Chile’s History of Polarized Politics

a timely conversation after the U.S. midterm elections

In 2020, an overwhelming majority of Chileans voted in favor of a new constitution. But then, in September 2022, two years later, they overwhelmingly rejected that new constitution. What happened?

Before the CIA-supported 1973 coup that placed Pinochet in power, Chile had enjoyed democracy for several decades. So, how could a coup happen in a fully functioning democracy? Didn’t Chile have firmly established civil institutions and deeply rooted bureaucracies to prevent such a thing from happening? Yes. But this is the story of how the polarization of politics debases workable differences into mutual hatred, then into violence, and, finally, destroys democracy.

Chile is also a story of triumph, a beacon of hope for all nations now paralyzed by highly polarized politics. Remarkably, after less than a decade of Pinochet’s brutal repression of his people, Chileans were able to slowly introduce changes that lay the foundation for the eventual return of democracy. Undoubtedly, this is a huge national accomplishment.

In this episode, Dr. Claudio Fuentes takes us through the history of Chile’s polarized politics from prior to 1973 to 2022. Despite this polarization, Chile’s democracy has survived. As our politics become…