In this book, Valeria Coronel presents the political hotbed that germinated in Ecuador after the triumph of the Liberal Revolution led by Eloy Alfaro. She explains how the various social forces came together in the wake of the revolutionary campaign, as well as the discourses and strategies with which participants defended their interests during the creation of the liberal State, when this effort went from armed struggle to hegemonic construction.

The author recreates the political climate of those years, marked by liberal promises of greater participation by citizens and fulfillment of their rights. In this setting, the tensions within radical liberalism exploded due to the fact that said tendency involved elite groups as well as popular collectives throughout the country.

Two themes stand out in this work: the judicial liberal program and the political action of the peasantry, indigenous organizations, and some grassroots urban dwellers who demanded access to land, true participation, and improved living conditions. Valeria Coronel states that during this dizzying time popular republicanism came into being, a category she develops with powerful arguments.