The first structured government was formed in 1810 and lasted until the "Battle of Rancagua" in 1814. This period was known as Patria Vieja in which a temporary constitution gave powers to the Chilean congress. The era of the Patria Vieja came to an end in 1814 when power was removed from the executive and vested in a "Supreme Dictator." Until 1823, their first Supreme Dictator Bernardo O?Higgins led Chile and sought to regulate the lives of citizens through several constitutional changes. He vested executive power in the Supreme Dictator and the system would be principally authoritarian. Also, the term of the Supreme Dictator would be limited to six years, but he could be re-elected for a period of four more. Since the new law was not retroactive, this assured O'Higgins of ten more years as dictator. In 1833, Jose Joaquin Prieto assumed power, and another constitution was created. The constitution of 1833 was also an authoritarian type, in that great executive power was given to the President of the Republic. This constitution remained

In the 1920s there was a growing gap between the middle class and the lower class. Arturo Alessandri Palma a reformist was elected, however the Conservative Congress would not cooperate with him. In 1924 Alessandri was overthrown by a military coup and he left the country. Then, pro-Alessandri reformers overthrew the military government and returned Alessandri to power. He was able to implement a new constitution that called for the direct popular election of the president, separation of church and state, and compulsory primary education. Alessandri served as president for only a couple of months in 1925. Carlos Ibañez, who had helped return Alessandri to power, forced Alessandri out of office. Ibañez had himself elected president through carefully manipulated elections. He was clearly a military dictator, but he promoted industry and public works. Chile's economy was doing well until the Great Depression struck the world in the 1930s. The Depression was Ibañez's downfall.

Clearly, Venezuela and Chile have taken two very different paths to democratic rule. Venezuela has enjoyed a stable democracy for more than forty years while Chile has just recently become democratic. While Chile endured years of changing leadership and changing parties, Venezuela has endured years of open democracy. Both countries experienced military dictatorships at some point in their history, but clearly the military is aware of its role in Venezuela. Presently in Chile, there is still tension between the military and the government. In Chile, the people experienced a period of harsh rule under the Pinochet dictatorship where many human rights violations were committed. Venezuela has not experienced anything similar to that for many years. The history of Chile is one of the more turbulent ones in Latin America as opposed to Venezuela, which is considered one of the most stable democracies in Latin America.

Much of Venezuela's 19th century history was characterized by

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)