Nation Of Enemies Chile Under Pinochet [Paperback]

In this rigorous study, based on hundreds of interviews with Chileans, the authors chronicle the divisive dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Veteran journalist Constable and distinguished academic Valenzuela re-create life for most ordinary Chileans during the past 20 years when "they were dubious spectators caught in a system that they had not chosen." Chile had a 150-year-old tradition of stable democracy and civilian rule. Yet from the coup that ousted President Allende in September 1973 until March 1990 when Patricio Alywin was inaugurated as President of Chile, General Augusto Pinochet and the military completely dominated Chilean life. Based on broad sources, including many interviews, this book chronicles without ideological bias the lengthy struggles for the reemergence of democracy in Chile and concludes that after two decades Chileans grew tired of hating each other and have regained "new appreciation for the values of moderation and compromise." Written for both general and academic audiences, this will stand as the definitive work on Chile under Pinochet for many years to come. It belongs in all public and academic libraries.
- James Rhodes, Luther Coll., Decorah, Ia.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Constable and Valenzuela use quotes gathered through interviews with members of every sector of Chilean society to present a varied, if somewhat superficial, view of life under the 16-year dictatorship of General Pinochet. The authors stress that President Allende was elected with less than 50 percent of the popular vote and show how his accelerated course toward socialism eliminated powerful sectors of the nation, including the army, the business elite and a larger portion of the urban middle class. But the military dictatorship that followed similarly alienated a large part of the population after it became apparent that Pinochet planned to maintain his seat rather than return to a Democratic tradition. The authors recount how Pinochet's ``Chicago boys''--hard-core believers in the free market theories they learned at the University of Chicago--caused a bust and boom of the national economy. The boom had 14,000 citizens rushing to get their first credit cards, and the following bust saw small businesses fail and their owners and managers become taxi drivers who worked ``in tweed jackets and ties, invariably with a tale of dignity destroyed and dreams evaporated.'' Just as the dictatorship's first economic boom was based on credit and unsustainable growth, so too was Pinochet's social program based on appearances rather than on improved life for the poor. While infant mortality--an internationally recognized measure of prosperity--fell dramatically, the gains were made at the expense of health-care access for the elderly and indigent. In the end, however, the authors argue that the lessons learned from the brief presidency of Allende and the 16 years of Pinochet taught Chileans ``a new appreciation for the values of moderation and compromise.'' While many of the statements of the average Chilean Joe help to present a picture of life under the dictatorship, one wonders whether some of the comments, especially those made by Pinochet's collaborators, can be taken at face value. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

How Chile, once South America's most stable democracy, gave way to a culture of fear. The authors explain and illuminate the rift in Chilean society that widened dramatically during the Pinochet era.