thing about this possibility: Jungle Wars!!

[@maxthskribiski7562]

Last time I was this early, gran Columbia still existed

[@truedarklander]

COLOMBIA NOT COLUMBIA FFS

[@diegoguillen6255]

Im a Venezuelan and i gotta say man i really like your video and not just that but be able to see other americans that knows the rough situation that my country is going through, i really apreciate that you talk about the history my country that involves the Gran Colombia, thanks man

[@montefalco9050]

Video idea: What if General Luna (Philippines) was never assassinated

[@anq_b13]

Cody: *Describes a tense Cold War scenario for Colombia, with regions taking sides, guerrillas in the jungles and oil involved* Me: So..... OUR TIMELINE???!!!

[@anq_b13]

Also.... Cody: Perhaps a Peaceful Soviet Colombia Me: AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. No way. The way the rural areas were settled and incorporated to the larger nation through te economic activities of the regional oligarchic elites due to power alingments even BEFORE the war of Independence plus the political culture established between the social divisions present during the colonial period ( merchants, farmers and elites being consrevatives, artisans and slaves being liberals) would make this quite hard. YES, there was some popular support to the leftist uprisings, in the second half of the 20th century , but the demands that where stronger between the citizens where (and still are) around the democratization of the political system and status quo which to this day combines democratic/republican formal procedures with oligarchic dynamics, along with state presence in the national territory (due to the harsh geography) . Worker's rights movements and syndicalism were specially weak in Colombia in comparison to other Latinamerican countries,

[@jamesmmcgill]

"What If The Cold War Never Ended?"

[@trashpandaa4021]

China rising, USSR falling and rebranding and finally The US is again in $30 trillion in debt to everyone.... Thats my prediction.

[@Joe125g20]

@@trashpandaa4021 So basically our current timeline, except USSR is called Russia? :D

[@andersmeisner1642]

@@Joe125g20 That's.. the joke..

[@superstandard]

who says it did

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

You kidding? It never ended. I feel like tomorrow war will be declared by America to Russia or China or North Korea or all of the above.

[@steth2733]

Bit of a fun fact, when Dominicans got their first independence from Spain back in 1821, they intended to be part of Gran Colombia. Haiti then conquered Santo Domingo/"Spanish Haiti" two months after Dominicans gained their independence, preventing this from ever happening.

[@xcreenzm8]

Hey so, I hope you keep doing more videos on the Americas and if so I have 4 requests: What if the American Revolution never happened? What if the Monroe Doctrine never existed? What if the Mexican Revolution never happened? What if the War of the Triple Alliance never happened?

[@OO-vo7vv]

Uffff, el de la doctrina Monroe estaría muy interesante.

[@ignitetheinferno1858]

One thing I think that is missing is how it could have played a role in the geopolitics of the mid-19th century. It's possible that a surviving Gran Columbia could have served as a deterrent to Napoleon III's Mexican Venture. Whereas the Civil War prevented the US from sending troops to Mexico to kick out Maximillian and his puppet state, a united Gran Columbia may have been seen as being strong enough to make Napoleon far less willing to send troops to Mexico, as he may not have wanted to get embroiled in a war with a nation that was easily the size of the entire Eastern US.

[@spinosaurusiii7027]

Someneone's been playing too much Civ VI.... -Spino

[@diegoramirez261]

I used to believe that it would have been great if (Gran) Colombia survived as an unified nation, but eventually I understood that it wouldn't have been wonderful. In fact, we'd have faced so many challenges to the stability of the country that our leaders would have lost control. I'm talking about managing 2,5 million km2 of land, more than 120 million inhabitants, a very difficult geography and enemies surrounding us and looking to take our territory away from us. And if that's not enough, we'd have had to fend off any secession attempt (specially in Panama), keep the regional caudillos under control, secure good border deals, face debt crisis (just like Venezuela did in 1902/1903), build (somehow) the Panama Canal, transition from a pastoral economy to a mixed one (in which the oil industry couldn't overcome agricultural activities at the risk of becoming a bigger Venezuela), start a democratic process and face the inevitable war against drugs. Those challenges would've been the main existential threats to a unified Colombia, and clearly exclude many other structural problems that Latin American countries typically face. And to be honest, I'm not sure if the leaders of a country like this would've been up for the task, because they clearly weren't in our world.

