The Bourbon reforms are a set of changes or policy measures, administrative, economic and, to a lesser extent, social and cultural, Bourbon installed by the XVIII century English and American territories, which aims was the centralization of power and the pursuit of material progress.
About are the Bourbons?
The Bourbons were the dynasty or ruling house of the eighteenth century French. Come to Spain in the midst of the so-called "War of Succession, which lasted nearly fourteen years. The Bourbons are a modern ruling house, and are assigned to a variant of absolutism enlightened despotism.
What is the enlightened despotism?.
is a political doctrine, given during the eighteenth century in Europe, and based on absolutism, which seeks to centralize power. However, it is a fundamental difference with absolutism, despotism justifies its power through enlightened reason. The reason and the pursuit of progress, the element that would justify the excessive concentration of power in the hands of a monarch. The monarch enlightened despot approaches adapted to their absolutism, his most famous motto is "all for the people, but without the people." In Spain, acquired a variant Despotism, enlightened reason is mixed with divine reason.
How do the Bourbons to power? .
dies In 1700 the last of the Hapsburg (Habsburg) who ruled in Spain Carlos II. This, having no direct heir, he left the throne to his nephew Philip Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV, king of France. The arrival to the English throne of the Duke of Anjou, now Philip V, represented a serious threat to the balance of Europe, as two great powers would be united by a ruling house. Worse, the same year that Felipe V took power (1700), his grandfather Louis XIV decreed as a direct heir to the throne of France. Faced with the danger of a single monarch would take over a vast territory that included the control of Western Europe and Overseas Atlantic (English colonies and the Philippines), the European powers unite against Philip V of France, Britain, Austria, Prussia, Portugal and the English provinces of Catalonia and Aragon start an advanced, in a conflict that lasted until 1714, which signs the Peace of Utrecht. Through this covenant, Philip V was recognized as heir and rightful king of Spain, must renounce any claim to the French throne. Moreover, Spain had to give up territorial possessions in Europe and was granted a trade concession to the company British slave trade, taking it a monopoly of slaves in Central America for nearly a century.
Bourbon policy during the eighteenth century.
Ruled by the enlightened despotism, the English monarchs begin a series of reforms designed to improve and strengthen the political system and sagging commercial colonies. During the reign of the Habsburg absolutism had a setback, due to geographical distance and the emergence of local interests, the political loyalties of the highest authorities had declined, risking absolutist centralism. The Bourbons were proposed to remedy this "power vacuum" installing a more efficient and centralized management. First, they chose to divide America into four Viceroyalties the preexisting (Peru and Mexico) and two new ones: New Granada in 1739 (now Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela) and Rio de la Plata (present-day Argentina, Uruguay and part of Paraguay) in 1776. In addition, it creates Municipalities are colonial institutions responsible for the administration of a court (or quartermaster) and concentrated political power, judicial and military, reflecting the political centralization of the Bourbons. The municipalities were confined to a governor or viceroy, but many times enjoyed more authority than the latter, due to its timely implementation and the high number of powers that they had. In Chile, establishing the Municipality of Santiago and Concepcion.
In economic news, the Bourbons, closed Physiocrats (school of thought that conceives moral enrichment or outcome measure, assuming economic growth based on agricultural production and trade) were aimed at promoting trade Free and production in the colonies, without neglecting the concept that all profits going to the Crown. Free Trade Decrees of 1778 and the increase in traffic intercolonial the improvement of roads, trails and paths are examples of this policy.
Linked to this aspect, fiscal policy was aimed at increasing the income of the crown, through the revitalization of mining production, higher taxes and the creation of watertight (monopoly of trade, production, export, etc. In a certain product, state-owned or leased "to private persons on payment of a tax or leasehold) .
The reforms also included a plan for improvement and development of the territory. During the eighteenth century saw a rise of foundations of new urban centers. In Chile, they began to populate the Norte Chico and surrounding areas to the city of Santiago, due to the exploitation of copper deposits (copper), this rise was also extended to the south, but always limited to what is central Chile. Is established during the period a new frontier of room to the north, the city of Copiapo, and the border south of the Bío-Bío. What explains this surge?. Basically, the consolidation of the conquered area (the threat araucana was not similar to the XVI century), the extent of the accommodations, the population growth and the need to control and effective administration throughout the territory. Santiago undergoes beautification and functionality never before seen, numerous civic buildings lift during the period: The Court of the Consulate, the Cathedral, The Mint, the Mapocho Tacama of the bridge Cal y Canto, etc. Moreover, improving the infrastructure, like roads enabling Santiago-Valparaiso (play ending in the New Nation) and the road from Mendoza to the Central Zone of Chile. The road infrastructure would be to increase communication of the territory, taking the nature of isolation and remoteness and facilitating commercial contacts.
