Dictatorship and extraordinary powers: a debate between classical republicanism and liberalism in the context of the war between Chile and the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation (1836-1839)

The paper analyzes the political discourses surrounding the implications of the extraordinary powers and states of siege present in the Chilean 1833 Constitution. The research seeks to highlight the tension that emerges between classical republican and liberal thoughts from the justification of 'emergency powers' outlined in the 1833 constitutional order. In this respect, the political and ideological debate that erupted in Chile's public sphere in 1839 by virtue of the implications of the special powers' implemented during the war between Chile and the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation will be examined. The hypothesis is that from this public debate, it is possible to observe the deployment of classic Liberal Republican political discourse that discusses constitutional effects of extraordinary powers under exceptional circumstances. The materials used to rebuild these political speeches are contemporary press and parliamentary motions