PORTALES, DIEGO (JOS VCTOR)

born June 26, 1793, Santiago, Viceroyalty of Peru [now in Chile] died June 6, 1837, Valparaso, Chile Chilean politician and for seven years virtual dictator who was instrumental in establishing political order and instituting economic progress in Chile. Hated by the people during his lifetime, he became a symbol of Chilean unity after his death. The son of a wealthy family, Portales amassed his own fortune early in life. In 1824 he was awarded a monopoly on tobacco, tea, and liquors that proved immensely profitable but aroused the anger of the Chilean workers. Upon termination of the monopoly after a few years, Portales founded two newspapers to expound his doctrines of extreme conservatism. When the Conservative Party entered office in 1830, he was, as chief minister, the real power in the land. Disdainful of democracy and political freedoms, he imprisoned his opponents, silenced the opposition press, and subdued the army. Portales ruled through the constitution of 1833, a document that created a centralized state dominated by the church and the landed oligarchy. Disturbed by increasing trade competition from Lima and the threat of a combined Peru-Bolivia empire, Portales initiated war with the Peru-Bolivia confederation in 1836. This trade-inspired war was ultimately won by Chile, but Portales was assassinated while reviewing his troops. Nonetheless, he had set Chile on a path of political stability and economic progress.