CONSERVATIVE REPUBLIC OF CHILE: ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURE - HISTORY - 2024

The Conservative Republic of Chile, also called the Authoritarian Republic, was a period in the country's history marked by the governments of the Conservative Party. After eight convulsive years, called the Organization of the Republic of Chile, the tension between liberals and conservatives led to a Civil War.

The victory in this conflict went to the Conservatives who, in 1831, established the first government of the Conservative period. During the Conservative Republic three presidents succeeded each other. Each of them remained in office for ten years.

Diego Portales. Source: By Album of the National Congress in its first centenary 1818-1918, via Wikimedia Commons

The Authoritarian Republic lasted until 1861. During the three decades of conservative primacy the country stabilized with a strong and, according to liberals, almost dictatorial style of government. Among the most important events, the war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation stood out, as well as the revolutionary attempt of 1851.

Conservative governments attached great importance to education. Numerous educational institutions were created, including the University of Chile, and women accessed the educational centers. Similarly, in the cultural sphere, the so-called Generation of 1842 stood out, a group of writers with a progressive ideology.

Origin

After achieving independence, Chileans faced the task of organizing their country. There were opposing groups, with opposing ideologies, trying to develop their state models.

Despite sharing their wealthy and Creole origin, in the end they ended up concentrating on two large groups: liberals and conservatives.

Organization of the Republic of Chile

The years following independence have been called by historians Organization of the Republic of Chile. They were eight years characterized by ideological and political tensions between supporters of the different ways of institutionally and politically organizing the country.

There was agreement on the so-called republican paradigm, but it was impossible for them to reach an agreement on the rest of the issues. These tensions led to the emergence of various political currents that were to star in subsequent events.

Thus, the conservatives (hairdressers), the liberals (pipiolos) and the tobacconists faced each other. The latter were conservative politically and liberal economically. Finally, there was a small group in favor of a federal organization.

Constitutional Essays

The differences on how to organize the country were legally reflected in the various legal texts that were drawn up in those years. The "Constitutional Essays" written covered all kinds of ideologies.

Thus, in 1823 the Moralist Constitution was presented, which sought to educate the population through laws. Three years later, it was time for The Federal Laws, which advocated an organization similar to that of the US The last proposal was the Liberal Constitution, drawn up in 1828.

Civil war

The confrontation between the different currents ended up leading the country to a civil war. This began in 1829 and pitted liberals and conservatives.

That same year presidential elections were held, being won by Francisco Pinto. After him, the conservatives Ruíz-Tagle, second, and José Joaquín Prieto, third. However, the victorious Liberals appointed the candidate who had come in fourth place in the voting as vice president.

This caused the Conservatives, with the support of the tobacconists and the O'higginists, to rebel. Despite Pinto's resignation, the southern army, under Prieto's command, began the march towards the capital. At the same time, Diego Portales also organized an armed uprising.

Despite the good progress of the war for his side, there were also disagreements among the conservatives. The figure of Portales was fundamental, since he pressured Ruíz-Tagle to give up command to Tomás Ovalle.

This appointed Portales himself Minister of the Interior, War and Navy and Foreign Relations of the government organized by the conservatives.

Battle of Lircay

The battle that ended the civil war was the one that took place in Lircay, on April 17, 1830. The conservative victory was total and led to the surrender of the liberals.

Although, at first, a very conciliatory treaty was signed, the provisional government of Ovalle rejected the grace measures for the liberals. According to historians, it was Diego Portales who convinced him to be tough on the defeated.

Development

José Joaquín Prieto, first president of the conservative period

On June 2, 1831, the Conservative Republic began. The first president was José Joaquín Prieto and Diego Portales held the vice-presidency. Despite belonging to the tobacconist side, Portales became the true ideologue of those early conservative years.

The hairdressers began to draft a new constitution, which would be promulgated in 1833. This Magna Carta established the principles that would govern the country for 30 years.

