José Balta

José Balta was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served as president of Peru from 1868 until his assassination in 1872.

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Peruvian railways: Railway lines built in Peru to connect coastal cities, ports, and inland regions. Balta made railway construction the centerpiece of a major public-works program.
Mariano Ignacio Prado: A Peruvian military officer and politician who led a revolt against President Juan Antonio Pezet and later became president. Prado’s 1865 revolution helped shape the military politics in which Balta rose.
Manuel Pardo: A Peruvian politician who founded the Civilista Party and became president in 1872. Pardo won the election held during Balta’s presidency, intensifying the political stakes of succession.
Assassination of José Balta: The killing of Peru’s former president by soldiers during the coup led by Tomás Gutiérrez in 1872. Balta was murdered in prison after refusing to support the coup.
Henry Meiggs: An American entrepreneur who directed major railway construction projects in nineteenth-century Peru and Chile. Meiggs became the principal contractor for railways commissioned under Balta.
Juan Antonio Pezet: President of Peru from 1863 to 1865, whose government faced a crisis with Spain over the Chincha Islands. Pezet’s concessions during the crisis provoked the revolution that launched Balta’s political career.
Tomás Gutiérrez: A Peruvian colonel who led a coup against the elected government in July 1872. Gutiérrez’s coup ended with Balta’s assassination.
Civilista Party: A Peruvian political party founded in 1871 to promote civilian leadership and challenge military rule. The party’s candidate, Manuel Pardo, succeeded Balta after the coup failed.
Guano trade: The international commerce in seabird excrement used chiefly as a concentrated agricultural fertilizer. Guano exports supplied Peru’s government with revenue and borrowing power during Balta’s presidency.
Chincha Islands War: A conflict between Spain and Peru, with Chile and other South American republics, from 1864 to 1866. Its political fallout weakened Peru’s governments before Balta’s rise.