Authoritarian Constitutionalism and Political “ Stability ” in Chile : The Role of Law and

Institutions in the History of Chile (1820 – 1925) Samuel Tschorne V. Universidad Adolfo Ibañéz Introduction The objective of this paper is to make a meaningful contribution to the debate over the importance of institutions and law in the political history of Chile during the 19 century. It is commonly held that in Chile there is a majoritarian opinion according to which we enjoy an exceptional politico-legal tradition when compared to other Spanish-American nations and that it is only in recent years, specifically starting with the 1990s, that this opinion began to be questioned. In the lines that follow, what will be shown is that, contrary to what is commonly believed, there is a long and important historiographical trend that casts doubt over the importance and influence of law and its institutions in Chilean political history, and that, hence, the recent wave of historic revisionism is not as novel as it pretends to be. Discussing this historical view will then enable us to test arguments reevaluating the place of law and institutions in the history of Chile. Reflecting on the autocratic republic and its legacy will, lastly, lead us to certain conclusions regarding the theory of the constitution.