At the end of the Wars of Independence, fought in the 1810s and 1820s by colonies of Spain and Portugal residing in the South American continent, several sovereign nations were formed on this continent. After the Monroe Doctrine (which established the United States as defender of the Americas from European encroachment) was established in the 20th Century, political leaders such Simon Bolivar dreamed of a United States of South America. This proposed institution has never been realized.
