Chile Transition To Democracy Essay

How does Chile transition from democracy to a brutal 17 year dictatorship in one day? Some scholars argue that the end of democracy was a result of international interference from countries such as the United States and Cuba. Others insist that the abuse of authority and democratic process was the cause. Even though these are sound arguments, I do not believe that these claims go far back enough in Chile’s history to find the beginning of the problem. In this paper I argue that the breakdown of democracy in Chile was the result of low levels of economic development caused by colonial dependency. The dependency of Chile on the international market led to high rates of class inequality that resulted in radical reforms which created resistance from the elite class, enabling Pinochet
Chile’s military, specifically the Chilean Air Force, were enlisted to end the Allende Administration. Their desire to see Allende out of the presidency ended with the bombing of the presidential palace, the La Moneda on September 11, 1973, which prompted Allende to commit suicide and resulted in a 17 year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (Hellinger 2011, 171). The resistance of the elites and their aiding of the United States in a military coup, led to the breakdown of democracy in the Chilean government.
As demonstrated in this essay, the democracy in the Chilean government broke down because of the low levels of economic development, which resulted in the inequality between social classes. This inequality led to President Salvador Allende’s attempt to reduce the power of the wealthy and to create socialized sectors of the economy. However, despite his attempts the economy continued to weaken and the resistance among Chile’s elites against Salvador Allende grew. Because of this resistance, the government’s ability to govern became crippled which resulted in a