Pinochet and the Military Rule in Chile
Pinochet and the military rule in Chile
For a substantial part of the twentieth century, elections in Chile were highly ideological transactions that gave voters a clear philosophical choice between left, right, and center. At least twice before, these bitterly contested affairs saw left-wing coalitions edge into office: in 1938, with the victory of the Popular Front, and in 1970, with Salvador Allende 's Popular Unity. The typically narrow margin could generally be attributed to the Chilean electorate 's even division among these ideological orientations.
The Pinochet dictatorship of 1973-1990, however, changed the nature of both the state and politics in Chile. By destroying the so-called "three-thirds" system (which Pinochet and the right blamed for authorizing Allende 's election) and replacing it with a binomial system, Pinochet hoped to promote the creation of large electoral blocs intended to increase the chance of center-right success at the polls.
In 1970, Senator Salvador Allende won. Allende was a Marxist and a member of Chile 's Socialist Party, who headed the "Popular Unity" (UP or "Unidad Popular") coalition of the Socialist, Communist, Radical, and Social-Democratic Parties, along with dissident Christian Democrats, (Movimiento de Action Popular Unitaria or MAPU), and Acción Popular Independiente (Popular Independent Action).
Allende 's program included advancement of workers ' interests; a thoroughgoing implementation of agrarian reform; the reorganization of the national economy into socialized, mixed, and private sectors; a foreign policy of "international solidarity" and national independence; and a new institutional order (the "people 's state" or "poder popular"), including the institution of a unicameral congress. The Popular Unity platform also called for nationalization of foreign (U.S.) ownership of Chile 's major cooper mines.
An economic depression that began in 1967 peaked in 1970, exacerbated by capital flight, plummeting
For a substantial part of the twentieth century, elections in Chile were highly ideological transactions that gave voters a clear philosophical choice between left, right, and center. At least twice before, these bitterly contested affairs saw left-wing coalitions edge into office: in 1938, with the victory of the Popular Front, and in 1970, with Salvador Allende 's Popular Unity. The typically narrow margin could generally be attributed to the Chilean electorate 's even division among these ideological orientations.
The Pinochet dictatorship of 1973-1990, however, changed the nature of both the state and politics in Chile. By destroying the so-called "three-thirds" system (which Pinochet and the right blamed for authorizing Allende 's election) and replacing it with a binomial system, Pinochet hoped to promote the creation of large electoral blocs intended to increase the chance of center-right success at the polls.
In 1970, Senator Salvador Allende won. Allende was a Marxist and a member of Chile 's Socialist Party, who headed the "Popular Unity" (UP or "Unidad Popular") coalition of the Socialist, Communist, Radical, and Social-Democratic Parties, along with dissident Christian Democrats, (Movimiento de Action Popular Unitaria or MAPU), and Acción Popular Independiente (Popular Independent Action).
Allende 's program included advancement of workers ' interests; a thoroughgoing implementation of agrarian reform; the reorganization of the national economy into socialized, mixed, and private sectors; a foreign policy of "international solidarity" and national independence; and a new institutional order (the "people 's state" or "poder popular"), including the institution of a unicameral congress. The Popular Unity platform also called for nationalization of foreign (U.S.) ownership of Chile 's major cooper mines.
An economic depression that began in 1967 peaked in 1970, exacerbated by capital flight, plummeting
Bibliography: • Kornbluh, Peter, „The Chile coup – the US hand", Socialist Voice, October 25, 1998. • Volk, Stevens, "The new right in Chile, 1973-97", Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, Winter 200. • Remmer, Karen L., "The politics of military rule in Chile, 1973-1987", Comparative politics, vol. XX, pp. 149-170. • Wikipedia,www.wikipedia.org • Chile: Country Studies, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress – www.loc.gov • Constitution of Chile – www.constitution.org