Culturally, the Bourbons, based on the concepts illustrated, installed a series of reforms aimed at increasing the cultural level of the colonies. However, these reforms were limited. On the one hand, Chile was created in two very important educational institutions: The Royal University of San Felipe, responsible for the teaching of theoretical lectures as law, theology, philosophy and grammar, and included the Chair of Medicine (previously taught in the religious institutions) and the Academia de San Luis, which was responsible for vocational training to boost the economy, production and trade. But then, the crown directly control the cultural level that could aspire to, restricting, for example, books, speeches and content deemed by it "subversive or dangerous for absolutism. "
are three elements of Bourbon reformism which have major consequences or repercussions.
1. The expulsion of the Jesuits (1767): During the colony, the largest religious order was the Jesuit. She was considered for a long time, and especially during the reign of the house Austria, as allies of imperial policy. Were important agents of colonization, through evangelization, agents culture, through education, expanding agents, via land borders with the pacification of the Araucanía (missions), operators, since the Farms and mills under his management were the most productive land , and moralizing agents of society. Much of the Creole society that was considered one of the most respected institutions and so enjoyed a major reputation, often surpassing other religious orders. However, with the arrival of the Bourbons, the political alliance was dissolved. This was because the Jesuits are fiercely opposed to enlightened despotism, the Society of Jesus taught long in its educational institutions a current long-standing policy, which was the TEODEMOCRACIA ( power emanates from God, and this, in a proper and divine government of all his subjects, delegating power to the people, which in turn delegates the power to the king, who in a correct interpretation of the divine will govern in peace and the pursuit of the heavenly kingdom. If a king or ruler does not fulfill the divine command, if not governed under the principles of God and does not give justice and happiness to his subjects, may be deposed, and the power back to people who would be entitled to re-delegate the power and sovereignty). But the Bourbons proposed and installed opposite policy, the English despotism suggests that the power emanates from God and gives it directly to the king, who in a fair interpretation of the divine will, governs the people. While both principles are similar, there is an element which makes opposition: the existence in the Teodemocracia, the people as intermediary divine power and majesty. Teodemocracia teaching was seen as a direct attack on royal authority, and during the 1760 decreed the expulsion of the order of the entire English territory, and in 1767, the American territory. The purpose of removal were manifold: on one hand, there was an imbalance in the economy, because it eliminated one of the biggest and best productive agents, but on the other, favored the more notable natives, who were able to rent or buy at a low price of land of their estates. But its most important effect was that first put at risk the loyalty to the king, since the measure was the most stubborn disapproval of all natives and colonists in America, disapproval stalled in the minds and installed in the collective memory as a symbol of royal authoritarianism. However, despite the discomfort, the natives did not react actively or directly against the crown.
2. The Free Trade: free trade was a process that began with the elimination of the system of fleets and galleons, which was considered inefficient and ineffective. In its place was installed Vessel Registration System, which includes participation in trade between Spain and individual colonies of the peninsula, after authorization by royal representatives. Then he ordered the opening of the ports of Spain to trade with "the Indies" and later on, the opening of American ports to trade direct with Spain (in Chile, for example, opened the port of Valparaiso and Concepcion) and enabling direct routes, such as the Cape Horn (Chile and Peru) and Atlantic (Viceroyalty Rio de la Plata). The Free Trade Decree 1778 was only the culmination of this process, which definitively established the new system, including also regulated trade with foreign powers "friends" (England, for example, following the Peace of Utrecht). The objective of trade liberalization was to activate both the production of the colonies and the weak tax system: to increased trade, higher taxes (remember the Excise was a tax charged by every economic transaction and Almojarifazgo was a customs tax), always favoring the crown. BUT generated market saturation by the arrival of many imports from Spain, saturation affecting prices (things came cheaper) and made it impossible for colonial producers to compete on equal footing with mainland merchants. This led to a series of bankruptcies of Americans, and an annoyance of the natives, they noticed that the crown did not bother to protect the domestic market and protecting the interests of other peninsular merchants. The struggle grew over time, with the installation of watertight established a monopoly system of real hard to reach and deliver even more strongly encouraging your lease, the majority, a peninsular merchants. The anger of the natives lay in its incompetence and inability to protect its market, participate actively in the market and regulate its market.
