History questions

    (1) If the Spanish and Portuguese colonial system was a brutal one in which native Americans and peoples of African descent were oppressed, why did colonialism last for so long? (2) Discuss the causes of the independence movements in order to pinpoint the reason for the collapse of Spanish and Portuguese rule in most of Latin America. (3) Who would you identify as the main leaders behind the independence movements in Spanish America? How did they manage to get “the people” behind their cause?