Facing these challenges, Argentine government quickly responded to the Chilean naval expansion with an order for two battleships. This began a naval arms race between the two countries which continued through the 1890s, surviving even the expensive Chilean Civil War (1891). The two countries alternated cruiser orders over the next few years, with each marking an increase in capabilities from the ship previous; the race escalated in the middle of the decade when both countries ordered powerful armored cruisers.