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The Gathering Storm: The United States, Eduardo Frei's Revolution in Liberty and the Polarization of Chilean Politics, 1964-1970

Hurtado Torres, Sebastian
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1476710773529045

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, History (Arts and Sciences).
This dissertation explores the involvement of the United States in Chilean politics between the presidential campaign of 1964 and Salvador Allende’s accession to the presidency in 1970. The main argument of this work is that the partnership between the Christian Democratic Party of Chile (PDC) and the United States in this period played a significant role in shaping Chilean politics and thus contributed to its growing polarization. The alliance between the PDC and the United States was based as much on their common views on communism as on their shared ideas about modernization and economic development. Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, headed by men strongly committed to the success of the Christian Democratic project, involved itself heavily in the inner workings of Chilean politics as an informal actor, unable to dictate terms but capable of exerting influence on local actors whose interests converged with those of the United States. By the end of the Frei administration, partly as a result of the close relationship between the PDC and the United States, the Chilean political spectrum had become highly polarized. The victory of Marxist leader Salvador Allende in the presidential election of 1970 caused strong reactions in Chile and abroad, including a failed putsch sponsored by the CIA and unconsummated attempts by President Eduardo Frei to provoke a coup before Allende’s official election as president by the Congress. The events surrounding the presidential election of 1970 furthered the process of polarization that took over Chile since the end of the 1960s and foretold the story of the erosion and destruction of Chilean democracy that unfolded between 1970 and 1973.
Patrick Barr-Melej, Dr. (Advisor)
351 p.
History; International Relations; Latin American History
Chilean politics; Eduardo Frei Montalva; US Foreign Policy; Cold War; Alliance for Progress; Lyndon B Johnson; Christian Democratic Party

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hurtado Torres, S. (2016). The Gathering Storm: The United States, Eduardo Frei's Revolution in Liberty and the Polarization of Chilean Politics, 1964-1970 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1476710773529045

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hurtado Torres, Sebastian. The Gathering Storm: The United States, Eduardo Frei's Revolution in Liberty and the Polarization of Chilean Politics, 1964-1970 . 2016. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1476710773529045.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hurtado Torres, Sebastian. "The Gathering Storm: The United States, Eduardo Frei's Revolution in Liberty and the Polarization of Chilean Politics, 1964-1970 ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1476710773529045

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1476710773529045
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.