The Democratization of Chile in the Twentieth Century

Introduction: The people of Chile experienced political, social and economic upheaval during the twentieth century.  In the latter half of the century, World War II, globalization, and the Cold War affected the nation of Chile in spite of her distance from the world powers.  Chile experienced autocratic rule as well as democratic rule following World War II.  Nonetheless, as evidenced by the expanding freedoms and rights seen in Chilean constitutions, Chile became more democratic in the latter half of the twentieth century.  Despite the many trials and tribulations Chilean democracy experienced in the fifty year post-war period, the Chilean people gained rights and freedoms.  The increased rights and freedoms guaranteed by Chilean constitutions, the opening of political channels, and increased stability contributed to the democratization of Chile.

First Primary Source: 1925 Constitution of Chile: The Chilean Constitution of 1925 granted numerous rights to their citizens that served to meet the needs of an increasingly diversified Chile, while maintaining a traditional democratic structure.  This Constitution was created by centrists and rightists, along with the assent of military dictator General Ibanez, to ensure Marxist-leaning reform candidates like Fortunato Alessandri Palma would never be elected again.  While this Constitution does create a rather centralized, executive-dependent government, the numerous rights and freedoms granted to the Chilean people are important nonetheless.

• Gave suffrage for all literate citizens, prohibited injustices such as slavery, and established equality under the law.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1925.” 1925 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo II and III http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Chilean citizens were also granted the freedoms of religion, assembly, and the press.
  •  “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1925.” 1925 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo III http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• State-funded primary education became obligatory.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1925.” 1925 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo III http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Legislative amendments and presidential edicts granted suffrage for women in the 1950s, and peasants and the urban poor in the 1960s.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1925.” 1925 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo IV, V, VI, and VII http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Nearly universal suffrage led to increased membership in the numerous political parties representing the full ideological spectrum.
  • The moderate Christian Democrats and the Socialist and Communist parties on the far-left joined Chile’s traditional parties, the conservative National Party, and the liberal Radical Party.
  • In response to fomenting national strikes against the government, Chile banned the Communist Party in 1948; but, the communists simply shifted their power to the ever-growing Socialist Party.

Democracy Disrupted by Allende: In 1970, Salvador Allende, a far-left-leaning communist who espoused socialist values for political practicality, headed the leftist Popular Unity coalition and won with 36 percent of the vote.  Allende failed to create consensus or support for his socialist program; nonetheless, he began implementing widespread change in Chilean society.  Allende suspended constitutional guarantees to ensure that socialist economic policies would indeed supplant capitalism which fomented violent uprisings throughout the nation.

Democracy Denied by Pinochet: In response to Allende’s liberal policies degrading Chilean society, staunch conservative General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte led a military coup d’état in September 1973.  He dissolved political parties, proscribed unions, established strict censorship, and strived to establish an unrestrained free market economy whereby import duties were slashed, price controls lifted, businesses privatized, foreign investment courted, and government spending significantly cut.  Most significantly, Pinochet suspended the Constitution, opting instead to rule solely by decree.  With no constitution in place, Pinochet literally crushed the Chilean left by creating the National Intelligence Directorate Administration which exiled, imprisoned, tortured, and killed thousands of left-leaning Chileans.

Second Primary Source: 1980 Constitution of Chile: After Pinochet effectively purged Chilean society of leftist thought, he legitimized his dictatorial rule by creating the 1980 Constitution of Chile, formally retiring from the Army, and “allowing” the junta to appoint him as President.  All of these democratic changes were confirmed in a national plebiscite, a balloted referendum.

