Chilean intellectual life blossoms under Bulnes, thanks…

Chilean intellectual life blossoms under Bulnes, thanks in part to the many exiles who come to Chile from less stable Spanish American republics.

They cluster around the University of Chile (founded in 1842), which develops into one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Latin America.

Both foreigners and nationals form  the "Generation of 1842," led mainly by Liberal intellectuals and politicians such as Francisco Bilbao Barguin and Jose Victorino Lastarria Santander.

Through the Society of Equality, members of the group call for expanded democracy and reduced church prerogatives

In particular, they defend civil liberties and freedom of the press, seeking to constrain the government's authoritarian powers.