Naturally, when one ideology begins to grow more predominant in society, other competing views and ideology tend to slowly lose its influence and influence. Latin America proved to be no exception to this common pattern when liberalism first started to take hold in the 19th century and grew into the 20th century. As liberalism became more and more popular among the people, the exact opposite party, the conservatives, began to push back to regain more power. While we can discuss and analyze the complex struggle between the liberals and the conservatives, I will focus primarily on the role of the Catholic Church and the tension with the liberals during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The image above is of an early 20th-century church in Latin America. Judging by the dirty walls and the immense amount of weeds on the floors and stairs, we fairly assert that this church seems run-down and poorly maintained. Ironically, the image of this church starkly contrasts the typical image of immaculate and well-kept catholic cathedrals and churches of the time. While the poor state of this church can likely be attributed to the financial state of the area in question, it can also very well be indicative of the waning power and influence of the Church due to the rise of liberalism.
Prior to the explosion of liberalism in Latin America, the Church controlled or had an immense influence on even daily and mundane parts of people’s lives. However, with the rise and emphasis on the individual and their freedom and control on their own lives, the Church began to lose influence and even resources. On the more extreme level, there were some radical liberals who held intense hostility toward the Church, going as far as demanding the complete abolition of the Church and its influence in Latin America. However, the majority of liberals in Latin America were more moderate in their beliefs and adhered to a few key ideas. While these essential values and goals of liberalism such as a more modernized economy, equality, citizenship, etc. did not seem like direct threats to the Catholic Church, liberal progress inevitably involved the departure from past institutions such as the Church. In order to combat liberalism in Latin America, the Catholic Church aligned itself with the conservatives who believed that the church was an integral part of society that acts as an established order, preventing the potential anarchy that may result from liberal ideas. However, the Church’s strategy proved to be ineffective as liberalism continued to rise to become the predominant ideology of Latin America, pushing the Church and its influence to a more minimal role in the life of someone living in Latin America.