[@wargriffin5]

@9:15 "Want to prevent distant nations from influencing where you live? While you may not be Simon Bolivar, you can protect your home in one small way...." - Was legitimately expecting you to say "buy a gun."

[@Alovon]

Maybe have a video covering how places like Colombia, Vuenezuala.etc got to the state they are now, and the direction they both may head in the future?

[@andersonklein3587]

"three south american nations" - clearly shows 4 on the map, but okay...

[@Longlius]

One of them is Central American

[@jax1363]

Your so dumb

[@jajajajja3481]

d u m b

[@redknight344]

sure panama is south america... not

[@arch3223]

Three South American nations is correct. It ignores Panama, but that's North America, not South and so still correct.

[@ElExCHUCK]

I'm Ecuadorian and I really think that we could've been way better rn if gran Colombia was still around

[@danielforeroc]

Actually, Colombia and Ecuador aren't that different, people from southwestern Colombia have a very similar culture compared to ecuatorians, but, back in 1830, when it taked several weeks to go from Bogotá to Quito, governability wasn't easy. I still think that Colombia and Ecuador should be closer, that would have saved a lot of troubles with the drug wars and would have improved both countries commerce. No sé por qué escribí todo eso en inglés si usted también habla español, pero bueno. :v

[@KhAnubis]

I like the disclaimer that the viewer might, in fact, be Simón Bolívar

[@akselplayszgamingvlogs]

Oh Hey Kh Anubis

[@TheEmolano]

I would like to see a if Brazil won the Cisplatine war(or if Argentina won, but I think the brazilian butterfly effect would be bigger). >No more separatists moviments in the country >The Empire get's stronger, and Pedro I have a larger support among the army and the aristocracy >Slavery get's abolished sooner since both Pedros now have power to do it >No Platinean wars, making both Brazil and Argentina stronger(and maybe they don't hate themselves too much) >No Paraguayan War? >The early Brazilian industries are not saboted by the farmers, and the massive amount of free slaves turns the country into a industrial powerhouse by the 1850s >Other South American countries follow the same path? Argentina sure would >The Empire don't fall, so the governement don't get destroyed by corrupt aristocrats >Would the US be a rival or would both empires life in peace? >Who the new industrial powerhouse will support in both world wars? And in the Cold war? >Will the live change to the rest of the South American countries?

[@N11Productions]

I wish Gran Colombia never collapsed. Great nation.

[@andrewjohnson6716]

0:35 “Bolivar was complicated” The euphemism we use for every malignant narcissist, sociopath, and megalomaniac.

[@nordicnostalgia8106]

What if Gran Colombia pulled a reverse Monroe doctrine with the other fellow South American nations to prevent US expansion?

[@hank1972]

Yes finally I been wanting to see you do this one for ever!

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

"The bastion of free peoples" - Gran Colombian and Latin Confederation motto

[@nicolaspaipa2158]

As colombian myself, I would say that the biggest thread to the nation survival is cultural. For once, to survive past Bolivar´s dead, it would need to be a Federation between subdivisions smaller than the four actual nations. Then focus on industrialize and expantion.

[@duckgoesquack4514]

If grand Columbia existed, the highway connecting north and south America would likely be a thing.

[@BubbaJ18]

Maybe not, the disconnect may be at Costa Rica and Panama border

[@moontworks2232]

It's probable that Gran Colombia, being a mayor south american power, could join the ABC pact, making it the ABCC Pact, maybe a fourth nation in it would make it more important for their politics, maybe preventing what stoped the ABC from being what it could become, a strong united force against american imperialism during the start of the 20 century. The ABC pact working as it's full potential is a very interesting topic for a video, "What of South america never submited to the US (economically and politically)" Anyways keep the great work!

[@YaBoiSebas]

Aw man, Colombia becoming a socialist regime kinda hurts. I always thought of them becoming a Scandinavian like nation using oil for the prosperity of its citizens. A social democracy.

