WHAT WAS THE MILITARY ANARCHY OF PERU? - HISTORY - 2025

The military anarchy of Peru was a period between 1842 and 1845 in which the military leaders would dispute the government of the country, without any of them being able to fully exercise their position.

It could be said that the origin of military anarchy begins in 1839, when Agustín Gamarra Messia is elected for the second time as president of Peru.

Agustin Gamarra

Gamarra was a conservative Peruvian military man. During his first term, he had already failed in an attempt to unify the nations of Peru and Bolivia into a single nation. He declared war on Bolivia and in 1941 invaded this nation, arriving in the city of La Paz in October.

The Bolivians, who were in confrontations among themselves, put aside their disputes to congregate in the Ingavi plain under the command of General Ballivian, where they would face the Peruvian forces and Gamarra would be assassinated.

Manuel Menendez

After the death of Gamarra in November 1941, Manuel Menéndez, who held the position of president of the council of state, is recognized as provisional president.

He had to face Bolivia after they invaded the Peruvian nation. Finally, he achieves a peace agreement by signing the Treaty of Puno in 1842.

On the other hand, he signed an amnesty decree, which allowed exiles who were in Chile and Bolivia to return. Among them, General Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, who had been exiled to Chile in 1841 after conspiring against President Gamarra.

Upon his return to Peru, he was appointed general of the northern army and finally overthrew Menéndez, proclaiming himself Supreme Chief. However, in the south the army pronounces in favor of the person who held the position as prefect of the department of Cuzco, General Juan Francisco Vidal de la Hoz.

Vidal led the southern army in a military campaign against Torrico, facing him in the battle of Agua Santa, where the latter was defeated and forced into exile again.

The Directory

The board of directors was considered an authoritarian regime led by a supreme director. The main characters who were involved in this new regime were Vidal and Vivanco.

Vidal

Vidal held his position only for a few months, since whoever was his minister of war, General Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco, gathered forces against Vidal.

Vidal, in order to avoid a new civil war, resigns, handing over power to Justo Figuerola.

This term of Figuerola is said to have lasted only 2 days, as a crowd gathered in front of his house demanding his resignation. Because of this, he asked his daughter to throw the presidential sash off the balcony.

Vivanco

Vivanco began his government on April 7, 1843, proclaiming himself the supreme director of the republic, and establishing a conservative and aristocratic regime that he would call "The Directory."

This period was one of excessive authoritarianism; it did not take into account the congress and appointed its own constituent assembly. It also reduced the number of forces that made up the army to prevent future uprisings.

The constitutionalist revolution

Grand Marshal Domingo Nieto, in turn prefect of the department of Moquegua, did not accept General Vivanco's rebellion. He was one of the many exiled by the latter.

However, in May 1943 he began an uprising, organizing militias and members of the regular army.

On the other hand, the great Marshal Ramón Castilla rebelled in Tarapacá, and together they faced the Vivanco regime in battles such as that of San Antonio and the battle of Pachía.

Vivanco gathered his forces and deployed to the city of Arequipa, where he had strong support from the population. Its vice president, Domingo Elías, until then loyal to the Board of Directors, takes advantage of Vivanco's departure from the capital and proclaims himself Political and Military Head of the Republic.

He ruled during the week of June 17-24 in what would be called Semana Magna.

The end of anarchy

Finally, on June 22, 1844, the forces of Ramón Castilla and Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco met in the Battle of Carmen Alto in Arequipa, where Vivanco's forces were defeated.

Vivanco manages to escape and is finally exiled to Chile. Castilla, seeing itself as victorious, reestablished the 1839 constitution again. After a period of provisional mandate from Justo Figuerola, Manuel Menéndez retakes command of the nation on October 7, 1844.

Menéndez ruled until April 1845. After this, he called for elections, where the Grand Marshal Ramón Castilla would be elected, fulfilling his mandate as constitutional president of the republic from April 20, 1845 to April 20, 1851.

References

1. Aljovin, C. (2000). Caudillos and Constitutions. Peru 1821-1845. Culture Fund and PUCP Economica.
2. Basadre, J. (1987). Peru: Problem and Possibility. Lima: Library Stadium.
3. Chocano, M. (2006). Leadership and Militarism in the interpretive tradition of Peruvian historiography. Iberoamericana, 7-21.
4. Hunefeldt, C. (2010). A brief history of Peru. Facts on File.
5. Klarens, P. (2004). State and nation in the history of Peru. IEP editions.
6. Tamariz, D. (1995). History of power, elections and coups in Peru. Lima: Jaime Campodonico.