Twentieth-Century Chile, 1918–1990

Twentieth-century Chile experienced rapid urban growth, labour mobilisation and the expansion of electoral politics. Economic dependence on nitrate and then copper made the country vulnerable to international shocks, while demands for education, land reform, welfare and workers’ rights transformed political debate.

The Popular Front, Christian Democratic reform and the election of socialist president Salvador Allende reflected competing efforts to address inequality. Polarisation, shortages, strikes, foreign intervention and military opposition preceded the coup of 1973. The dictatorship that followed combined political repression with radical economic restructuring before a negotiated return to elected government in 1990.

The House of the Spirits, Violeta and A Long Petal of the Sea use family stories to move through this changing political landscape. The broader context is useful for century-spanning novels, while books focused on the coup and dictatorship should also use the more precise child record.