The Struggle to Moderate the Liberal-Conservative Debate in Late Nineteenth-Century Ecuador

No issue during the course of the nineteenth century divided elites more than the question of the proper role of the Catholic Church in Ecuadorian society.  While Conservatives, especially after the Garcia Moreno regime of the 1860’s and 1870’s, believed that the Church provided an essential source of unity for the nation-building project, Liberals thought that the secular power of the Church needed to be substantially curbed as had occurred in most other Latin American nations by the 1880’s. The parties inability to resolve the huge divide has been reflected in the historiography.  To the present, historians looking at the nineteenth century have been unable to separate their personal convictions from an understanding of the issue.

This paper will explore the attempt of a group of late nineteenth century politicians called the Progressives who sought to reach a compromise about this issue. The paper will explore the two Concordats that were negotiated during the 1870’s and 1880’s that modified some of Garcia Moreno’s more extreme positions regarding the Church.  In addition, the paper will produce evidence suggesting that the proposals about the role of the Church were so controversial that they proved unacceptable to Ecuadorians of both parties, with the result that the Liberals toppled the Progressive regime in 1895.

This paper will also examine the social objectives of the religious policies of the Progressives.  In particular, these presidents sought to increase education and social services through the church in order to bring indigenous people into the national fold. As such, the Progressive policies will act as a bridge between the more conservative period and the Liberal Revolution of 1895.