A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet [Hardcover]

Pamela Constable (Author), Arturo Valenzuela (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1991

Following a military coup in 1973 led by General Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean people lived for 17 years under his dictatorial rule. This study describes the gradual struggle for civil rights and freedoms which took place during that time, leading to public presidential elections in 1990.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In their rigorous examination of the regime of the "Franco of Chile," the authors describe the 1973 coup that ended the brief socialist experiment of Salvador Allende (the first freely elected Marxist head of state) and explain how Augusto Pinochet came to dominate the junta and attained personal and institutional control "unrivalled by contemporary military regimes anywhere else in Latin America." Based on hundreds of interviews with Chileans of all backgrounds and political views, Constable and Valenzuela chronicle the hate-driven campaign of oppression that sharpened divisions between left and right, rich and poor, civilian and military, and "turned the state into a monster" capable of torture and mass killings. The authors also describe the rapid economic development directed by Pinochet's "Chicago Boys," a team of U.S.-trained technocrats who initiated a bold venture into free-market economics that led one segment of Chileans to prosperity while another sank into poverty. Finally, they describe the circumstances under which Pinochet, "the last of South America's modern-day dictators," was forced to step down in 1989. Constable is foreign correspondent for the Boston Globe ; Valenzuela is director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Veteran journalist Constable and distinguished academic Valenzuela re-create life for most ordinary Chileans during the past 20 years when "they were dubious spectators caught in a system that they had not chosen." Chile had a 150-year-old tradition of stable democracy and civilian rule. Yet from the coup that ousted President Allende in September 1973 until March 1990 when Patricio Alywin was inaugurated as President of Chile, General Augusto Pinochet and the military completely dominated Chilean life. Based on broad sources, including many interviews, this book chronicles without ideological bias the lengthy struggles for the reemergence of democracy in Chile and concludes that after two decades Chileans grew tired of hating each other and have regained "new appreciation for the values of moderation and compromise." Written for both general and academic audiences, this will stand as the definitive work on Chile under Pinochet for many years to come. It belongs in all public and academic libraries.
- James Rhodes, Luther Coll., Decorah, Ia.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393030113
• ISBN-13: 978-0393030112
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Chile

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced and Detailed, February 18, 2000

By 

Chris McKinstry (South America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet (Paperback)

I keep buying copies of this book for my friends, both gringos and chileans. I've been in Chile almost 3 years and this book has done more for my understanding of the dynamics of left and right in this contry than I thought a book could do. It is well balanced and very detailed. You will read here many things that people just won't talk about but are critical to understanding contemporary Chile. If you have any interest in this country, you need to read this book.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Journalistic Account, December 2, 2001

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet (Paperback)

"A Nation of Enemies" is a fascinating and well-balanced account of the Pinochet years in Chile. The book chronicles the abuses and the successes (yes, there were a few, particularly where the economy was concerned) of one of Latin America's more notorious dictators. Pinochet's reign could be described as the banality of evil. There was considerable political repression, and hundreds of Chileans lost their lives, but his was a rule more by ham-handed thuggery than systematic destruction like the Nazis. In the end, Pinochet was brought down not by revolution, but by his own ineptness.

The authors do a good job in providing the historical context for their story. They show both how Chile had a strong tradition of democracy before Pinochet, and how the excesses of his Socialist predecessor Allende helped lead to the coup that brought him to power. The authors also debunk the notion that the U.S. was behind the coup, though they acknowledge that the Nixon administration and the CIA did everything they could to politically undermine Allende before the coup.

The book is broken down into sections covering various aspects of Chilean society, rather than chronologically. The last chapter deals with the events that led to Pinochet's electoral downfall, and the relatively peaceful return to democracy in Chile. If the book has a drawback, it is that it was published in 1991, and therefore lacks a chapter on post-Pinochet Chile.

Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in world history or politics.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Setting the scene, April 3, 2002

By 

E. Capurro (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet (Hardcover)

I have lived in Chile for close on 4 years now. I am not sure it will ever be possible to fully understand the Chilean psych. However - this book does bring you an inch or two closer to doing so. It certainly helps you understand why Chilean think and react the way they do to the subject of the dictatorship. However I believe that before being published in paperback -this book should have an additional chapter on the last decade and the dramatic changes that have taken place since 1991.