The Chilean Army
During the XIX century the Chilean Army was forged as a professional force. Thus, it presented a higher capacity of combat when compared with its neighbors. When the War of the Pacific (1879-1884) began Chile's more professional and less politicized military overwhelmed Peru and Bolivia forces. Hostilities were exacerbated because of disagreements over boundary lines, which in the desert had always been vague.
French influence was perceptible in the Chilean Army from the mid-XIX century up to the War of the Pacific. However, following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870- 71, admiration of Prussian military institutions grew. This led to reorganization of the Chilean military instruction system. By 1886 the Military Academy was reorganized and a staff school (the War Academy) was inaugurated. The consolidation of the German influence in the Chilean Army from this point forth grew.