22 CultureShock! Chile
in the name of the legitimate Spanish king. Although this
junta pledged loyalty to the Spanish crown, it slowly pushed
the country towards independence. Between 1811 and
1814, tension was high between royalists and separatists.
Eventually, José Miguel Carrera seized power and refused
to obey edicts from Spain.
In 1813 Spanish troops invaded Chile and took control
of Talcahuano and Concepción before their march towards
Santiago. Carrera took command of the army and worked
closely with Bernardo O’Higgins to defend the capital.
O’Higgins was later chosen to replace Carrera. In October
1814 the Spanish defeated the Chilean army at the Battle of
Rancagua. The separatists fled to Mendoza, Argentina.
Spanish rule was harsh. Supporters of independence
were punished, movement was restricted and reforms
were repealed. Spain’s heavy hand convinced Chileans that
the country needed independence. Meanwhile, O’Higgins
had joined forces with José de San Martín, an Argentinean
military leader. In 1817, they crossed the Andes into Chile
and on 12 February 1818 defeated the Spanish at the Battle
of Chacabuco.The New Republic
An open town meeting elected O’Higgins as supreme
director and he ruled the country for five years. O’Higgins,
who is today considered the liberator of Chile, was the
illegitimate son of former governor Ambrosio O’Higgins, an
Irishman, and a criolla woman from Chillán. He was popular
with the people, but was not well-liked by the conservative
aristocracy and was finally ousted in 1823.
There followed a relatively unstable period characterised
by the struggle between conservatives (landowners and
the church) and liberals (intellectuals who advocated the
separation of church and state). In 1833, a new constitution
was drafted and stood for almost 100 years. Created by
the conservatives who had gained power, it established a
strong central government and severely limited the powers
of Congress. A strong presidency has persevered throughout
Chilean history.