For four years following this Machiavellian political move, in effect the nation's first coup d'*tat, Flores continued to wield considerable power behind the scenes as commander of the military. President Rocafuerte's most lasting contribution was to begin development of a public school system. Although he had previously condemned Flores's violations of civil liberties, Rocafuerte argued that ``the backwardness of Ecuador makes enlightened despotism necessary.''
Flores
Rocafuerte