Period of Chilean history from the 1891 Civil War to the adoption of the 1925 Constitution
The
Parliamentary Era in Chile
began in 1891, at the end of the
Civil War
, and spanned until 1925 and the establishment of the
1925 Constitution
. Also called "pseudo-parliamentary" period or "
Parliamentary Republic
", this period was thus named because it established a quasi-parliamentary system based on the interpretation of the
1833 Constitution
following the defeat of President
Jose Manuel Balmaceda
during the Civil War. As opposed to a
"true parliamentary" system
, the executive was not subject to the legislative power but
checks and balances
of executive over the legislature were weakened. The
President
remained the head of state but its powers and control of the government were reduced. The Parliamentary Republic lasted until the 1925 Constitution drafted by President
Arturo Alessandri
and his minister
Jose Maza
. The new Constitution created a
presidential system
, which lasted, with several modifications, until the
1973 coup d'etat
.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chile temporarily resolved its border disputes with Argentina with the
Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina
, the
Puna de Atacama Lawsuit
of 1899 and the
Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case, 1902
.
Parliamentarism
[
edit
]
The pseudo-
parliamentary system
was established in Chile following
Jose Manuel Balmaceda
's defeat in the
1891 Chilean Civil War
. Whereas in a complete parliamentary system the
chief of government
is designed by the
parliamentary majority
, and usually belongs to it, the function of chief of government was hereby unofficially assumed by the
Minister of Interior
. The
National Congress
indirectly controlled his nomination and the rest of the
cabinet
through the vote of the
periodical laws
(
leyes periodicas
), the
budget
, the
military credits
, etc. Others means of control included the refusal, by any one of the
two Chambers
(
Senate
or
Chamber of Deputies
) to vote a
motion of confidence
or the refusal to vote laws of lesser importance proposed by the
executive
.
While a Parliament may withdraw its confidence in the Prime minister in the Westminster-style parliamentary system, the head of government is normally granted the power of
dissolution of parliament
, leading to the calling of new elections in order to have the
sovereign people
arbitrate between the legislative and the executive. However, in the Chilean system, the
President of the Republic
did not dispose of this power of dissolution, thus restricting the Prime Minister's margins of decision.
The system of
parties
was very fluid, functioning on the basis of groups depending on individual personalities or
caudillos
who held the control of the parties and could form or dissolve cabinets. Furthermore, there was no established
voting discipline
in the parties. The custom was soon established for the President to nominate "universal cabinets" which included ministers from all parties. The stability of these cabinets was therefore dependent on the political intrigues in the National Congress.
Parliamentary instability
was quite strong during this period, with a large rotation of cabinets. This pseudo-parliamentary system was terminated with the
1925 Constitution
which declared incompatible the charges of ministers with parliamentary offices and made the approval of the
Ley de Presupuestos
automatic, which included the organization of the state income, if the Congress did not approve it after a while. It also enacted the election of the President at
universal direct suffrage
.
Political structure and electoral practices
[
edit
]
The main parties between 1891 and 1925 included, from
right to left
, the
Conservative Party
, close to the Roman Catholic Church; various
liberal
groups in the center belonging to the
National Party
(aka
Monttvarista
after
Manuel Montt
and
Antonio Varas
), the
Liberal Party
, the
Liberal Democratic Party
(or
Balmacedista
); and on the left the
Radical Party
and the
Democrat Party
. At the end of the 1910s, the
Socialist Workers Party
, associated with the
labour movement
, began to gain some importance.
These parties allied themselves either in the
Coalition
, grouping the Conservative Party and the liberals, or in the
Liberal Alliance
, composed by the liberals and the Radical Party.
As opposed to the
Conservative Republic
(1831?1861) or the
Liberal Republic
(1861?1891), the executive power did not interfere in the elections as it did through
intendants
, governors and inspectors. Elections were organized by the
municipalities of Chile
, held by various local
caudillos
.
Bribes
,
electoral fraud
, stealing of
ballot boxes
were frequent in rural zones.
Social groups
[
edit
]
Three main
social classes
composed the Parliamentary Republic: the
oligarchy
, the
middle classes
and the
working classes
.
The
aristocracy
was formed by the
landlords
, politicians,
saltpeter
entrepreneurs (many of whom were foreigners),
bankers
,
physicians
,
intellectuals
, etc. They lived in
neoclassical
palaces or mansions, followed
European fashion
, etc. The oligarchy, however, was internally divided on some points; hence the many parties, the two main alliances, with the liberals joining either the Conservative Party or the Radical Party.
The working classes were formed by saltpeter workers, industrial workers and workers in public works, as well as landless peasants. The first lived in the north, in huts made of
Calamina
, where differences in temperature between day and night spanned 30 degrees Celsius. Others workers lived in
conventillos
(dormitories) or in round quarters (rooms without windows or lighting). Peasants lived on ranches. All worked without
contracts
between 12 and 16 hours daily without Sunday sabbath. Some were paid by
company scrips
.
The economy of saltpeter
[
edit
]
Saltpeter
, sodium nitrate, was the main
resource
of Chile and the
economy
revolved around it. A third of the
profits
of saltpeter mining were taken by foreigners, the second third by the state, which taxed exports, and the last third was used to
re-invest
in the saltpeter mines. The state used the revenue to build
infrastructure
(roads, railroads, ports, etc.).
Presidents of the Parliamentary Republic
[
edit
]
The charge of Vice-President was exercised as an interim by the
Minister of Interior
if the President died.
See also
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Castedo, Leopoldo
(1999)
Chile: Vida y muerte de la Republica Parlamentaria (De Balmaceda a Alessandri
)
- Donoso, Ricardo
Alessandri, agitador y demoledor. Cincuenta anos de historia politica de Chile
.
- Edwards, Alberto
(1976)
La fornda aristocratica. Historia de Chile
.
- Eyzaguirre, Jaime
Chile durante el gobienro de Errazuriz Echaurren 1896-1901
.
- Heise, Julio (1974)
Historia de Chile. El periodo parlamentario 1861-1925
- Vial, Gonzalo
(1981)
Historia de Chile (1891)
.
Sources
[
edit
]
The original version of this article draws heavily on the
corresponding article
in the Spanish-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of 4 May 2007.