During those three decades, Chile met three different presidents: José Joaquín Prieto, Manuel Bulnes and Manuel Montt. Each of them served 10 years.

Diego Portales placeholder image

One of the most influential characters during this period was Diego Portales. In fact, some historians call it the "portal period".

The politician advocated stability, order and a strong hand if necessary. For Portales, Chile was not ready for democracy, so it needed to be led by a strong authority.

His figure was omnipresent in the early years of the Conservative Republic. However, his thinking also made him enemies. On June 6, 1837, he was assassinated when a regiment rose up in Quillota.

Ideology of the Conservative Republic

The ideology under which the Conservative Republic was established responded almost one hundred percent to that of Portales. Conservatives advocated a strong, authoritarian, and centralized government. The President was the center of political power, with broad prerogatives. Furthermore, Catholicism was established as a permitted religion.

For the opposition, the Authoritarian Republic behaved many times like a true dictatorship.

Constitution of 1833

Conservative ideas were embodied in the Constitution promulgated in 1833. In it the country was defined as a Democratic Republic and granted great powers to the President. Among these was veto power over congressional decisions, as well as initiative when proposing laws.

In addition, the President had the power to decree the State of Siege, was the Supreme Chief of the Army and maintained the Patronage over the Church. Related to the latter, the Constitution established that Catholicism became the only allowed religion.

Each legislature was established in 5 years, re-election being possible. The electoral system was census, and only those who knew how to read, write and had a sufficient income could vote.

Authoritarianism

The approved Constitution of 1833, together with the ideas of Portales and other conservatives, did not take long to give an authoritarian sign to the Republic. The Congress had very little political weight compared to the figure of the President, who did not hesitate to declare a State of Exception with some frequency.

Each of the three presidents of the Conservative Republic remained in office for 10 years, being accused by the opposition of unclear practices in the elections. What the new system did manage to end was the military caudillismo in some parts of the country, propping up the republican order.

Likewise, cultural and educational policies were developed that had the consensus of other political forces. Especially in the last field, Chile benefited from the creation of such important institutions as the University or from the law of primary and free education.

Starting in the middle of the century, the Conservative Republic lowered the authoritarianism that was attributed to it a bit. More classical political parties began to develop, appearing, among the most important, the Liberal, the Conservative and the National, led by Manuel Montt. The latter was conservative but distanced himself from the Catholic Church.

War against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation

One of the most important events during the first years of the Conservative Republic was the war that faced Chile against the Confederation of Peru and Bolivia. This had occurred under the command of Marshal Santa Cruz and soon began to rival Chile commercially.

The accusations of trying to destabilize the country and of having instigated the assassination of Diego Portales, led the Chilean government to take military action. The first Chilean landing in southern Peru, October 1837, ended in failure. After this, Manuel Bulnes took command of the new expedition.

The war lasted until January 1839. After numerous battles, the Chileans managed to defeat the troops of Santa Cruz in Yungay.

Economy

The economic situation of the country after independence was stagnant, if not in decline. The Conservative Republic used the powers of the State to promote it, mixing liberal and protectionist concepts.

The first two presidents, Prieto and Bulnes, made important advances in economic progress. They based their policy on ordering and promoting the material development of the country.

For his part, Montt began his term with good economic figures, but in recent years the country was affected by a major crisis.

The basis of economic development was agricultural recovery. The government opened new markets for wheat and flour in the 1940s. This was joined by the boom in mining, especially silver and copper.

Montt and the Revolution of 1851

The last president of the Conservative Republic, Manuel Montt, encountered strong opposition when trying to come to power. On the one hand, the logic on the part of the liberals, who called him extremely authoritarian. On the other, within the conservative camp itself, which saw him as an upstart.

The elections of 1851 were marked by electoral fraud in favor of Montt. This caused the uprising of the supporters of his rival, the liberal José María de la Cruz. Various areas of the country rebelled in September 1851, asking to convene a new Constituent Congress.

