Module 2

The Nineteenth century World of Rizal

At the end of the module, students will be able to;

1. Explain the development of the world in the 19 th century

2. Analyze the various social, political, economic, and cultural changes that
occurred in the Philippines in19th century as a result of Spanish colonization
3. Understand Jose Rizal in the context of the time

Activity 1
1. What term would you think when you hear the word,
nationalism? Why?
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2. What would you feel when you see the Philippine Flag?
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3. Cite three ways to show your nationalism

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The World in the 19th Century
Garcia, C. D. & Cruz, C. B. (2005) Rizal and the Development of Filipino Nationalism: A Textbook on
the life, works, and writings of our national hero.

In the 19th century, the world had experienced a lot of developments. Capino
listed six of these developments namely;
a. rise and growth of nationalism;
b. gradual spread of liberalism and democracy;
c. upsurge of western imperialism;
d. advance of science;
e. industrial revolution; and
f. optimism and confidence in progress.

Rise and Growth of nationalism

Nationalism is a modern movement. Throughout history people have been
attached to their native soil, to the traditions of their parents, and to established
territorial authorities, but it was not until the end of the 18th century that nationalism
began to be a generally recognized sentiment moulding public and private life and one
of the great, if not the greatest, single determining factors of modern history. Because of
its dynamic vitality and its all-pervading character, nationalism is often thought to be
very old; sometimes it is mistakenly regarded as a permanent factor in political
behaviour. Actually, the American and French revolutions may be regarded as its first
powerful manifestations. After penetrating the new countries of Latin America, it spread
in the early 19th century to central Europe and from there, toward the middle of the
century, to eastern and South-eastern Europe. At the beginning of the 20th century,
nationalism flowered in Asia and Africa. Thus, the 19th century has been called the age
of nationalism in Europe, while the 20th century witnessed the rise and struggle of
powerful national movements throughout Asia and Africa.
The American and French Revolution resulted to the growth of nationalism.
There was a realization that there is a need to show loyalty to the nation and not to its
leaders. The idea that when a country was put to danger, its members would be united
to defend their nation.
Gradual spread of liberalism and democracy
The growth of nationalism effected to the spread of liberalism. The principal ideas
– equality and liberty, have emerged among the nations. Various expression of freedom
was already enjoyed by the people.
Upsurge of western imperialism
Western countries competed in expanding their territories in Asia and some parts
of Africa. They continued colonizing countries influencing the culture and even
exploiting the natural resources.

Advance of science
Science was unrivalled during this century. It has brought a lot of changes in
technology. People had seen the significance of experiment and careful observation to
solve some problems of the time.
Industrial revolution
This resulted to some positive and negative effects due to the inventions of
machines. Positively, there was a rise in the factory system, improvement in the
people’s standard of living, invention of labor-saving devices, urbanization of the
society, and others.
However, it also had brought a lot of pollution, environmental problems, and it even
widens the gap between the rich and the poor.

Optimism and confidence in progress

This can be gleaned from the achievements of the people in the 19 th century.
Some of these were identified by Capino (1977) as:
 Promotion of higher education for men and women
 Extension of human rights to many people
 Education for nationalism in schools
 Investment in science
 Emergence of literature that depicted the life of the time
 Improvement of public health

(Garcia, Carlito, D, De Viana, Augusto V. & Cruz, Cynthia V. (2015) Rizal and the
Development of Filipino Nationalism: A textbook on the Life, Works, and Writings of our
National Hero. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp., Mandaluyong)

The 19th Century Philippines

By the late 18th century, political and economic changes in Europe were finally
beginning to affect Spain and, thus, the Philippines. Important as a stimulus
to trade was the gradual elimination of the monopoly enjoyed by the galleon
to Acapulco. The last galleon arrived in Manila in 1815, and by the mid-1830s Manila

Activity 2
Prove or contradict to the following statement.
1. Nationalism was a potent force in the 19th century world of Rizal.
was open to foreign merchants almost without restriction. The demand for Philippine
sugar and abaca (hemp) grew apace, and the volume of exports to Europe expanded
even further after the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869.
(https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines/The-19th-century)

Administrative Organization’ (Political System)

The Philippines was governed directly by the Spanish crown, thru the Minister of
Colonies. The government was unitary as policies implemented by the colonial
administration.
The head of the Spanish colonial government was the Governor-General
(Capitan Heneral, in Spanish term). He was appointed by the Spanish Monarch and
represented the crown in all political matters. .
The governor-general performs dual functions- political and ecclesiastical. His
political powers include being the chief executive head of the colony-managing the
internal affairs of the state as well as the executor of the laws of the land. He was also
the chief of Real Audiencia or the Spanish Supreme Court in the Philippines where
cases were elevated after the failure of cases in local courts. He was also the
commanding officer of the armed forces particularly the navy and the army. His
ecclesiastical power then was to settle church matters because there was Union of
Church and State. In the 19th century Philippines then the office of the Governor-
General was the most powerful position in the land next to the King of Spain and the
Ministry of the Indies.
In the local set-up then, local government was divided into provinces, cities and
barangays. The provinces were led by the alcalde-mayor who was the executive of the
provinces. Cities were called, Ayuntamiento. The little towns were called pueblos.
During the 19th century the barangays were headed by a chief known as the cabeza de
barangay and they served as tax collectors of their constituents, and there was native
police (guardia civil).

