Struggle for Democracy in Chile

This revised edition of The Struggle for Democracy in Chile should prove even more useful to the student of Latin American history and politics than the original. It updates important background information on the evolution of Chile’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and its erosion in the 1980s. Brian Loveman, an authority on contemporary Chilean politics, offers a comprehensive examination of the transition to civilian government in Chile from 1990 to 1994 in a substantial new chapter. Loveman chronicles the rise of the Concertación coalition, the strained relations between General Pinochet’s military and President Alwyn’s civilian government, and the roles of the National Women’s Service (SERNAM), the Catholic Church, and the indigenous peoples of Chile. All eleven essays by the leading authorities on the Pinochet regime from the earlier edition have been retained. The bibliography has been updated and the index improved. The Struggle for Democracy in Chile remains the first and foremost book on the transition over the last twenty-five years from dictatorship to democracy in Chile.

"A first-rate and timely anthology that enhances the reader’s understanding of the prolonged and difficult transition to civilian rule in Chile. All students of Chile and current Latin American politics will find this book valuable."—The Americas, "Must be strongly recommended for its coverage of some vital years in Chile’s recent history."—International Affairs, "Good history and penetrating analyses by some of the most outstanding North American, British, and Chilean social scientists."—Hispanic American Historical Review

Paul W. Drake is a professor of political science and history at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of Socialism and Populism in Chile, 1932–52. Iván Jaksic, an associate professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, is the author of Academic Rebels in Chile: The Role of Philosophy in Higher Education and Politics.