Latin American Cold War Dictatorships

From the 1960s through the 1980s, military governments ruled much of Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Their origins differed, but many justified coups through anti-communism, political crisis and national-security doctrine, often with material or diplomatic support from the United States.

These regimes restricted parties, unions, universities and the press. Security forces used surveillance, detention, torture, disappearance and exile, while opposition ranged from armed movements to churches, journalists, relatives of the disappeared and international human-rights organisations. Economic programmes also transformed work, land and public services.

Eva Luna, Of Love and Shadows and In the Midst of Winter draw on this regional history even when countries or political leaders are fictionalised. Some novels combine several national dictatorships or deliberately create a composite Latin American state.