The Galleon Trade

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_galleon)

The Manila Galleons were Spanish trading ships which for two and a half

centuries linked the Philippines with Mexico across the Pacific Ocean, making one or
two round-trip voyages per year between the ports of Acapulco and Manila, which were
both part of New Spain. The name of the galleon changed to reflect the city that the ship
sailed from.The term Manila Galleons is also used to refer to the trade route itself
between Acapulco and Manila, which lasted from 1565 to 1815.
 The Manila Galleons were also known in New Spain as "La Nao de la China"
(The China Ship) on their return voyage from the Philippines because they carried
mostly Chinese goods, shipped from Manila.
The Manila Galleon trade route was inaugurated in 1565 after Augustinian friar
and navigator Andrés de Urdaneta discovered the tornaviaje or return route from the
Philippines to Mexico. The first successful round trips were made by Urdaneta and
by Alonso de Arellano that year. The route lasted until 1815 when the Mexican War of
Independence broke out. The Manila galleons sailed the Pacific for 250 years, bringing
to the Americas cargoes of luxury goods such as spices and porcelain, in exchange for
silver. The route also created a cultural exchange that shaped the identities and culture
of the countries involved.

Social Institutions
The social institution which was imposed by Spain in the Philippines was divided
into social strata to wit;
Peninsulares
Insulares

mestizos
Principalia
Chinese
Indios or Natives
mestizos
The figure above shows the social strata which
puts the principalia (the rich and opulent class) or the
peninsulares and insulares at the apex of the triangle. The lower portion of the apex is
composed of mixed races (Spaniard, Chinese and Austronesian ancestry) including
Rizal’s Family and other propagandists are not presented in the figure. Almost 60% of
the population is “indio” which belongs to the lower class and uneducated Filipinos.
Religious impositions were very strong at that time where Filipinos are subjects under
the Spanish friars. Marcelo H. Del Pilar, known to be one of the main propagandists
coined the term, “frailocracy” which prevailed in the Philippines.
Rizal as a product of his times
Rizal was the product of his times and he was also one of the eyewitnesses of
the execution of the triumvirate priests, Gomez, Burgos and Zamora who were executed
on February 17,1872 after the Cavite Mutiny on January 20, 1872 which was led by
Sergeant La Madrid. Rizal, being an eyewitness of the execution, reckoned his historical
thoughts in his letters as revealed by his early biographers. On the other hand some
points to be considered, to wit;

1. Divine Intervention
 Rizal’s vast knowledge and social consciousness are God’s gifts to
him. As a reformer, he was well-versed in letters and language. It is a fact
that Jose Rizal possessed a lot of talents and he used his literary and
writing ability to fight the Spanish tyranny. He believed that “the pen is
mightier than sword”.

2. Environmental Awareness
The 19th century was the Age of Enlightenment and Rizal was the
product of that of time. His environment might be one of the very reasons
why he fought the Spanish authorities as he was surrounded by several
names who became his advisers and mentors. He witnessed the
execution of the triumvirate priests (GomBurZa) at a young age of 11
which awakened his awareness of the social injustices of the Spanish
authorities. He believed that “tyranny” has no room in a free society which
he envisioned for the country.

3. Educational Factors
Rizal became a young professional who gained his expertise in
Ateneo (as surveyor), University of Santo Tomas (as a medical student)
and in Universidad Central de Madrid (continuing his medical studies). His
expertise became in demand as a barrio doctor serving his less privileged
compatriots. His literary knowledge and observations in the Philippines
and his travels abroad were his inspirations when he wrote his two novels-
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

4. Family Orientation
The Mercado family along with other “middle class families” was
Rizal’s first teachers. Belonging to the ilustrado class, Rizal was sent
abroad to continue his medical studies though there were some objections
from his mother. His family was his source of strength in his fight for social
justice from the evil society of that time. Paciano, his brother was his
closest adviser and supporter during his stay in Europe. Rizal’s family has
influenced him a lot in inculcating and developing nationalism in his
consciousness.

ASSESSMENT
Using a Venn diagram. Compare and contrast the government of the
Philippines during the Spanish era and the present time.

Spanish Time Present Time

Both