Here we propose that during the second half of the XIX Century, the debatesbetween liberals and conservatives were marked by themes associated to education, immigration policy, the actions of the government toward social conflicts, and the relationship between the State and the Church; however, the social model that was imposed on the country after Independence was never questioned. The elite, beyond their political debates, was able in that way to circumvent the State, living by the income generated by the products that they exported, without paying taxes and without modernizing their agricultural and mining enterprises.En esta parte se expone que en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX los debatesentre liberales y conservadores estuvieron marcados por temas asociados a laeducación, la política inmigratoria, la acción del gobierno frente a los conflictossociales y la relación del Estado con la Iglesia; pero, nunca se cuestionó el modelo social que se impuso en el país después de la Independencia. La elite, más allá de sus debates políticos, pudo así soslayar el sostenimiento del Estado, viviendo de los ingresos que generaban los productos que exportaba, sin pagar impuestos y sin modernizar sus faenas agrícolas y mineras.