Abstract

GUZMAN URIOSTEGUI, Jesús. La Libertad versus La Republica: Chronicle of an unfinished debate. Sig. his [online]. 2010, vol.12, n.24, pp.65-88. ISSN 1665-4420.

In September, 1880, Juan A. Mateos, Congressman and poet, presented a law initiative to close and to sell at auction several temples and chapel precincts used by the Compañia de Jesus. This initiative was largely rejected by intellectuals related with positivism, who used La Libertad newspaper to present Mateos' behavior as intolerant and reactionary and as a defender of outdated principles such as those emanated from the Ayutla and Reforma movements. With these actions, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano was motivated to defend the liberal doctrine through La Republica newspaper. For the next two weeks, these newspapers presented different aspects related to the viability of these philosophical models in the Mexican context: Order and progress vs. democracy and individual rights. This paper will address the general circumstances for the development of this situation.

Keywords : Mexico; liberalism; positivism; democracy; tyranny.