ABSTRACT
The protests have peaked at several key moments since the 1990s, rooted in Chilean students' longstanding interest in social welfare and education rights. This chapter provides a short vignette detailing the long struggle by students for education equity, including the failures and successes of their movements. Important investment did occur during the 1960s and 1970s towards the development of a modern state, providing greater equity and opportunity for everyone. The first period in Chilean mass education, from 1925 to 1973, was called the democratic welfare state, inspired by the European welfare models of society. According to a study conducted by CENDA, teachers' salaries in Chile experienced the highest increase in real terms during the democratic period between 1960 and 1972. Universities created during the democratic period, called traditional universities, belonged to the Consejo de Rectores de las Universidades Chilenas (CRUCH) and served more heterogeneous populations.
