| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Two recent books tell the story of the transition to Chile's now-vibrant democracy. Their complementary perspectives provide context for the choices Chileans made in last year's presidential elections. In an eerie confluence of fates, the two top contenders for Chile's presidency in late 2013, Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei, were actually childhood playmates. Their fathers, both air-force generals, had been friends and neighbours, but had contrasting political leanings and found themselves on opposite sides of the dictatorship that seized power in 1973. Mr Bachelet had become a high-ranking official in Salvador Allende's socialist administration, and was effectively tortured to death after the 1973 military coup that installed Augusto Pinochet as president. Mr Matthei, in contrast, was a rising star within the Pinochet regime, becoming head of the air force and ultimately working in the building in whose basement Mr Bachelet was detained and tortured. Thus, Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei represented not only two different futures, but two opposing pasts. While Bachelet promised free universal education and political reform, Matthei vowed to continue the policies of Chile's outgoing conservative president. The symbolism was anything but subtle.
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