On May 2, 1808, the people of Madrid rose up against the French invaders in an uprising that led to a war.<\/p>\n
Today, Spain remembers with pride and admiration that popular uprising<\/strong>, which fueled the bitter struggle that saw our country regain its independence. In fact, in Spain, that war is commonly known as the \"War of Independence.\"<\/p>\n That war lasted six years, from 1808 to 1814. According to historian Micheal Clodfelter<\/a> (\"Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015\"<\/em>), that war probably left more than a million dead<\/strong>, a figure that would be huge today, but was even more so at the time. Let's keep in mind that in 1800 Spain had about 11 million inhabitants<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, I ask: What percentage of Spain would you have ceded to Napoleon's France to avoid all those deaths?<\/strong> Perhaps 20% or 50%? To avoid a million deaths, what concessions would you have accepted from the invaders? Would you have approved of France taking over your province or the region where you live?<\/strong><\/p>\n I know these questions will provoke indignation. Spain has always been a country with an indomitable spirit,<\/strong> well captured in these words written by Miguel de Cervantes in Chapter LVIII of \"Don Quixote\":<\/p>\n Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that heaven has bestowed upon mankind<\/strong>; no treasure on earth can match it, nor the sea conceal it; For freedom as well as for honor, one can and should risk one's life.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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