ABSTRACT
Incorporation of the Latin American armed forces into the military bloc led by the United States meant adopting new equipment and new standards of discipline and organization but also being socialized according to a new ideological perspective that redefined the role of the military in society. A necessary relationship exists between the repressive and foundational dimensions to the extent that destruction of the preceding order requires employing the instruments of repression over a long period. Merely projecting the old political model of action onto the new circumstances created by the military regime can lead the opposition to favor dimensions of action such as rebuilding the parties functionally and seeking top-level political coordination to develop a postauthoritarian alternative. A return to the economic model that characterized the compromise state seems unlikely to resolve problems of employment, dependency, growth, and redistribution. The major ideological themes aim at stirring up fears of a return to the past, but this time in a more disorderly manner.
