ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins, evolution, characteristics, and breakdown of Chile’s democratic system. It reviews the main features of the terminated military regime and analyzes the difficulties faced in the reestablishment of the nation’s democracy. Victory in an international war, the control of the military by the constitutionally established authorities, political leadership respectful of the formal rules, and economic growth had contributed to this result that set Chile on a unique course in Latin America. The stakes involved in the control of the executive increased dramatically with the Chilean victory in the War of the Pacific, again against Peru and Bolivia. After 1891 the center of gravity of the Chilean political system shifted dramatically from the center to the locality. A key organization of twentieth-century politics, the political party with extensive local bases, developed principally during the Parliamentary Republic.
