ABSTRACT
When investigating contemporary political topics, an historical overview can at times appear to be a digression or a distraction from the question at hand; history can provide us with the tools to understand how emerging democracies affect organized participation. This chapter details the specific historical context of Chile. The development of Chilean civil society under the prior democracy was erratic, with periods of stagnation interspersed with spurts of great momentum. The role and influence of civil society and its distinct components have fluctuated over the past sixty years in Chile. The chapter examines the particularities of the Chilean case, specifically, the function and influence of civil society under the prior democracy and also under authoritarian rule; in doing so, it allows us to understand better the organizations, their structures and their relationships with political parties in the contemporary period.
