A regional approach to state- building in Chile

Abstract

The present study addresses the question of state building of the Hispanic American States in the 19th century, from the viewpoint of the inter-provincial conflicts that strained such process; in particular, among the old colonial capital cities, that aspired to rule the new-born States and the peripheral provinces. This was a common problem that affected the nascent Hispanic American nations. Chile among these –contrary to traditional historiography –was no exception. Drawing from the case of the Province of Concepción, Chile, the article demonstrates that during the independence wars and the state organization processes that followed, national interests combined with regional geopolitics. The provinces expected to become territorial power hubs and to participate, as such, in the government of the new nations that were emerging through the independence movement.