Guano Era
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2012) |
Peruvian Republic República Peruana | |||||||||
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1845–1866 | |||||||||
Anthem: presidential republic under a military dictatorship | |||||||||
President | |||||||||
• 1845–1851 | Ramón Castilla | ||||||||
• 1851–1855 | José Rufino Echenique | ||||||||
• 1858–1862 | Ramón Castilla | ||||||||
• 1862–1863 | Miguel de San Román | ||||||||
• 1863–1865 | Juan Antonio Pezet | ||||||||
• 1865–1868 | Mariano Ignacio Prado | ||||||||
Historical era | 19th century | ||||||||
• Castilla presidency begins | 1845 | ||||||||
1854–1855 | |||||||||
1856–1858 | |||||||||
1865 | |||||||||
1866 | |||||||||
• Crisis begins | 1866 | ||||||||
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History of Peru |
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Peru portal |
The Guano Era refers to a period of stability and prosperity in Peru during the mid-19th century. It was sustained on the substantial revenues generated by the export of guano and the strong leadership of president Ramón Castilla. The starting date for the guano era is commonly considered to be 1845, the year in which Castilla started his first administration. It ended shortly after the war between Spain and Peru in 1866.[citation needed]
Invasion of Bolivia
Time of peace and prosperity
20 April 1845,
Economy
The economic aspect of the era was expressed by the management of state finances through the implementation of budgets. During this time the economy was experiencing a boom due to guano being sold to European markets.[1] This allowed the government to repay its external debt, earning it international economic prestige. Before Castilla, state expenses were calculated in a disorderly fashion: Castilla implemented the budget system as well as organized the sale of guano by the system of appropriations. Using the guano money, he was able to settle international debt with various nations which had existed since the time of independence.[citation needed]
Communications to the interior began to improve with the construction of new highways and the implementation of railroads. The first railroad that was constructed was during Castilla's first term between Lima and Callao. During Echenique's government, the Tacna–Arica railway was constructed and in Castilla's second term, the Lima-Chorrillos railroad was implemented.[citation needed]
Social and demographic issues
Two important provisions were made during the liberal revolution against the government of General Echenique, with the aim of making all Peruvians equal before the law. One of these such provisions was the abolition of the tribute which the indigenous population was forced to pay only for the reason of their ethnicity. Another, was the abolition of the slavery of the small population of blacks in Peru. To compensate for the lack of workers on the haciendas of the coast, the government of Castilla in 1849 authorized the import of Chinese people to devote to agricultural work. It thus opened the door to Chinese immigration that more diversified the races of the nation. During this time, European immigration was also encouraged, and thousands of Europeans sailed from Europe to the ports of Trujillo, Huacho, Callao, Ilo, and Arica. Most of them settled along the coast or slightly inland. Not many settled into the interior. An exception to this would be a German population which arrived at the port of Huacho and traveled inland to colonize the Pozuzo and Oxapampa regions.[citation needed]
Education
Castilla in his first government was concerned about bettering the education of the nation. He created the First Regulation of Public Education. During his second government, he created a second regulation defining the levels of primary, middle, and superior education.[citation needed]
Judicial
The task of replacing Spanish legislation laws for another, appropriate to modern republican times, had been almost forgotten. The country was governed by laws which were established by the King of Spain as they were old laws, functioning since before independence. Castilla took the first step in reforming the judicial system. Partly finished, the first of these laws, named the "Civil Codes" were put into place in 1852 and lasted until 1936. During this time period, they were accompanied by the "Prosecution Codes" and the "Commerce Codes".[citation needed]
Foreign relations
At this time, Peru was viewed from the exterior as a non-aggressive country. Its international policy was based on the ideas of continentalism and solidarity between countries of the Western Hemisphere. With this objective, in 1848 the First American Congress met in Lima with the goal of to ensure the bases of future peace and security for the nations of South America. During the government of Echenique, Peru began to fix its international borders with neighboring countries. The first treaty convienied in this time period was that with Brazil, signed in 1851, establishing borders between the two nations.[citation needed]
National defense
Ramon Castilla clearly realized the deficiencies of the
Castilla sought to expand and well-equip the
Also during this time was the invasion of Ecuador which caused the Ecuadorian-Peruvian War of 1858–1860 in which Peru emerged victorious.[citation needed]
War with Spain
In 1865, civil war broke out, waged by the forces headed by Colonel Mariano Ignacio Prado against the government of President Juan Antonio Pezet, due to the weakness that he was alleged to have shown in solving the crisis caused by the Spanish occupation of the Chincha Islands, most specifically due to the signing of the Vivanco–Pareja Treaty. As a result, Pezet was overthrown, and Prado declared an alliance against Spain, alongside Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador, also declaring war on Spain. On May 2, 1866, the Battle of Callao took place, and a peace treaty was signed in 1879. The expenses caused by the war severely affected the Peruvian economy, which began to decline.[citation needed]
End of the Guano Era
The 1870s was for Peru's economy "a decade of crisis and change".
When in 1873 Peru imposed an estanco, a sales monopoly of nitrate, most larger nitrate firms opposed it.
References
Further reading
- Gootenberg, Paul. Between Silver and Guano: Commercial Policy and the State in Postindependence Peru. Princeton: Princeton University Press 1989. ISBN 0-691-07810-6
- Muzzo, Gustavo P. Historia del Perú. Lima: Editorial Universo S.A., 1961. 7–275