Scout, Will, Katrina and Julia

Spanish Settlement By the mid-1500’s the Spanish had established settlements in Chile. The only opposition they encountered from the indigenous people came from the Mapuches, fierce native warriors.

Pre-Independent Chile While Chile was not of chief concern to the Spanish due to economic reasons, Spain did still set up the encomienda system to enslave and subdue the natives However, since the Chileans were not considered important, they escaped the harsher taxes imposed on other Latin American colonies.

3 main classes were prevalent in the early Chilean social structure: – Upper class- rich landowners, generally Creoles, located in the central valley who gained power in the trade industry – Middle Class- peasants and servants, some were located in the central area but mainly in North and South – Lower Class-Indigenous people, stayed mostly isolated Social Structure in Chile

1808 Napoleon conquered Spain and gave the crown to his brother, Joseph Bonaparte. This lead the colonists to “temporary” self-rule, until they felt the rightful king had been restored.

Beginnings of Independence Senior Soldier Mateo de Toro y Zambarno was a Spanish military and political leader at the time. He agreed to the Creole elite’s request for the formation of ‘juntas’ as an alternative to the Spanish governors This started the period of Patria Vieja

Juntas The Juntas decided to hold elections to create a National Congress Most Creoles wanted some distinction between Colony and Motherland, but not complete separation. A violent protest of the elections by royalists delayed the formation of the National Congress

Rise of Jose Carrera Carrera was a leader in the minority extremist group that wanted complete independence. After one failed coup, they succeeded in taking control of Chile. In 1812 they created a constitution declaring Spanish laws invalid Established a Chilean Identity with unique patriotic symbols.

First Attempts at Government As Carrera’s control of Chile’s “temporary” self-government began to gain a more permanent power, the Spaniards became concerned and Viceroy Jose Fernando sent an army to regain control of the colonists. Because Carrera had established an unpopular authoritarian government, the army’s landing was met favorably by the people.

Reconquista Military control was divided between Bernardo O’Higgins and Carrera Their arguments over strategy ended up with the army being split O’Higgins had to confront the Spanish royalist army with only a portion of the rebel troops. This ended with a decisive defeat of the separatists in the battle of Rancagua, and O’Higgins and Carrera were forced to flee to Argentina.

Re-conquered Chile Spanish retaliation against the rebels was brutal. The Royalist general became Governor, but the Spanish replaced him with a peninsular. The Spanish doled out harsh prosecutions, as punishment as well as to deter future revolts. This had the opposite effect, and served to persuade moderates that independence would become necessary.

Exile in Argentina While in Argentina O’Higgins met the Argentinean Governor San Martin. The alliance these two formed led to the independence of Chile – They crossed over the Andes back into Chile, harassing the Spaniard with guerilla tactics. – Recaptured the city of Santiago in the battle of Chacabuco – Won the final victory in the Battle of Maipu in 1818.

Political Groups The divided social class created two divisive political groups: the conservatives and the liberals Conservatives: made of upper class, aimed for authoritarian government, were in favor of strong church ties, and were concerned only with Creole freedoms. Liberals- attracted middle class, were strong federalists, and were against strong church presence in state affairs

Post-Independence O’Higgins emerged as the clear leader of the new free Chilein 1818 – He created a strong liberal government that quickly became unpopular and he had to step down in 1823 After O’Higgins’ resignation Chile adopted a liberal constitution declaring themselves a republic

Portales In 1830 Conservative General Juaguin Prieto gained control – The actual control was wielded by the merchant and cabinet minister Diego Portales – Portales’ administration advanced the economy and established a firm and lasting oligarchic administration

Current Social Structure The immigration wave in the 19 th and 20 th centuries influenced the population make up, and now most people are a mix of Spanish, British, German, and native descent. Europeans still in upper class, mestizos still middle class, and natives still lower class

Current Government Chile continued the pattern of strong foreign trade and alliances – 19 th century Chile supplied by Britain – US is currently linked through trade relations The government is a stable democratic republic, with a thriving capitalist system and very strong export markets.

The Effects of the Past on the Present Constant instability of Government Frequent constitutions and rebellions Eventually, the Juntas of the military government in 1989 gradually lost power and a Constitution that created a democracy was approved. Since the first juntas of Zambrano, Chile has always had these Democratic roots and despite the rebellions and military dictatorships, they were able to unite to create a productive democracy.