Agrarian elite and State: influence of the thought of the landowners in the state apparatus (1840-1860)

Abstract

This article carries out a qualitative analysis of the relationship between the agrarian elite and the Chilean State in the mid-19^th century, examining how the approaches of this sector influence the State. The study is outlined from the consequences of the first wheat cycle (1849-1855), a process that directly affects the interests of the landowners. For this reason, we use as our main source the first two journals of the National Agricultural Society, an institution that is characterized by bringing together an important number of the national oligarchy. Thus, we can see that agrarian elite understands the State as an institution whose main objective is to protect and promote the agriculture of large landowners; while the State, there are positive responses to the pressures and needs of the agricultural sector, especially during the period of prosperity caused by the gold rush in California and Australia.