The commander of the government army was Manuel Bulnes who, in just three months, managed to overthrow the insurgents.

Despite the swift victory, historians note that it was a major turning point in the Conservative Republic. The country was clearly divided and the government increased its authoritarianism.

The sacristan question

An internal crisis in the Chilean Catholic Church has been pointed out as the beginning of the end of the Conservative Republic: the so-called Sacristan Question, in 1856.

The dismissal of a minor sacristan in January of that year by his superior provoked the complaint of two priests, who appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice after being suspended for their claims.

Despite the fact that the Court was a civil court, at that time the government enjoyed the patronage of the Church, so they had authority over it.

Taking advantage of this not too important conflict, the Archbishop of Santiago saw the opportunity to end this governmental dominance. In this way, he did not recognize the decision of the Court, which had agreed with the priests.

Montt, as President, supported the Court, which ended up unleashing a conflict between the State and the Church. The conservatives who supported the latter were called "ultramontanos", while Montt's supporters were called "nationals."

Montt set up his own party, the Nacional, while the ultramontanos continued in the Conservative.

The Liberals took advantage of that division and created an electoral alliance with the ultramontanos for the next elections.

The Revolution of 1859

Before the aforementioned elections were held, Chile experienced another armed uprising against the government. The causes of the rebellion, which took place in 1859, was the rejection of the President's interference in the elections and the demand for a Constituent Assembly.

Likewise, the provinces believed that their mining and agricultural resources were not bringing them benefits and that they were being diverted to cities such as Santiago and Valparaíso.

Finally, there was also an open rejection by many groups of the candidate appointed by Montt to replace him, Antonio Varas.

The government managed to crush the rebellion, but discontent had taken root in too many sectors. Varas was, indeed, named a candidate for the 1861 elections, but pressure from various fronts forced him to resign.

Montt's National Party replaced them with José Joaquín Pérez, much more moderate. Liberals and conservatives, allies for the occasion, supported the candidacy, which achieved a resounding victory.

It is considered that, with these elections, the era of the Conservative Republic is over. Pérez was considered a transitional president, since, despite being a conservative, he did not mean the continuation of Montt's policies.

Cultural aspects

Chilean society evolved from its independence. It went from being divided into a class division to a class division.

Within this evolution, he highlighted the mixture of racial groups, the disappearance of the encomiendas, the abolition of slavery and the end of distinctions for noble reasons. However, this did not lead to a more egalitarian society.

The aristocracy continued to be the owner of the lands. In fact, with the Conservative Republic they managed to increase their wealth and, therefore, their power.

These families were joined by others favored by increased mining, trade, or the acquisition of large expansions of land.

Below this upper class were small merchants, clerks, artisans, and low-ranking officers. To these groups were added the owners of small mines. In general, their political power was very limited although they used to support the elites.

The last social class was the one with the largest number of members. This lower class was made up of peasants, indigenous people, mulattos and blacks. They were characterized by low income, lack of education, and lack of political and economic influence.

church

The strength of the Catholic Church in Chile made it one of the most important political agents. The conservatives had always aligned themselves with their interests, although trying to control it through patronage.

The Constitution of 1833 not only maintained this patronage, but also made Roman Catholicism the official and only religion of the country.

Education

One of the few subjects in which there was some consensus between liberals and conservatives was education. Both sides declared themselves heirs to the enlightenment and believed that everyone should be able to access the educational system.

During the Conservative Republic, the Bulnes government was the one that passed the most laws in this field. Thus, he founded a School of Preceptors, strengthened female teaching and brought education closer to the entire population.

Other milestones during this period were the creation in 1842 of the University of Chile, with five different faculties. Likewise, the Law of Primary and Normal Education was promulgated in 1860, which established the free primary education.

Generation of 1842

According to some experts, the stability offered by the Bulnes presidency was the basis for the emergence of a high-quality literary generation. They were authors who showed concern for the country's problems.

