Decree of War to the Death

Not to be confused with Guerra a muerte.
Simón Bolívar signs the Decree of War to the Death in 1813, during his Admirable Campaign.

The Decree of War to the Death, in Spanish Decreto de Guerra a Muerte, was a decree issued by the South American leader Simón Bolívar which permitted murder and any atrocities whatsoever to be committed against civilians born in Spain, other than those actively assisting South American independence, and furthermore exonerated people from the Americas who had already committed such murders and atrocities.[1] The phrase "war to the death" was used as a euphemism for these atrocities.

The decree was an explicit "war of extermination" in Bolívar's attempt to maintain Venezuelan independence in the war with Spain, since he felt that the Spanish Army's use of atrocities against those who supported the First Republic of Venezuela had contributed decisively to its defeat.[2]: 142–143 

Bolívar promulgated the decree on June 15, 1813, in the Venezuelan city of Trujillo.

  1. ^ Racine, Karen (22 May 2013). "Message by massacre: Venezuela's War to the Death, 1810–1814". Journal of Genocide Research. 15 (2): 201–217. doi:10.1080/14623528.2013.789204. S2CID 144103773. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  2. ^ Arana, M. (2013). Bolivar. New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439110195