Editing History of Chile (section)

===Liberal era (1861–1891)===
{{Main|Liberal Republic}}
The political revolt brought little social change, however, and 19th century Chilean society preserved the essence of the stratified colonial social structure, which was greatly influenced by family politics and the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. A strong presidency eventually emerged, but wealthy landowners remained powerful.<ref name="USDoS">{{Cite web
| url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1981.htm
| title=Background Note: Chile
| work=[[United States Department of State]], Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, January 2008
| access-date=2019-05-23
| archive-date=2017-01-21
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121153101/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1981.htm
| url-status=live
}}</ref>

[[File:Territorial losses of the Republic of Chile de jure.svg|300px|thumb|Territorial losses of the Republic of Chile de jure (by law) according to Chilean historiography.]]
Toward the end of the 19th century, the government in Santiago consolidated its position in the south by persistently suppressing the [[Mapuche]] during the [[Occupation of the Araucanía]]. In 1881, it signed the [[Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina]] confirming Chilean sovereignty over the [[Strait of Magellan]], but conceding all of oriental [[Patagonia]], and a considerable fraction of the territory it had during colonial times. As a result of the [[War of the Pacific]] with [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]] (1879–1883), Chile expanded its territory northward by almost one-third and acquired valuable [[nitrate]] deposits, the exploitation of which led to an era of national affluence.

In the 1870s, the church influence started to diminish slightly with the passing of several laws that took some old roles of the church into the State's hands such as the registry of births and marriages.

[[File:JoseManuelBalmaceda.JPG|thumb|upright|left|[[José Manuel Balmaceda]]]]
In 1886, [[José Manuel Balmaceda]] was elected president. His economic policies visibly changed the existing liberal policies. He began to violate the [[constitution]] and slowly began to establish a dictatorship. Congress decided to depose Balmaceda, who refused to step down. [[Jorge Montt]], among others, directed an armed conflict against Balmaceda, which soon extended into the [[1891 Chilean Civil War]]. Defeated, Balmaceda fled to Argentina's embassy, where he committed suicide. Jorge Montt became the new president.