The Collapse of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation
A Tale of Two Brothers
It is unknown to most people, at least perhaps outside of South America, that Peru and Bolivia were once united through a confederation. The union only lasted three years, and those three years were filled with instability and war. The confederation itself was complicated, as it united three states, two of them being the result of a civil war. In addition, the story of the Confederation is a tale of the struggle of two caudillos. Alas, this is a tale of the collapse of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation.
Firstly, we need to understand what a confederation is. According to encyclopedia.com, “A confederation (or confederacy) is a voluntary alliance of sovereign, independent states established to manage matters of common concern to the member states, such as defense.” In a confederacy, most of the power is in the hands of local or regional governments, and central authority is heavily limited. Examples of confederations include, but are not limited to: the United States (under the Articles of Confederation), the New England Confederation, the Confederated States of America, and the United Arab States. What all these former countries have in common is that they all are made up of multiple independent states. A more modern example of a confederation today would be the European Union, though not the best example. Now that we understand what a confederation is and how it works, we can finally dive into the complexity of the late Peru-Bolivian Confederation.
The Confederation was birthed by Andrés de Santa Cruz, a Bolivian general, and Luis José de Obreposo. He aspired for a union between Peru and Bolivia, a dream quite common among politicians at the time in Peru and Bolivia, especially from those like Agustín Gamarra and Francisco Xavier. After political instability and a coup d'état in 1835 within the infant state of Peru, a civil war broke out between the newly self-declared president Felipe Salaverry and constitutional president Luis José de Obreposo. This would be known as the Salaverry-Santa Cruz War. Obpreposo allowed Santa Cruz to send his forces into Peru, and thus with his support, beat Salaverry’s armies in the Battle of Yanacocha and the Battle of Uchumayo. With these victories, Obreposo and Santa Cruz began preparations for the union between the two states: Peru and Bolivia.
On 28 October 1836, per the decree by Santa Cruz in Lima, the Peru-Bolivian Confederation was established between Northern Peru, Southern Peru, and Bolivia. The Pact of Tacna was signed on April 18, 1837, and established the legal framework for the Confederation. The Peru-Bolivian Confederation appeared to be a successful union of states, but there were issues internally and externally that would bring the quick demise of the Confederation.
For starters, there was a rivalry of caudillos that is uncommon throughout South American political history. Augustín Gamarra and Ramón Castillo all rivaled Santa Cruz for power in Peru and were a constant threat despite being in exile. In addition, a commercial rivalry between Callao and Valparíso intensified, and a tariff war began between the states of Northern Peru and Bolivia because of the establishment of the Confederation. There were also dissidents in Northern Peru, who did not support the creation of the Confederation and revolted against the government. An army would be formed to restore the independence and unification of Peru called the Restoration Army. With the creation of the Peru-Bolivian union, foreigners were suspicious of the new political entity as such a union tipped the balance of power in South America. Specifically, the governments of Chile and Argentina were wary of the Confederation and would justify war with the Confederation based upon land disputes between Bolivia and Argentina regarding Tarija, and the conspiracy of Santa Cruz supporting a coup, which would be found to be accurate. The war would be known as the War of the Confederation, and its result would be the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. The most major issue within the Confederation was the fact that it was a Confederate government. Its complex government made it difficult for the states to work together, and central authority was limited. The Confederation was too complex and difficult to manage with limited central authority.
Ultimately, the collapse of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation was caused by internal instability and foreign conflicts. Chilean forces carried the offensive into Peru and Bolivia, and alongside the Restoration Army led by Chilean general Manuel Bulness, would decisively defeat Santa Cruz’s Confederate army at the Battle of Yungay. With this defeat, Santa Cruz fled to Ecuador and Lima was occupied by Chilean forces. The government of Gammara was restored and Augustín Gamarra would then assume the presidency of Peru, declaring the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and the North-Peruvian and South-Peruvian republics, uniting the state of Peru again on August 25, 1839.
The collapse of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation consequently brought with it the consolidation of the ideas of Peruvian and Chilean nationality. Historian Jorge Basadre formulates the confederation as part of a period of "determination of the nationalities" in western South America, because of this nationalistic spirit that had risen from the war. It also demonstrates the failure of a confederated government and how it will simply never work. However, the Peru-Bolivian Confederation was a great attempt at uniting two states with similar cultures and heritages and was an interesting concept never before seen in South America, as not even the Argentine Confederation was as complex and diverse as the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. The Confederation was short-lived, but the nation itself had a long-lasting legacy in South America.