ABSTRACT
Tomás Moultán is a highly respected political scientist in Chile, perhaps best known for his examinations of the complex interaction between Marxism and Christianity. He is also a frequent commentator in some of Chile’s sophisticated news weeklies. Here he examines two of Chile’s most significant political movements (Christian Democracy and the militant left) from a new perspective. During the most difficult years of the Pinochet regime, when the poblaciones literally smoldered with bonfires that expressed their defiance, political parties seemed remote indeed. Whether the traditional relationship between party and masses was paternalistic or militantly leftist, it was no longer visible. The political vacuum was not simply a matter of the absence of elections; the traditional ligaments of power had disappeared, at least for the masses. In this chapter, Moulián explores the attitudes of poor people to determine how these political groups might be able to win the loyalties of the masses. With the decisive turn away from the right seen in the national elections of December 1989, his analysis becomes even more critical.
