Jorge Montt he was a vice admiral of the Chilean naval navy and president of Chile. He was part of the Government Junta in 1891 before being president from the end of that year until 1896. Montt established several policies to innovate the infrastructure and economy of Chile, but they were insufficient to satisfy the country's desire for growth..
His progress had as the main enemy the lack of organization that occurred after the country's internal conflicts, which were present before taking command of the presidency. His work in the military service for the Chilean naval navy saw him participate in a series of battles.
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Jorge Montt was born on April 26, 1845 in Casablanca, Chile. He was the nephew of the former president of the republic, Manuel Montt. In addition, his cousin was Pedro Montt, who also became president a few years later..
He was formally educated as a sailor at the Naval School of Chile. He had an illustrious career during his time in the Navy, having participated in the various maritime conflicts in which his country was involved during his service..
Among the conflicts of which he was a part, the war against Spain in 1866 and the war of the Pacific that was fought in 1879 stand out..
Already with a high military reputation under his name, Montt participated in the Chilean civil war of 1891. This civil war was fought between soldiers who supported Congress and soldiers who were on the side of Balmaceda, the president of the republic at that time..
Following the victory of the forces of Congress, a provisional governing board was established while elections were called. Montt was selected as leader of the provisional government board, before being democratically elected president in the elections held in 1891.
He was given the necessary support to reach the presidency after having played a fundamental role in the organization of the forces of Congress against Balmaceda.
During the presidential campaign, Montt refused to use any kind of influence as provisional head of state to ensure his victory in the elections. In addition, by this time he already had the post of admiral of the Chilean Navy.
For these reasons, Montt unanimously won the congressional election for the presidency of Chile. The presidential term lasted 6 years, as established by the Constitution.
After his political career, he returned to the ranks of the Navy until retiring in 1918. He died in Valparaíso in 1922.
After his victory, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies were reconstituted. The government returned to a stable operation after the civil war, which weakened the country for eight months.
Montt had to face a rather complicated situation once he became president. The differences between the members of the different political parties were high and the now president had to deal with this situation.
After the civil war, the difference in ideologies had been emphasized and this situation generated a great deal of tension in the political scene in Chile..
Montt made a fundamental decision to direct Chilean politics towards a reestablishment of its course.
He considered that what had happened in the civil war was simply a political event and, therefore, he gave amnesty to those who had committed crimes supporting former President Balmaceda..
One of the main problems encountered by the Montt government was a country deeply affected by eight months of civil war.
The Chilean economy and infrastructure were hit hard and the new government's policies revolved around a reconstruction of both buildings and Chile's economic system..
The first significant action that Montt took after pardoning the Balmaceda generals was to grant total control to the municipalities so that they could act freely..
Previously, the municipalities had little power within the area in which they operated and even had to request permission from the government to use the monetary funds granted to them..
The law issued by Montt also allowed each municipality to have full control of the police force, but this part of the law later had to be modified due to the problems it caused..
However, the control of the municipalities was effective and this concession from the central government was an important characteristic of the Montt government..
One of the most controversial and significant actions of the Montt government was the abolition of the non-convertible paper money used in Chile. With this, the government sought to re-establish a monetary standard based entirely on gold..
In 1895, despite great opposition from various sectors of Congress, a law was passed that established gold as the only valid form of trade in Chile. In 1896 a special dollar valued in gold was adopted, which became the official currency of the country..
Montt made necessary changes in the infrastructure of the Chilean army and navy, as well as in the training of soldiers and sailors. The structure of these institutions was completely reorganized to put them to function properly.
Several instructors were brought in from Germany to give the training due to the recruits. In addition, a deep emphasis was given to these branches of national security, assigning several inspectors to determine the progress with which the advances requested by Montt were achieved..
Montt also sought to accommodate somewhat the tense border relations with Argentina. The previous agreements that determined the border between the two countries had not been entirely clear; therefore, it was agreed to go to Great Britain to resolve these territorial disputes.
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