INDEPENDENCE OF CHILE: BACKGROUND, CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Independence of Chile was a process that began on September 18, 1810 with the appointment of the First National Board of Government, and culminated on February 12, 1818 with the swearing in and proclamation of Independence. Chile became independent from the Spanish kingdom through the Act of Independence, dated in Concepción on January 1, 1818.

It was signed by O'Higgins a month later, but the ceremony was held on the 12th of that same month in Talca and then in Santiago, on the first anniversary of the Battle of Chacabuco. In the battles of Chacabuco (February 12, 1817) and Maipú (April 5, 1818), also won by the patriots, the emancipation of Chile from Spain was sealed.

Proclamation of the Independence of Chile on February 12, 1818.

However, the independence of the country was not recognized by Spain until April 24, 1844. The movement for the emancipation of the Kingdom of Chile began on September 18, 1810 with the open town hall held in Santiago. That day the First National Board of Government was appointed to replace the Captaincy General.

The provisional governor, Mateo de Toro Zambrano, resigned from office. To replace the Government of Chile (Captaincy General), the formation of the National Government Board was proposed, dependent on the Supreme Central Board of Spain. The position was also chaired by Mateo de Toro Zambrano.

In principle, the purpose of the Governing Board of Chile and of all the American colonies was to defend the rights of the deposed Spanish King Fernando VII. However, the Chilean and mainland independence movement began to take shape there.

The most prominent figures in the Chilean Independence process were Bernardo O'Higgins, José Miguel Carrera, Manuel Rodríguez and José de San Martín. They are considered the founding fathers of the Chilean nation.

Background

A series of events preceded and triggered the process of emancipation of Chile and the rest of the American colonies. The influence of the ideas of the Enlightenment and liberalism undoubtedly paved the fertile ground for independence.

Spain at that time accused a great wear of its monarchy with a backward economy and a society rather with obscurantist features. Meanwhile, other European countries advanced, such was the case of England, France and Germany.

This situation contrasted with the ideas in vogue of the Enlightenment, which promoted modernity, freedom and reason over religion and the despotic governments of the time.

The new Creole ruling class of colonial society at the end of the 18th century grew precisely at the dawn of these ideas. However, in the first two decades of the 19th century in America, the monarchical regime itself was not questioned, but rather the way of governing and the privileges of the peninsular Spaniards.

Foreign influence

In the American colonies, it was proposed to make corrections to the decadent colonial society and to reform the feudal and semi-feudal production system.

During this time the influence of the Independence of the United States in 1776 and the French Revolution in 1789 also helped fuel libertarian thought.

Liberal political ideas were dosed during Chile's independence process. There was the dangerous precedent of Haitian independence in 1804, where mestizos and black slaves rose up and murdered white landowners. So the concept of popular sovereignty did not excite the white Creoles.

Another antecedent of Chilean independence was the economic situation of the American colonies after the Bourbon reforms.

Trade liberalization completely changed monopolies; This generated conflicts of interest between white Creole merchants and the peninsular Spaniards.

Causes

Among the main causes that led to Chile's independence process, the following stand out:

- The abdication of King Fernando VII and his son Carlos to the Spanish throne, forced by Napoleon Bonaparte. Spain was occupied in 1808 by French troops, who took advantage of the weak political, economic and military situation that the Spanish kingdom had to conquer it.

- The privileges of the peninsular Spaniards in the administrative positions of government and in the commerce, disadvantaging the Creole children of Spaniards born in America, who felt they had the same rights. This was accentuated after the deposition of the king, which caused further unrest.

- After the sudden death of Governor Luis Muñoz de Guzmán, in February 1818 a power vacuum was created in the kingdom of Chile. Muñoz de Guzmán enjoyed popularity and authority and there was no one to replace him, because King Fernando XVII did not have time to replace him with another.

- After the interim regency of Juan Rodríguez Ballesteros, the position of governor of Chile was claimed and occupied by the military commander Francisco Antonio García Carrasco, for being the highest ranking military man. This official was corrupt and incompetent. His rudeness upset the local elites, which increased unease and uncertainty.

- Governor García Carrasco was involved in a great scandal in October 1808. He was charged with the theft of a cargo of contraband clothing from an English whaling ship and the murder of the captain and part of the crew during the assault. After this episode he could not continue governing and had to take refuge in his farm.

- At that time it was decided that the healthiest thing was to leave the administration of the assets and the government of Chile in the hands of a Provisional Government Board of the Kingdom (that was the official name of the National Government Board).