• This Constitution officially reestablished the rights and freedoms previously offered Chilean citizens.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, El Preambulo http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Pinochet’s eight year term as president was endorsed by this Constitution; moreover, the 1980 Constitution allotted the President wide-ranging powers over every aspect of the government.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Provisiones Transitorias and Capitulo IV http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• The Constitution also postponed congressional elections for eight years, effectively banned the communist and socialist political parties, disbanded the lower courts, defined terrorism as any act against the state, established penalties for terrorists, and outlawed “subversive” opinions.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Provisiones Transitorias and Capitulo III http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• The 1980 Constitution also established the right to vote, the right to life, the protection of the unborn, equality before the law, freedom of religion so long as the religion is “not opposed to morals, good customs, or public order,” rights of the accused, the right to education, the preservation of nature, the right to a clean environment, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to social security, and the protection of the family as the “basic core of society.”
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo II and III http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Despite the many rights and freedoms guaranteed in this constitution, the military junta clearly established their supremacy over all aspects of Chilean society.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Provisiones Transitorias http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Amending the Constitution, a near impossible feat, necessitated the president’s approval.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, Capitulo XIV http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html
• Despite this, the Constitution of 1980 disseminated democratic freedoms and rights while allowing the military to ensure stability and conservatism in Chile.
  • In essence, Pinochet established a protective democracy wherein rights and freedoms existed for all but the far-left-leaning.

Third Primary Source: 1989 Constitution of Chile: In October 1988, Pinochet gave the Chilean people an opportunity to vote on the unconditional prolongation of his term by plebiscite.  Those voting “no” to the reelection and subsequent unconditional prolongation of Pinochet’s presidential term won by less than ten percent and presidential elections were held in December 1989.  After the election, Pinochet reformed his 1980 Constitution in order to maintain the changes he had instituted in Chilean society while ensuring its viability as well as his personal safety.

• This 1989 Constitution of Chile was nearly identical to its 1980 predecessor.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1989.” 1989 Chilean Constitution. Political Database of the Americas. Georgetown University, Center for Latin American Studies. http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile89.html
• Pinochet reclaimed his position as the leader of the Army and initially succeeded in making it impossible to try any member of the armed forces for human rights abuses.
• The civil government and the military became independent once again.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1989.” 1989 Chilean Constitution. Political Database of the Americas. Georgetown University, Center for Latin American Studies. Capitulo I and X http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile89.html
• An autonomous judiciary and an empowered legislative branch now checked the president’s powers.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1989.” 1989 Chilean Constitution. Political Database of the Americas. Georgetown University, Center for Latin American Studies. Capitulo V and VI http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile89.html
• Dissident opinions were no longer outlawed, and representation was increased.
  • “Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1989.” 1989 Chilean Constitution. Political Database of the Americas. Georgetown University, Center for Latin American Studies. Capitulo I, III, and V http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile89.html
• Full fledge democracy had returned to Chile.

Democracy Ensured: With a vote paralleling the plebiscite results, Patricio Aylwin, backed by the Concentration of Parties for Democracy coalition, assumed the presidency in 1990 as full democracy was again established in Chile.  The fact that Pinochet allowed Aylwin to assume the presidency serves to demonstrate the depth of Chile’s democratic roots.  Aylwin reestablished constitutional democracy in Chile, and all Chileans began to enjoy the fruits of democracy once again.

Conclusion: Despite the social, political, and economic turmoil Chileans experienced after World War II, democratic liberties guaranteed by Chileans constitutions ensured that the Chilean people enjoy expanded rights and freedoms.  Chile encountered dictatorial autocrats, military coup d’états, and oppressive regimes in the fifty year post-war period.  Chileans have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to gain expanded freedoms and rights.  Augusto Pinochet institutionally oppressed the left during his dictatorial rule.  Despite this overt breach of democracy, the 1988 plebiscite reestablished constitutional democracy.  Once the constitution was amended to permit dissident opinions and ensure democratic rights and freedoms, all Chileans gained democratic liberties.  A shift from autocracy to democracy most definitely occurred in Chile.  Chileans no longer live under repressive, dictatorial autocrats who ignore and suspend constitutions as they see fit; democratic rights and freedoms now exist in Chile.  Increased economic, political, and social stability allowed democracy to take root in Chile.  As evidenced by the increased rights and freedoms guaranteed by Chilean constitutions, democracy indeed strengthened in the late twentieth century.  The citizens of Chile overcame oppressive dictatorial regimes led by repressive autocrats in order to enjoy democratic liberties and a better life; democracy has taken hold of Chile.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1925.” 1925 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia, http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html, Accessed Oct. 7, 2012.

“Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1980.” 1980 Chilean Constitution. Universidad de Chile, Fuentes Documentales y Bibliograficas para el Estudio de la Historia http://www.historia.uchile.cl/CDA/fh_article/0,1389,SCID%253D10741%2526ISID%253D417%2526PRT%253D10717%2526JNID%253D12,00.html, Accessed Oct. 7, 2012.

“Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Chile 1989.” 1989 Chilean Constitution. Political Database of the Americas. Georgetown University, Center for Latin American Studies. http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Chile/chile89.html Accessed Oct. 7, 2012.

Secondary Sources with Annotations

Angell, Alan. Democracy After Pinochet: Politics, Parties and Elections in Chile. London: Institute for the Study of the Americas, 2007.

This book explains the implications of Pinochet’s autocratic rule in Chile and the landmark plebiscite of 1988.  The book also explains how Pinochet maintained some control of Chile even after the plebiscite.  The book further illustrates how the left and right counteract each other through the use of broad based coalitions.

Brands, Hal. Latin America’s Cold War. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2010.

This book explains the overall atmosphere in Latin America following World War II, the impact of globalization in Latin America, and the fight between socialism/communism and democracy throughout the world.  The book also explains that the region was suffering from social and economic instability that allowed political upheaval to occur.  The insights regarding Chilean economics and politics shed light on how Ibanez and Pinochet were able to gain control.

Calvert, Peter and Susan. Latin America in the Twentieth Century. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.

This book highlights individual Latin American countries, including Chile, attempting to explain how Latin America changed throughout the twentieth century.  The book has extensive sections on Allende and Pinochet, explaining how both men impacted Chile as a whole.  The book also explains the implications of Chile’s constitutions for the Chilean people.

Garreton, Manuel Antonio. Incomplete Democracy: Political Democratization in Chile and Latin
America. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2003

This book helps to provide a historical and political context with which to view Chile.  The book really stresses the importance of social movements and political coalitions in Chile.  This book also helps to explain how Chile can be viewed in relation to Latin America as a whole.

Smith, Peter H. Democracy in Latin America: Political Change in Comparative Perspective.  London: Oxford University Press, 2005.

This book explains the many factors influencing political change in Latin America, including Chile.  The book illustrates the importance of stability, economics, the Catholic Church, political parties, and other social movements in Latin America.

Digital Reflection: Before I began researching for this project, I had great aspirations about studying the democratization of Latin America as a whole.  I searched around the internet and found a few databases that looked promising.  After sifting through the unorganized databases that kept switching between English and Spanish, I realized that I needed to narrow in on a specific nation if I ever wanted to find worthwhile documents.  I tried searching for Argentina and I was able to find three of their constitutions from the twentieth century, but I could not find the other two.  I looked into Venezuela and could only locate a couple of their constitutions!  Most Latin American countries have had around ten constitutions throughout the twentieth century.  I kept being directed to excerpts instead of full fledge constitutions; this truly became annoying!  The biggest problem with solely using digitized primary sources is the limitations that exist.  Excerpts, usually the part deemed important by the digitizer, are readily available; however, finding full text historical documents are few and far between.

After searching for constitutions from a few more countries, I decided to choose a country that had relatively few constitutions in the twentieth century, in hopes of being able to actually locate them all.  I then found a hyperlink to a university website claiming to house important Chilean documents in a digital format.  This website was very hard to navigate and placed one constitution in the historical documents section, but placed another constitution in the founding texts section.  I could not find the current constitution through the website, but that might have been because the website was so disorganized.  Luckily, one of the first databases I searched through contained the constitution that I still needed.  I searched around for additional primary documents to aid in my research, but I could not find anything besides excerpts of speeches that failed to directly correlate with my research.

If I ever wanted to research the democratization of other Latin American countries, I would have to spend countless hours trying to locate the countries’ constitutions.  I know that most Latin American countries have national archives that would have paper copies of the constitutions; however, I do not have the means to travel and read through all of these papers.  The fact that I was able to locate some Latin American constitutions, and all the Chilean constitutions, while sitting in Boise, Idaho exemplifies the benefits of having digitized primary sources on the internet.  While many primary sources have yet to be digitized, those that have been are available to anyone with internet access.  The opportunities are endless!  Historians of all types can benefit from the digitized sources already available.  With time, one can only hope that the amount of digitized sources will increase.  As for now, historical researchers should not confine themselves to only utilizing digitized primary sources; the fact remains that the internet only houses a minute percentage of the primary sources in existence.