[@giovanni21mas]

That´s never going to happen in Latin America let´s be honest

[@caspramio]

in fact it's ironic, as Colombia even went anti-communism at Korea (that and fighting guerrillas like a real-life simulator of war)

[@YaBoiSebas]

giovanni21b Yeah I know. But if La Gran Colombia had persisted I think inevitably the US would try to tap into the oil market from Venezuela somehow. Maybe if they did it in a responsible way it could help both countries, but reality is rarely ever that way.

[@Dsonsee]

You need to participate in an imperialistic relationship with other nations to be able to pull off a proper Social Democracy. And latin american nations will never be left alone, making attempts at social democracy a failure from the start

[@olympia5758]

@Wuanslm Facts. Culture plays a big part in how successful a country grows. If you're living in poverty and warfare for over 100 years, then something is fundamentally wrong with the culture and that needs to change.

[@xephblade2630]

Correction of the video The capital of gran Colombia was Santa fe, nowadays bogota because it was the largest city in the country and a big part of why the nation separated is because Santa Fe wanted to control the whole country in a centralist model and the provinces of Caracas and Quito wanted a federal model

[@diovg]

Hi Cody! I love your videos; they’re reflecting and well founded on critical and objective thought even though they are still simply one of endless scenarios Could it be possible to have a What if the 1st Mexican Empire didn’t collapse? Thanks in advance!!

[@gelgamath_9903]

Nice I have suggested this as a video topic a couple times over the years but never real got much response to it so I never thought he make it

[@luisemiliogonzalezberbel2520]

3:02 lul thats a painting about the Brazilian Independence

[@sohopedeco]

Now I notice it kkk

[@LunaticoniSolar]

Pior kkkkkkk

[@andresfelipeod6819]

very interesting point of view, Colombia was a country with a large tradition of civil wars , even now, and still will be the same situation, only but with a far much larger territory.

[@danieldishon688]

I cant wait for the 2nd part. It's an interesting country to wonder "what ifs" about in history, but I admit I'm a little disappointed a United Grand Columbia only led to a mostly inconsequential country that becomes a target for proxy wars in the Cold War era. Do they get nothing from their unity after a 50 to 100 years go by? Different trading deals with the U.S. when they control all of the 3 countries resources? Would it effect the drug cartels or Americas willingness to ever leave Panama to it's own independence? Surely some new opportunities would be opened up for this country United. Maybe after 40 years of recovery they would look to expand north or south through military action after a bad incident with Peru or Brazil.

[@JMTgpro]

