in more than three centuries of Spanish occupation the Philippines saw a number of rebellions that were unsuccessful in attaining Independence but in 1896 the struggle of the Katipunan or the KKK in the Philippines would be the final attempt that would eventually gain independence from Spain however the events leading up to it would be filled with courage determination and heroism but also chaos selfishness and betrayal this is the tragedy of the Philippine Revolution [Music] Spain had a huge Empire including the Philippines which they ruled for 333 years but with colonization came oppression the Spanish exploited the country's resources and forced the indigenous population into hard labor while imposing high taxes they also tightly controlled the people and suppressed any political descent the Spanish tried to suppress local culture banned native languages imposed Christianity and discouraged traditional practices this treatment understandably made the Filipinos unhappy and they resisted Spanish rules through various revolts throughout the years such as that the gohoi revolt and silang Revolt to name a few but the last attempt at independence from the Spaniards came during the Philippine revolution of 1896-1898. in 1892 Andres Bonifacio founded the Katipunan also known as or the KKK it was a secret society that aim to overthrow the Spaniards and establish a Philippine government the members of the Katipunan were composed of mainly working-class Filipinos who were tired of the poverty and oppression that marked Spanish colonial rule and they were driven by a burning desire for Freedom equality and justice tahadeepunan was a daring response to the growing sense of nationalism among Filipino people it was a call to Arms a rallying cry for all those who dared to dream of a better future for their country the organization grew quickly and by 1896 it had become a powerful force that posed a significant threat to the Spanish Colonial forces the hadipunan made its grand entrance in the Battle of San Juan Del Monte on August 30 1896 officially beginning the bloody and violent Philippine Revolution the battle was a response to the Spanish authorities discovery of the katipunan's plans for enterprising in the days leading up to the battle Spanish forces arrested several of the society's prominent members leaving the Katipunan with no choice but to launch an attack on the Spanish forces in the area however the odds were not in the katipunan's favor the Spanish authorities had a well-equipped and well-trained army while the hatipunan was composed mainly of untrained volunteers armed with only basic weapons moreover the hatipunan coordination and planning leaving them at a severe disadvantage eventually the hatipunan suffered heavy losses and lost its first battle soon news of the resistance spread to the Spanish government in Spain they knew they had to act fast to quell the rebellion in their colony so they sent reinforcements and additional resources to the Philippines the Spanish government was determined to crush the rebellion and restore its Authority in the colony but the Spanish response was not limited to just sending reinforcements they also Unleashed a brutal Crackdown in resistance with several prominent members of the Philippine Revolution executed in a bid doing intimidate and discourage further resistance among the people was Jose Rizal a key figure in the propaganda movement and the symbol of Hope for the people even before with the Spanish military regaining strength the odds were stacked against the lack of resources and support for the resistance meant that the battles that followed would be marked by even more significant losses and casualties for the Katipunan as the battles reached on a particularly charismatic leader was gaining popularity and quickly Rose through the ranks of the hatipunan despite being outmatched in terms of Manpower and resources Emilio aguinaldo was able to lead the khadipunan to several important victories in Cavite his hometown he was a skilled military strategist and tactician and his leadership in battle inspired others to follow him aguinaldo was also politically Savvy and was able to navigate the complex political landscape of the Philippines he was able to forge alliances and gain the support of other groups despite fighting with the Katipunan the leaders in Cavite along with Emilio aguinaldo formed their own faction of the Katipunan called magdalo the Katipunan leaders also formed their own faction called the maddiwa which is closely associated with Andres Bonifacio himself the founder of the Katipunan the magdalo faction composed of the wealthy and educated had a more moderate stance towards politics and was open to negotiations with the Spanish Colonial authorities they believed that Katipunan needed to focus on establishing a new government and gaining political power meanwhile the magdewang faction consisting of members from the lower social classes was determined to continue the armed struggle against the Spanish this division within the Katipunan was rooted in differences in leadership style political ideology and personal ambition and made it more difficult to achieve their goal of Independence to reorganize takatipunan into a more formal and centralized organization Andres Bonifacio Emilio aguinaldo and members of both the magdalo and madiwa factions held a meeting in Cavite to once and for all elect the new leaders of the Katipunan this meeting was infamously known as the Heros Convention of 1897. at the convention however andras Bonifacio was not elected as the new head of the Revolutionary government instead Emilio aguinaldo was elected as the new president Bonifacio argued that he as the founder of the hatipunan should be the one to lead the new government but aguinaldo with his impressive military record and popularity one out in the end it was suggested that Bonifacio should instead automatically have the possession of Vice President however the election continued and Mariano Trias took the possession of Vice President as the elections continued Andres Bonifacio was elected last as the Director of interior but was then challenged by Danielle tirona who argued that he was not qualified for the position to his lack of formal education and that the position should be held by someone who holds a lawyer's diploma Bonifacio did not have a high level of formal education he was born into a poor family and was only able to attend school for a few years tirona proposed a prominent lawyer like Jose Del Rosario instead Bonifacio was insulted by this and asked for an apology from tirona but tirona refused to apologize and in the fit of anger Bonifacio drew his gun and threatened to shoot him the room erupted into chaos as bonifacio's fellow revolutionaries tried to restrain him Bonifacio felt cheated by the election results and he believed that Katipunan he had founded was taken over by people who cared more about their own power than the cause of the Revolution he then stormed out of the convention feeling angry and betrayed by April of 1897 Emilio aguinaldo as the new president ordered bonifacio's arrest accusing him of burning a village additionally when he fasho and his last remaining followers were seen as a threat to aguinaldo's leadership and authority and some were killed during his arrest including his brother siryako it was a shocking move that sent shockwaves through the khadipunan forces Bonifacio the hero of the Revolution was now a prisoner after his arrest Bonifacio was charged with treason and Sedition and his fate was left in the hands of a jury made up entirely of aguinaldo's men the trial was a sham with even bonifacio's own lawyer declaring him guilty when fascia and his brother procopio were then sentenced to death and were executed in the mountains of maragondon the news of his execution and possible betrayal by aguinaldo demoralized many Katipunan troops causing them to quit even more weakening the Katipunan forces these issues all happened in the midst of the Philippine revolution in 1897. as the Katipunan troops struggled to fight the Spaniards but the revolution would continue on without Bonifacio as the Spanish troops continued to occupy the Philippines the Filipinos struggled for Independence seemed hopeless however a new problem arises for Spain as war broke out between the United States and Spain in 1898. Admiral George Dewey of the United States quickly destroyed the Spanish Fleet and secured control of the islands the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris that same year which resulted in Spain losing all its remaining overseas territories including the Philippines Guam and Puerto Rico the Spaniards had no choice but to withdraw from the Philippines the Philippine Revolution officially ended on June 12 1898 with the proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain however as the Filipinos celebrated their freedom from Spanish rule they soon realized that they had simply been handed to a new colonial power the United States while the Katipunan did not ultimately cast The Surrender of Spain in the Philippines their efforts significantly weakened the Spanish troops making it easier for the Americans to take control despite the tragedy of the Katipunan its Legacy lived on as an important symbol of Independence and a key moment in Philippine history check out more tidbits about Philippine history on the shorts playlist here