JOSÉ JOAQUÍN PRIETO: BIOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2024

José Joaquín Prieto is considered by many historians as the person who most influenced the social, cultural and political transformation of Chile between the 19th and 20th centuries. From a young age he joined the fight for the emancipation of the Spanish colonies.

He became a militiaman in the Concepción Cavalry, in Chile. Later, in Argentina, he joined the Liberation Army of Los Andes that left from Mendoza. After winning in Lircay, he was invested as president of Chile. This position was held twice: the first time was between 1831 and 1836, and the second time between 1835 and 1841.

Birth and family

José Joaquín Prieto was born in the city of Concepción on August 27, 1786. He was the son of a Chilean army captain named José María Prieto and his wife, Doña Carmen Vial.

In 1812 he married Manuela Warnes y García in Argentina, with whom he had his children Joaquín and Victoria.

His military training enabled him to efficiently perform the roles assigned to him in the army. After his victory in the battle of Lircay, he accepted the presidential chair.

government

After winning in Lircay, he was invested as president of Chile, a position he held twice during the decade from 1831 to 1841

His presidency was characterized by important changes in the country. The Ministry of Finance worked to reactivate the economy; for this it eliminated agricultural taxes.

On the other hand, it promoted foreign trade with new tariff mechanisms for import and export activities.

He exempted from paying taxes on machinery. This allowed the entry into the country of printing presses that increased intellectual development thanks to the increasing production of periodicals and books.

Prieto opened the door of arrival for doctors, naturalists, geologists and other European scientists. He did this with the idea of ​​promoting research and education in the country.

Chile became an important cultural exchange center for European youth. These arrived loaded with creative ideas in many disciplines, which revitalized the culture in the American country. Prieto prioritized health and education as transforming engines.

He hired the Venezuelan Andrés Bello for the educational portfolio and Claudio Gay for the health institutions.

Together with the Minister of War and Navy, Diego Portales, he designed civic-military support as a government base; for this he created the Civic Guard, with civilian personnel.

Plays

One of Prieto's most solid achievements was the Constitution of 1833. It was in force for nearly a century and made the Executive and Legislative powers independent.

In addition, it granted powers to the Executive to appoint ministers and even remove them. The Legislative was empowered to accuse them and make motions of censure.

The Legislative had the prerogative of the veto for budget laws. In the same way, the Executive had to request authorization from the Legislature to act in situations of war commotion and to decree a state of siege.

The National Congress became bicameral. The presidential term was five years with the right to immediate reelection. The lack of an absolute majority in the elections for the office of President of the Republic was resolved through a secret ballot between the two most voted.

Another contribution of the Constitution of Prieto to the development of the country was the definition of the geographical territory of Chile in provinces, departments, sub-delegations and, ultimately, districts.

During his presidency the railway was built, thanks to the resources contributed by the silver mine discovered and exploited in Chañarcillo.

The war against Peru and Bolivia

Chile required Peru to pay the debts contracted during the years of the independence war. Peru established very high taxes on products from Chilean agriculture.

Added to that was the controversy of the fight for trade in the Pacific region. The main commercial center of the region at that time was Valparaíso, in Chile.

Peru had the important commercial center of El Callao, to obtain supremacy in the control of trade in the region. Peru established additional taxes on merchandise from Valparaíso.

The creation of the Republic of Bolivia and its subsequent union with Peru formed the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Following the political intrigues of former Chilean President Freire and Bolivian President Santa Cruz, they attacked Chile militarily.

Participation of Minister Portales

Minister Portales defeated the Confederates in El Callao. Once the Peruvian ships were captured, a negotiation process began to achieve peace. The Peruvian-Bolivian alliance sought a truce that Chile rejected.

In addition, the Prieto government demanded the payment of outstanding debts and an end to the confederation. The request was not accepted and then Chile declared war in 1836.

Prieto had the support of the Legislative, which endowed him with extraordinary powers to declare a state of siege. However, the political opposition identified him as authoritarian and unleashed a media war to stain the President of the Republic, and thus create a matrix of opinion against the war.

Strong opposition to the Prieto government managed to infiltrate destabilizing agents into the ranks of the army. On June 3, 1837, in the canton of Quillota, Minister Portales was preparing to review the troops; then, he was captured by factions under the command of the conspiratorial general José Antonio Vidaurre.

A day later, while Portales was transferred prisoner to Valparaíso, the procession was approached by troops from the Civic Guard that Portales himself had created years before. Two days later, on the orders of Captain Santiago Florín, he was shot.

Chile was victorious in the war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. This event was celebrated with the arrival of General Manuel Bulnes to Chile. Prieto scored an enormous achievement and closed his term as ruler with very high popular approval.

In fact, Prieto appointed Bulnes as State Councilor. This later meant his candidacy for the presidential position and successor to Prieto. José Joaquín Prieto died in Santiago, on September 22, 1854.

References

1. Campos Harriet, F. (1980). History of Concepción 1550-1970 (II edition). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Universitaria. p. 382.
2. Collier, S. (1977), Ideas and politics of Chilean independence: 1808-1833. Santiago, Ed. Andrés Bello, p. 374
3. Cruz Correa, F. (1951). General Prieto. Santiago, Chile, Ed. «Alonso de Ovalle», p.159
4. Edwards, C. (1998). Forgers of Contemporary Chile. Editorial Planeta.
5. Stuven Vattier, Ana, (2000) The seduction of an order: elites and the construction of Chile in the cultural and political controversies of the 19th century. Santiago de Chile, Ed Universidad Católica de Chile, P. 316.