Old comment, but yes ... The video has a certain bias, especially in letting go of the current reality. First: the first reason for the division is false. "Race" was never a problem. Yes, the caste system was confusing, but there were no differences in the ruling classes. The real reason for the fall of Gran Colombia is summarized in something simple, Bolivar used Venezuelan gold to wage his wars in Peru, Colombia and his elite used Venezuelan gold to try to form a government in his absence, Venezuelan gold ran out, Bolivar died and the survivors of the Venezuelan elite felt betrayed by the favoritism of the Colombian elite while using their resources, so they parted ways. Corruption and territory, was part of the governance problems. But they weren't nails in the coffin. The fall was economic. If Venezuelan gold had been used to create internal trade routes, and social and infrastructure reforms. The Nation would have solidified to a point where Venezuela, Colombia and Panama would no longer exist, only Gran Colombia. (Even if federalism was embraced). So separatist ideas would not have survived until the 19th-20th century as the video says. The culture is the same, the racial, ethnic division is the same. There are no grounds for regionalism. Second; the bias of the video is about the identity of the "Bolivar dream" and the role of the US in this world with a Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia was created with the ideal of reuniting the old Spanish colonies, the reason why Bolivar spent his gold in wars was for this reason. A more intelligent Bolivar would have used his time to govern, solidify his creation and materialize his dream with an ideology for the future. So a Gran Colombia surviving its first decade, during a second or third president, would have been a warlike nation. It would have used its military force expanding its borders, liberating Spanish colonies and growing. Bolivar decided not to go south, he reached an agreement with Chile to leave Peru alone for now. So a ruling Bolivar would have promoted another route, the north, the Caribe. Haiti and the Dominican Republic would have been easy. The second wanted to join without problem, the first could have been convinced with proper diplomacy. A Caribbean expansion and in Central America (Post separation from Mexico), is what I see in the first 30 years of Gran Colombia (Post death of Bolivar). Another detail; The US grew as it grew, because it had no competition in its region. Gran Colombia would have been that competition. In its origins, Colombia had more unity than the United States. How would Colombia have reacted to the American-Mexican war? If Colombia had not gone after Cuba first, how would it react to the taking of Cuba? A Colombia economically solid and constant grow, militarily, which relationship would maintain Colombia-US?. The video says that the US would do what the US does in this reality. My idea ... Colombia would have allied with Mexico during the Mexican-American War. How powerful would Colombia be 30 years after its birth. I would say between 50K-60K of professional army plus militia (Bolivar commanded a professional force of 30K), but if Colombia certainly seeks its expansion in the Caribbean, it would have developed at least a decent naval force. The Mexican-American War in itself was controversial in the US, in our reality, Mexico could only defend a difficult territory to defend, without being able to attack. What it would have caused in the US, if Mexico had had an ally with a decent naval force, close enough to invade an already tense south. That for me would be the point in the history of that reality in which things would change for Mexico, Colombia, US. If Mexico still loses, another American-Colombian war would possibly start. US gonna US. Maybe taking the Dominican Republic or something in the Caribbean (Imagine if Colombia had taken Cuba before that war). If Mexico won or the war spread too long. Mexico would have developed a better military policy. Increase technology, its numbers and defenses for its northern neighbors. Even the Mexico-Colombia relationship might have been strengthened or if Mexico had still been in victory, weak ... A Colombian President could take advantage of and revive Bolivar's dream in a Colombian-Mexican War. Anyway ... The 19th century would have been one of war and expansion. Some won, others lost, but Colombia would have entered the 20th century, either dead or with an army worth fearing. With a rich territory and ready for trade. On the war of the old world in the 20th century. I see Colombia taking a neutral role in the WW1 conflict, selling oil and fuel to both sides. But ... There is a but, Germany would have tried to make this Colombia unite on its side, as it tried to unite Mexico. A Mexico winning over the US in its war in the 19th century would have no reason not to see the idea of ​​joining Germany provocative, a Mexico still losing to the US, possibly would have gone to its allies in the south instead of to the north. Could Germany convince Colombia to join its side? I would like to think that Colombia would join the US, after its "End all wars" speech, ending its neutrality against Germany (Not to mention that the area has a bad history with Germany, it had several post-liberation colonization attempts). Likewise, in our reality there were no relevant military players in the area. A strong Colombia, affected (If it happened the same), by the great depression, may see the Nazi threat as a way to nurture its economy, as the US saw it. In WW2, on the other hand, I do see a more entrenched neutrality. Similar in this case, to Spain. The only reason why I would see Colombia return to Europe would be if there was an attack (In our reality I know of at least one attack on Venezuela by Germany, sinking three oil tankers), if a similar situation occurred and the Nazis had and declared problems when seeing an emerging and strong nation growing with the mestizo idiosyncrasies that the area has. I see a Colombia join as an Ally, I do not see it getting fully involved as the US got involved, but I do see it giving resources and men. (Most of all to the US, if it joins in the same way that it joined in our reality). If this happened, an American-Colombian alliance would have occurred during the Cold War. I don't see a US intervening in the area, since with a Colombia capable of causing real damage by joining the USRR, I think the US would have been more intelligent and advocated for an "American Union" against European forces (Communism). In fact, I estimate that this alliance would be one of the main squabbles during the Cold War, USSR trying to divide the region, while Colombia nourishes the US with fuel while feeding on its post-WW2 industrialization. The End. xD

[@juanatethejetdryer7580]

As coincidentally, someone with Colombian family and a Ohioan, this is one of my favorite videos from you.