Differences between liberals and conservatives

Liberals and conservatives were the two major political factions that clashed in virtually all Latin American nations from the mid- to late 19th century, following the achievement of political independence from Spain. These factions, represented by their respective political parties, clashed in elections and, very often, with weapons, trying to control the destiny of their countries.

Both conservatism and liberalism represented two very different visions of how newly independent nations should be governed and constructed socially, economically, and politically. Both had much earlier philosophical and political roots, and their approaches were fundamentally irreconcilable.

Many conservatives had defended the colonial order during the war of independence, or hoped that the same social and economic system inherited from the colony would be maintained in their now-sovereign nations. Liberals, on the other hand, inspired by the French Revolution of 1789 and the republican ideals of the Enlightenment, aspired to completely break with the society imposed by Spain and its social and political structure, in order to create new, free, and egalitarian nations.

This meant that disagreements between the two sides were intense and frequent, on issues such as the economy , religion , social classes, and the model of government. This rivalry led to civil war and fratricidal confrontation on numerous occasions, which further stained the already arduous history of 19th-century Latin America with blood.

• See also: Differences between socialism and capitalism

Differences between liberals and conservatives

The main differences between the liberal approaches and those of their conservative opponents can be summarized as follows:

Differences in politics

• Conservatives always viewed independence with suspicion, and in many cases joined the ranks against the liberating army, or only offered their support when the fight against Spain was practically won. Liberals, on the other hand, viewed independence as the first step toward building a liberal, democratic, and republican society.
• Conservatives advocated the reconstruction of a monarchical government, more or less autonomous and independent of Europe. In Mexico, for example, conservative parties supported the creation of two Mexican empires, the second ruled directly by a European nobleman, Maximilian of Habsburg. In contrast, liberals fought for a liberal democracy inspired by the principles of the French Enlightenment and the American Revolution.
• Liberals proposed models of national organization inspired by the idea of ​​popular sovereignty, that is, that people had the right to express their opinions and participate in the political destiny of their countries, which often involved supporting federative systems. Conservatives, on the other hand, preferred centralized models that guaranteed order and saw liberal proposals as a path toward anarchy or disorder.

Differences in the economic

• The liberals, devotees of economic liberalism, sought to open up local and international markets with more flexible tariff systems, in the style of nascent capitalism. The conservatives, on the other hand, wanted a centralized government that would heavily intervene in the economy with protectionist measures.
• Liberals supported redistributive measures such as agrarian reform and agricultural modernization. In Mexico, for example, they proposed systems of communal ownership of arable land. Conservatives, on the other hand, aspired to a government that defended the interests of large landowners.
• The conservatives aspired to retain economic measures inherited from the colony, such as debt peonage and church tithes and property. The liberals, on the other hand, proposed abolishing such measures.

Differences in the social

• The society proposed by conservatives maintained colonial social values, for example, in terms of race. That is, they preferred to preserve the racially stratified society of the colony, which guaranteed privilege to white Creoles. Liberals, on the other hand, sought to build more egalitarian nations, with more or less representative democracies, in which race was not such a determining social factor. This was partly due to the fact that the liberal ranks (and the patriotic armies during the independence) were largely made up of mestizos, Blacks, and Indigenous people.
• Conservatives respected and valued the Latin American Catholic tradition that came from Spain much more than liberals, and therefore advocated a predominant role for the Catholic Church in the new American societies. Liberals, on the other hand, wanted a secular society in which that role belonged to the state, especially in matters such as public education, civil registration, and church property.
• The liberal proposal aimed to abolish slavery as soon as possible, granting full citizenship to Black people and their descendants. Conservatives saw this as an attack on their plantations and the wealth they had enjoyed since colonial times