3. Administrative centralization: the creation of new institutions, and the replacement of the ruling house, meant for Creole is a hope that the end could actively and directly participate in government. However, the new charges just fell into the hands of Spaniards, as a way to centralize power and to ensure the unconditional loyalty to the English crown, fading all the radio group definitely interested in having power. They are also a power struggle between Creoles and Spaniards.
What explains this struggle for power?
The social group of Creoles was part of the colonial aristocracy belong to the racial group of "whites." During the seventeenth century consolidated its dominant position through two key elements:
· have social power : prestige and political power grows out of three elements that helped them to persist as the dominant social group:
1. Social Alliances: During the seventeenth century produce a strategy of cooptation, or seeking acceptance of their environment, through marriage with a noble name, a commercial company, etc. This meant that the aristocracy Creole was gradually merging with the peninsular aristocracy, becoming a very small group. To mention one example, by 1800, no more than 200 families were considered aristocratic.
2. titles of nobility, through the acquisition of titles of nobility Creoles claimed his prestige and pedigree, which often did not have by birth. Obtaining these titles was mostly worthless, since they bought.
3. Mayorazgo: the firstborn is a colonial institution that authorization was to bequeath all possessions and even the nobility in the older child or a single heir. This facility allowed the social power or the "rank" is not lost in time with the father's death.
· has the economic power: the natives, far from the colonial administration had to settle for the control of major productive units: The Haciendas and mineral deposits. Reached the eighteenth century were adding other activities such as trade. All this gave way to that as a group, concentrated economic activity in the territory.
two elements working together: the social power allowed them to control and perpetuate the economic power (especially by primogeniture) and the control of the production system provided them with more social power.
Both the social and the economic power allowed them to enjoy an informal political power. But the intentions native came away, wanting to have formal political power and active participation that exceeded Cabildo border. The need for management control Creoles not be misunderstood, they did not want to install their own autonomous government of the king, but they wanted and hoped to protect its market, effectively rejecting the excessive tax burden and consolidated as a class, installing Imperial politics its own interests, but in the context of the English government.
What are the effects and consequences of policy reform in Chile?
While the objective of the reforms was to "reconquer America, its effects were contrary. Well, over time, the discomfort was felt across the continent.
Deprotection were exposed to American producers, coupled with the power struggle with the Spaniards, and the bitterness over the expulsion of the Jesuits sparked a nascent class consciousness in the native group, or what many historians call "proto" (first sign of nationalism, which is not yet clearly defined features that allow to speak of nationalism, strictly speaking) which manifested mainly in the growing need for native groups to participate in power.
Could we then say that the Bourbon reforms are a cause Chile's Independence?
Not necessarily. Although there was upset, this was not strong enough to have defined the anti-realist stance Creole (against the king). The discomfort was kept more hidden in the shadows, often hidden or disguised by the slogan "Long live the king and death to bad government." Despite the negative effects of political despot, loyalty to the crown was not greatly affected. Moreover, the natives were able to adapt to the Bourbon despotism in the same way they did with absolutism habsbugo. In short, limited effects of a limited reform.
Yes we must consider the reform as an antecedent possibly later served to justify the many demands and positions of the American revolutionaries. What is not in doubt is that the eighteenth-century stage prepared in one way or another the arrival of the nineteenth century. Most likely, the eighteenth-century Chilean Creoles never saw or never expected to become independent, their situation was not so bad, they had almost everything that could be desired, and the territory enjoyed an enviable tranquility and passivity by any other American colony. But it was the sequence of events of early nineteenth century that precipitated the independence and almost blind, Creoles moved down a road that was also cemented in the dark ... A thinker said some "Men make their history, but not do so arbitrarily, under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly given and inherited" (Karl Marx, The 18 Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte) .
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