Military institutionalism and liberal constitutionalism in Chile

This thesis is an analysis of the history and development of civil-military relations in Chile and the struggle for power between the Chilean armed forces and the civilian government. Chile developed an oligarchic form of democratic government quite spontaneously in the years after independence from Spain in 1818 and continued as a viable democratic regime with civilian control of the armed forces. After the glorious victory over Bolivia and Peru in the 1879 War of the Pacific, the Chilean government began a fateful policy of professionalizing its traditionally nonprofessional armed forces with the help of a distinguished military adviser from the imperial German Army. With the resulting institutionalization and politicization of the armed forces and the destruction of civilian control, Chilean constitutionalism has been imperiled ever since.