Imperial German influence on Republican Chile

German people, culture, science and institutions have greatly influenced Chile. Following the Chilean independence in 1818, German influence increased gradually with Imperial Germany effectively displacing France as the prime role model for Chile in the second half of the 19th century. Settlement by ethnic German settlers has had a long-lasting influence on the society, economy and geography of Chile in general, and South Chile in particular.

Intense German influence around the turn of the century faced also some criticism as exemplified when Eduardo de la Barra wrote disparagingly about a "German bewitchment". For this critique, de la Barra was himself labelled a "romanizer" by critics. Influence peaked in the decades before World War I, and the prestige of Germany and German things in Chile remained high after the war but did not recover to its pre-war levels.

Institutions like the Chilean Army and Instituto Pedagógico were also heavily influenced by Germany.

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