Stages

Almost the entire process of Chilean independence took place during a long war fought between royalist monarchists and patriotic supporters of independence.

This period was divided into three stages: the Old Homeland (1810-1814), the Reconquest or Monarchical Restoration (1814-1817) and the New Homeland (1817-1823).

The Old Homeland (1810 - 1814)

This period includes two fundamental historical milestones:

The First Governing Board (1810)

Its initial purpose was not to proclaim the independence of Chile but to preserve the rights of Fernando VII. However, in practice it meant the first step towards the emancipation of this Spanish colony, because it was made up of white Creoles. They were the most prominent residents of Santiago with their own interests and desires for autonomy.

The Board had three great tasks and achievements:

- Convene the First National Congress.

- Decree the freedom of trade.

- The formation of armed bodies.

First National Congress (1811)

During its legislative functions, this congress achieved:

- Grant the people the right to organize and elect their authorities.

- Sanction the Law of freedom of the womb, so that all the children of slaves born in Chilean territory and any other person who lived in it were free.

Government of José Miguel Carrera

- During this period that began in 1812, the Cabrera government introduced profound political reforms to pave the way for Independence.

- The Constitutional Regulation of 1812 was issued, which will be the first Chilean Constitution. In this it was established that the Executive power should be made up of a triumvirate or board of three members, while the Legislative power was formed by the Senate of seven members. This was one of the greatest wishes of Chilean Creole whites.

- By decree, Catholic convents were obliged to found primary schools for boys and girls.

- The first national flag was created, which consisted of three horizontal stripes with the colors blue, white and yellow.

- Freedom of the press was decreed, which was later changed by prior censorship.

- The Carrera government respected the sovereignty of Fernando VII. However, it was expressly stipulated that the king must abide by the Chilean Constitution. It was also made clear that "no decree, providence or order" issued by a different authority outside the territory of Chile would be observed or have any effect.

Spanish Reconquest (1814 - 1817)

This period began with the Battle of Rancagua, also called the Rancagua Disaster of 1814, and ended with the patriot victory at the Battle of Chacabuco in 1817.

After the patriotic defeat at the Battle of Rancagua, a new stage in the life of Chile began that was characterized by growing resistance to the colonial order. The return to power of the absolutist monarch Fernando VII in Spain (in 1813), increased the desire for emancipation.

The Spanish monarchy tried to retake power and that same year sent troops to Chile to confront the patriot army. After several combats, the Spanish royalists defeated the Creole army.

During this period, the government of Chile came under the power of the Spanish governors appointed by the king: first Mariano Osorio (1814 - 1815) and then Francisco Casimiro Marcó del Pont (1815 - 1817).

This stage meant a setback for the Chilean independence cause, as the colonial institutions were restored. Likewise, the freedoms newly established in the Constitution were suppressed.

Many patriotic leaders were persecuted and fled into exile, others were exiled to the island of Juan Fernández. Meanwhile, in Chile, the local clandestine resistance remained led by Manuel Rodríguez; This facilitated contact between the Chilean and Argentine patriots.

In Mendoza, where some Chilean patriots went into exile, they received support from the then governor of Cuyo and hero of independence, José de San Martín.

From there he organized an army commanded by San Martín himself and Bernardo O'Higgins: it was the Liberation Army of the Andes, which crossed the Cordillera to confront the royalists.

New Homeland (1817 - 1823)

This period of Chilean independence history began on February 12, 1817 with the victory of the Army of the Andes at the Battle of Chacabuco. It ended with the resignation of Bernardo O'Higgins in 1823.

The Liberation Army was able to cross the Andes mountain range and defeat the royalist forces in the battle of Chacabuco, on the outskirts of the city of Santiago. The severe military coup received by the Spanish military stronghold marked the beginning of the New Homeland and independence, which became official exactly one year later.

O'Higgins received the appointment of Supreme Director of Chile. His government devoted itself entirely to consolidating the nascent republic from a military and political point of view. Thus, on February 12, 1818 in the city of Talca, O'Higgins proclaimed the Independence of Chile.

In response to this act, the viceroy of Peru sent troops to Chile led by the Spanish commander Mariano Osorio. The confrontation took place in the battle of Cancha Rayada, where the patriot army was defeated.

Then, on April 5, 1818, the decisive battle was fought. In the battle of Maipú, the Spanish army and the patriotic forces commanded by San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins faced each other again. In Maipú the Independence of Chile was finally consolidated and the city of Santiago was not under Spanish threat again.