The so-called Generation of 1842 had a clear illustrated influence that they mixed with the acceptance of many cultural currents that came from France.

Among the best known were José Victorino Lastarria, Salvador Sanfuentes, Santiago Arcoso and Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna. Over time, they became the creators of an ideology that converged with the progressivism of the 18th century. Most declared themselves anti-clerical and liberal.

The center of this generation was the Literary Society of Santiago. One of them, José Victorino Lastarria, became the founder of the Liberal Party in 1849. A year later, Francisco Bilbao and Santiago Arcos founded the Equality Society. The government ended up dissolving it and sending its members into exile.

Presidents

José Joaquín Prieto (1831-1841)

The elections held after the Civil War of 1829 were won by General José Joaquín Prieto, who became the first president of the Conservative Republic.

His mandate was marked by the promulgation of the Constitution of 1833, which would establish the legal bases that were to govern the following decades.

Prieto's main objective was to stabilize the country. To achieve this, he did not mind falling into authoritarianism and violent repression.

Under the influence of Diego Portales, Prieto declared, in 1836, war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Despite the victory, the conflict was very unpopular in the country, which led to a timid opposition.

Diego Portales was assassinated in 1837, in what is considered the first political crime in the country's history. On the other hand, the war against the Confederacy provided Manuel Bulnes, the president's nephew, with great popularity. It would be this that catapulted him to the presidency in 1841.

Manuel Bulnes (1841-1851)

Boosted by the war, Bulnes became the second Conservative president. He took office on September 18, 1841, inaugurating a period characterized by stability and tranquility.

Bulnes's policies focused on four themes: colonization, pacification, education, and internationalization.

In the first of those cases, the results were mixed. On the positive side, it managed to take the area of ​​the Strait of Magellan, favoring the arrival of settlers. However, his attempt to conquer Araucanía did not end with the same success.

During the government of Bulnes, the cultural life of the country experienced moments of great growth. Education was one of the pillars of his legislature, with the opening of numerous educational centers.

The only thing that broke the tranquility of those years was the Revolution of 1851. This uprising was directed more against Bulnes's successor, Manuel Montt, than against the outgoing president himself.

Manuel Montt (1851-1861)

The last decade of the Conservative Republic began with the aforementioned Revolution of 1851. Despite it, Montt became the first civilian since Ovalle to hold the position.

The policy that he developed followed the line of that of his predecessor, improving the educational system. For this, he called on several foreign intellectuals to collaborate in his modernization.

Montt also promoted public works. He especially highlighted the creation of the railway, as well as the improvement of the transport network.

The President succeeded where Bulnes had failed and managed to colonize the southern part of Araucanía. However, he was not so fortunate in other areas of that region.

Despite these successes, the second term was the beginning of the bankruptcy of conservatism. The so-called "Question of the sacristan" ended up causing its rupture. Montt founded the National Party, leaving his internal opponents in the Conservative Party.

The Church took a position against Montt and liberals and ultramontans allied against him. Faced with this situation, the conservatives looked for a neutral candidate to be able to maintain power. The chosen one was José Joaquín Pérez, whose election put an end to the Conservative Republic

References

1. Chilean Memory. The Conservative Party (1823-1891). Obtained from memoriachilena.cl
2. Library of the National Congress of Chile. Period 1833-1891. Oligarchic Republic and Civil War of 1981. Obtained from bcn.cl
3. Ossa, Juan Luis. The conservative liberalism of Manuel Bulnes. Obtained from economiaynegocios.cl
4. John J. Johnson, César N. Caviedes and Others. Chile. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Collier, Simon. Chile: The Making of a Republic, 1830-1865: Politics and Ideas. Recovered from books.google.es
6. Wikipedia. Diego Portales. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org
7. Wikiwand. Conservative Republic. Retrieved from wikiwand.com