The 1891 Civil War constitutes one of the nodal points in Chilean history. Indeed, for decades historians have vigorously advanced their respective arguments. Initially, most described the dispute as a political feud precipitated by the executive and legislative branches fighting for power. The appearance of the Marxists, led by Hernán Ramírez Necochea, injected economics, as they saw the Revolution as a clash between Chilean nationalists and the English backed local lickspittles. As Mario Góngora would note, the issue did not lend itself to simple generalisations.

The appearance of Alejandro San Francisco's work is a very welcome addition because he has done what his other colleagues have not: he concentrated on explaining the climate of opinion in Chile and, more significantly, the attempts of both sides to woo the military. San Francisco's study of memoirs, diplomatic reports, journals, archival material, congressional sessions, and most significantly of Chile's press, which included not merely the capital, but important provincial cities like Valparaiso and Concepción, have yielded rich results. For the first time we see the struggle between Balmaceda and his foes as an extension of Santa Maria's kulturkampf with the Roman Catholic Church. A new spirit seemed to encompass Chile, with both sides becoming more strident and therefore less willing to compromise. As Professor San Francisco demonstrated, both sides generated a sense of loathing, fanned by a partisan press and satirical journals, that distorted the political process. Supporters of the congress saw Balmaceda as seeking to wield dictatorial powers; the President's advocate described their opponents as venal aristocrats.

The author's other contribution was to show how the military eventually became a player in the political process. Both sides tried to enlist the army in their crusade, particularly General Manuel Baquedano, the supposed hero of the War of the Pacific. Until now, no-one has examined the role of the military other than to repeat the conventional wisdom that the army remained loyal to the president while the navy did not. San Francisco deserves praise for going beyond these tedious generalisations.

He traces the crises of 1890 in which both sides tried to paint the other into a corner. By the end of the year, while the president had succeeded in marginalising the legislature, he still needed congress to authorise his budget and grant him the right to collect taxes. It became clear that a break was imminent. When it came, the congressionalists managed to recruit an army of disaffected nitrate miners, and launch a civil war.

San Francisco has managed to infuse this struggle with a sense of suspense. Indeed, thanks to him the reader gains not just a chronology of the events but can feel the tensions leading up to the civil war, a rare quality in historical monographs. In short, this is a superb work which all historians of Chile could and should consult. Finally, we have seen another dimension of these critical years in Chile's history. And we await with anticipation his second volume.