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Chile: Christian Democracy to Marxism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Michael J. Francis  and
Hernan Vera-Godoy
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Extract

Increasingly alone as a stable republican nation in Latin America, Chile has long been a favorite subject for North American scholars and journalists. Every six years, as it faces a presidential election, the world press breathlessly rediscovers that this long slim country confronts its public problems within the framework of a developed, democratic political system. When in 1964 Chile placed a young idealistic party in power behind Eduardo Frei, an unquestionably intelligent figure of austere but charismatic bearing, this country became a favorite model for the advocates of democratic reformism in Latin America and soon was receiving the highest United States foreign aid per capita in Latin America. Thus it came as a shock that the Chilean electorate could turn its back on Frei's administration in 1970 by favoring the rightist and Marxist candidates. For those who saw in the government of Frei a basic alternative to Marxist models for Latin America, the free election of an avowed Marxist as the President of Chile presents additional problems.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Review of Politics , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , July 1971 , pp. 323 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1971

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References

1 Typical of this approach isGross, Leonard, The Last, Best Hope: Eduardo Frei and Christian Democracy (New York, 1967)Google Scholar.

2 The best background sources are Gil, Federico, The Political System of Chile (Boston, 1966)Google Scholar; and Petras, James, Politics and Social Forces in. Chilean Development (Berkeley, 1969)Google Scholar.

3 For an account of this election, Gil andParrish, Charles, The Chilean Presidential Election of September 4, 1964: An Analysis (Washington, 1965)Google Scholar.

4 There are numerous studies of recent Chilean voting behavior. See Cope, Orville, “The 1965 Congressional Election in Chile: An Analysis,” Journal of Inter-American Studies, X (04, 1968)Google Scholar; Francis, and Lanning, Eldon, “Chile's 1967 Municipal Elections,” Inter-American Economic Affairs, XXI (Autumn, 1967)Google Scholar; Grayson, George, “The Frei Administration and the 1969 Parliamentary Election,” Inter-American Economic Affairs, XXIII (Autumn, 1969)Google Scholar; Zeitlin, Maurice and Petras, , “The Working-class Vote in Chile: Christian Democracy versus Marxism,” British Journal of Sociology, XXI (03, 1970)Google Scholar; Raul Morado, , Politico y partidos en Chile (Madrid, 1968)Google Scholar; Powell, Sandra, “Political Change in the Chilean Electorate, 1952–1964,” Western Political Quarterly, XXIII (06, 1970)Google Scholar; and Portes, Alejandro, “Leftist Radicalism in Chile: A Test of Three Hypotheses,” Comparative Politics, II (01, 1970)Google Scholar.

5 See Kaufman, Robert, The Chilean Political Right and Agrarian Reform: Resistance and Moderation (Washington, 1967)Google Scholar.

6 An excellent discussion of the problems involved in the copper situation is in Moran, Theodore H., “Chile y el mercado del cobre: ‘Dependencia’ e ‘independencia’ én la decada del 70,” Panorama Economico, No. 255 (07, 1970)Google Scholar.

7 Szulc, Tad, “U.S. Government and Business Resigned to a Marxist Chile,” New York Times, 09 21, 1970Google Scholar.

8 Statistics regarding the Frei administration are drawn fromSexto mensaje del Presidente de la Republica de Chile don Eduardo Frei Montalva al inaugurar el perlodo de Sesiones Ordinarias de Congreso Nacional (Primera Parte) (Santiago, 1970)Google Scholar.

9 SeeMerrill, Robert, “Towards a ‘Structural’ Housing Policy: Preliminary Report of the Results of a Survey Undertaken in Two Poblaciones in Santiago, Chile” (Santiago, 1970)Google Scholar; and Frankenhoff, Charles, “Housing in Chile: The Economics of Stimulus-Response,” Journal of Inter-American Studies and World Affairs, XII (07, 1970)Google Scholar.

10 For the best sources on the programs of the candidates see “Programa de Radomiro Tomic,” “Programa de Jorge Alessandri,” “Programa de Salvador Allende,” Polltica y Esplritu, No. 317 (08 1970)Google Scholar; and “Preguntas a las candidaturas presidenciales,” Mensaje, No. 190 and 191 (07, and 08, 1970)Google Scholar.

11 A short account of this process is included in Carlos Núñez, Chile la ultima opción electoral? (Santiago, 1970)Google Scholar.

12 A good source on this subject is Grayson, El Partido Dem6crata Cristiano Chileno (Buenos Aires and Santiago, 1968)Google Scholar.

13 On the problems of reform management a particularly penetrating article is Lazar, Arpad von and Varela, Luis Quiros, “Chilean Christian Democracy: Lessons in the Politics of Reform Management,” Inter-American Economic Affairs, XXI (Spring, 1968)Google Scholar. Also see Brown, Marion, “Agricultural ‘Extension’ in Chile: A Study of Institutional Transplantation,” Journal of Developing Areas IV (01, 1970)Google Scholar; and Parrish, and Tapia-Videla, Jorge I., “Welfare Policy and Administration in Chile,” Journal of Comparative Administration I (02, 1970)Google Scholar.

14 The authors have attempted to define the problems confronting Allende in “Chile: The Strains of a New Experience,” Trans-action, VIII (06, 1970)Google Scholar.