The Liberal–Conservative Fusion () was a
political alliance between
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an liberal (''
Pipiolos
180px, Ramón Freire, hero of the Chilean War of Independence and head of state between 1823 and 1826 and again in 1827, was an icon of the Pipiolo movement
''Pipiolos'' (spanish language, Spanish for a young or naive person) was a name used t ...
'') and conservative (''
Pelucones
180px, Mariano Egaña, was a notable Pelucón; politically he felt affinity to constitutional monarchy as a form of government.
Pelucones (spanish language, Spanish for bigwigs) was the name used to refer to Chilean aristocracy, aristocratic c ...
'') political movements that existed from 1858 to 1873.
The two groups were united in their opposition to the political choices of the time. Liberals represented the
laity (non-
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
) and were in favor of more
political liberties and firmer boundaries on presidential powers granted by the
Constitution of 1833. Conservatives started off with the clergy's influence: they had the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
, with an independent function with respect to
patronage, and had firm support from the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
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. Their coalition united opposition to the authoritarian practices of the government of
Manuel Montt
Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861.
Biography
Montt was born in Petorca, Valparaíso R ...
and its minister of the Interior,
Antonio Varas. They were structured to display a united front before the electoral intervention of the
National Party also known as the Montt-Varista Party.
Liberal Alliance
Not all liberals accepted the fusion. The future radicals separated in 1859 with a party consisting of more laity, an anti-clergy program, and the separation of the church and state. They arrived in the political arena with the election of
Jose Joaquin Perez (1861–1871) who displaced the
Montt-Varistas. The presidency of
Federico Errázuriz Zañartu
Federico Marcos del Rosario Errázuriz Zañartu (; April 25, 1825 – July 20, 1877) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1871 and 1876.
Biography
He was born in Santiago in 1825, of Basque descent.
He studi ...
garnered the rest of the conservatives (1873) because of his religious subject. As result, a new coalition was formed which integrated liberal and radical elements. This was called the Liberal Alliance, which gave the new legislative core to the government of
Errázuriz Zañartu in 1875.
History of Chile
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