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Republic of Chile

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Republic of Chile
República de Chile
Flag of Republic of Chile
Flag
Coat of arms of Republic of Chile
Coat of arms
Motto: Por la razón o la fuerza
("By reason or by force")
Anthem: Himno Nacional de Chile
("National Anthem of Chile")
Location of Republic of Chile
Capital
and largest city
Santiago
Official languagesSpanish
Religion
(2020)[1]
62.1% Christian
- 52.6% Catholic
- 9.5% Other Christian
37.4% None
0.5% Other
Demonym(s)Chilean
Dominant mode of productionCapitalism
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Gabriel Boric
• President of the Senate
José García Ruminot
• President of the Chamber of Deputies
Karol Cariola
• President of Supreme Court
Juan Fuentes Belmar
LegislatureNational Congress
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
Area
• Total
756,096.3 km²
Population
• 2023 estimate
19,629,588 (63rd)
HDI (2021)0.855[2] (42nd)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Calling code+56
ISO 3166 codeCL
Internet TLD.cl


Chile, officially the Republic of Chile[a 1], is a country located in western South America with a western coast on the Pacific Ocean. It shares a border with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the north-east, and Argentina to the east. The capital and largest city of Chile is Santiago, and the official language is Spanish.

History[edit | edit source]

Ibáñez presidency[edit | edit source]

In the 1920s, most of Chile's economy was controlled by the United States. Carlos Ibáñez, who came to power in 1927, took extensive loans from the U.S. In March 1927, the Communist Party of Chile was banned.[3]

Allende's rise to power[edit | edit source]

In 1939, socialist Salvador Allende was appointed as Minister of Health and Warfare by President Pedro Aguirre Cerda. Allende increased pensions, introduced paid maternity leave, and restricted foreign involvement in the mining industry.

Allende participated in the 1952, 1957, 1964, and 1970 presidential elections. In 1964, he lost the election to US-backed Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei. In 1969, he was nominated for president by a left-wing coalition and won the election on 4 September 1970. Before he took office, capitalists fired many workers or reduced their wages.[3]

Allende presidency[edit | edit source]

In an attempt to avoid angering the bourgeoisie, Allende promised not to restrict the church, freedom of speech, or opposition parties. Allende created a mixed economy with private and state ownership. By the end of 1971, the public sector produced half of the gross national product. Industrial production grew by 13% and unemployment dropped from 8.3% to 3.8%.[3]

Pinochet dictatorship[edit | edit source]

On 11 September 1973, US-trained General Augusto Pinochet took power in a military coup. Rebel planes and tanks shot at the presidential palace, and Allende died.[3] Pinochet gave $235 million to the imperialist telecommunications company ITT. In 1975, he invited Milton Friedman into the country to organize shock therapy and privatization.[4]

In December 1983, the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front began a campaign of sabotage and armed resistance against the Pinochet government.[3]

References[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. Spanish: República de Chile