From this victory, O'Higgins dedicated himself to extending education throughout the country with the creation of schools and the founding of cities.

The postal and stagecoach service between Santiago and Valparaíso and the War Academy, among other works, was created. However, independence did not pacify the country.

Political, social and economic consequences

Policies

The Chilean oligarchy that did not sympathize with O'Higgins began to oppose him, especially after 1822 since at that time the Spanish no longer represented a danger.

It was useless that O'Higgins tried to give more political power to the oligarchy through a new Constitution. Then, the Chilean hero had to resign in 1823 and go into exile.

The internal political division between the oligarchs and the patriot army marked the following years until 1830. There were some thirty successive governments and different systems of government were tried, but the rivalries between the different factions made up of federalists and centralizers, authoritarians and liberals, did not they allowed it.

In 1829 the authoritarians, supported by part of the army, managed to seize power and install a governing junta. Then, José Tomás de Ovalle was appointed as provisional president, although the real power was held by Diego Portales. It was a dictatorial government.

Social

Although Chile obtained its independence from Spain, in practice nothing changed. The colonial social, political and economic structures were maintained.

The Chilean aristocracy remained in power and the farm workers became poorer. This led to the increase in crime and homelessness.

Economical

Political chaos was joined by the economic crisis in the country, as a result of poor harvests and financial disorder, thus increasing anarchy.

Poverty and hunger grew, and the large cattle and agricultural estates were destroyed.

Important characters

Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (1778 - 1842)

Along with San Martín, O'Higgins was a liberator of Chile, where he held various administrative and military positions. He belonged to the Chilean aristocracy, as his father was Ambrosio O'Higgins - Governor of Chile and Viceroy of Peru - and his mother was Isabel Riquelme Meza.

He became a military man after participating in the events of 1810 and continuing to fight in the cause of Independence. Between 1817 and 1823 he was supreme director of Chile. After his resignation he went into exile in Peru, where he died in 1842.

José de San Martín y Matorras (1778 - 1850)

He was one of the liberators of Chile and Peru along with Bernardo O'Higgins and Bolívar. He was the son of Spaniards and served as a military man. He fought alongside the Spanish in Europe, but in 1812 he returned to Buenos Aires to serve the independence cause.

San Martín organized the Army of the Andes from Mendoza, which achieved the independence of Chile in 1818 when he was victorious in the Battle of Maipú.

Mateo de Toro y Zambrano (1727 - 1811)

He was a Chilean Creole military and politician who in 1810 assumed the interim position of president-governor and captain general of Chile, after Francisco Antonio García Carrasco resigned.

Then, on September 18 of that year, he assumed the presidency of the first National Board of Government of Chile, despite being a supporter of the Spanish Crown.

José Miguel Carrera (1785 - 1821)

Chilean politician and military man who held the presidency of the Provisional Board of Government of Chile during the period of the Old Homeland. After dissolving the National Congress, he assumed dictatorial power. He carried out profound reforms that prepared the way for Independence.

Manuel Rodríguez (1785 - 1818)

Chilean lawyer, politician and military, whose participation in the emancipatory process during the Reconquest period was key.

This Chilean patriot was in charge of organizing the clandestine resistance against the Spanish in Chile. After the Cancha Rayada disaster, he was appointed acting supreme director in Santiago for a brief period.

Mariano Osorio (1777 - 1819)

Brigadier and Spanish governor of Chile between 1814 and 1816. He commanded the royalist armies in the battles of Rancagua and Cancha Rayada (March 19, 1818), won by the Spanish. It was a fundamental piece of the Crown during the Reconquest period.

Francisco Casimiro Marcó del Pont (1765 - 1819)

Military and Spanish governor of Chile between 1815 and 1817.

References

1. The Independence. Retrieved April 25, 2018 from thisischile.cl
2. Chile: Struggle for independence. Consulted from britannica.com
3. Independence of Chile: What were its causes? Consulted of guioteca.com
4. 1818: The Declaration of Chilean Independence. Consulted from historyhit.com
5. Chile's Independence Day: September 18, 1810. Consulted from thoughtco.com
6. External and internal antecedents. Consulted of memoriachilena.cl
7. External antecedents of the War of Independence. Consulted of infogram.com
8. Chilean War of Independence. Consulted of en.wikipedia.org
9. Birth of a nation: causes and consequences. Consulted of educarchile.cl