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Thinkers and political figures

Painted portrait of José de San Martín in military uniform.

Portrait: Portrait c. 1828, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Public domain

José de San Martín

Country
Argentina, Chile and Peru
Era
1778–1850
Tradition
Independence, constitutional monarchism

Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru, who marched an army across the Andes, declared Peruvian independence, then met Bolívar in private and withdrew from public life entirely rather than fight him for control.

01

Documented positions

Documented positions come from the sources listed. Similarity is this project’s inference from those positions, and is a much weaker claim.

  • Led the crossing of the Andes in 1817 and the campaigns that secured Chilean and Peruvian independence
  • Declared the independence of Peru in 1821 and governed briefly as Protector
  • Abolished the tribute levied on indigenous peoples and began gradual emancipation of the enslaved
  • Favoured a constitutional monarchy under a European prince as the most stable form for the new states
  • Established the first national library of Peru and a free press decree, later qualified
  • Withdrew from all public office after meeting Bolívar at Guayaquil in 1822 and left for permanent European exile
02

Where it sits on each dimension

Tradition and change

62

Evidence: Documented

Nation and the world

88

Evidence: Well documented

Power and its limits

32

Evidence: Documented

Dimensions left unscored, for want of evidence: Wealth and inequality, The state in the economy, Personal liberty, Religion and the state, Environment and growth, Crime and punishment

Sources

  • John Lynch, San Martín: Argentine Soldier, American Hero · Yale University Press · 2009
  • José de San Martín, Proclamation of the Independence of Peru · 1821

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