Answer:
The ideas of the French Revolution inspired many <em>criollos </em>(Spanish born on American land) from the Spanish colonies in Latin America. These ideas referred to equality among people, freedom of speech and republican government.
Many South American colonies gained independence thanks to these ideals (e.g. Venezuela) and many South American people fought for independence together with Napoleonic armies in Europe, motivated by the French revolutionary movement.
Together with other revolutionaries, Simon Bolivar tried to institute republican principle and overthrow Spanish monarchical power, by preserving the Pan American ideas. However, the proclamation of Napoleon as emperor was a disillusion to Bolivar, as he considered it a betrayal of republican ideals.
