A cartoon history from conquistadores to Allende's Popular Unity and Pinochet's neo-liberalism

5/5 ( ratings)

This book is a witty, penetrating and engaging account of an aspect of Chilean history with world significance, and also an original historical document in its own right. In imaginative cartoon form, the book provides historical context for the events of a decade in Chile, the 1970’s, that included both democratic success for a broad social movement and a military coup followed by descent into dictatorship.

There is a sweeping review of the economic, social and political nature of South America before European conquest and colonialism, which cleverly indicates its continuing influence on contemporary events. The ravages of the conquistadores, the carving up of the continent to create the boundaries of modern nation states, the successive stages of exploitation by Spain and other colonial powers are all portrayed with great economy by apt examples and arresting illustration.

As the narrative continues, through political independence from Spain and then economic domination, successively, by Britain in the nineteenth century and the United States in the twentieth century, the reader is taken at great pace into the central concern of the book. Well chosen facts, captions and drawings illustrate, in the dramatic form available to a graphic book, the events that provide the historical context for the remark made by US Secretary of State Kissinger: "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people".

In the confrontation between the democratic social movements of workers and peasants that created Popular Unity, and produced the first democratically elected, avowedly Socialist, President on the one hand, and the military/corporate complex that determines US foreign policy on the other, we see played out in 1970's Chile the politics of other Latin American countries for decades to come.

If that particular confrontation has obvious direct parallels beyond Chile in other Latin American countries, such as Nicaragua and Venezuela, the politics and economics of Pinochet's dictatorship has an even wider significance. We see many of the elements that shaped global capitalism on the basis of neoliberal economic ideology. Economists from the Chicago school were able to treat Chile, under an authoritarian dictatorship, as a laboratory exercise from which politicians worldwide could learn. From the combination of social and economic policies sharply outlined in this presentation one can see how politicians like British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were so supportive of the man who it seemed had enabled a text book of neoliberalism to be produced.

A History of Chile was originally published in 1976. In the foreword to this reprint, published by Chile 40 Years On, as one of an enormous range of activities to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the coup, Richard Gott, eminent journalist and writer on Latin American affairs adds to the value of this reprint. He was himself in Chile immediately after the coup and his cameo piece movingly reflects his response.

Gott also highlights the value of the book as part of the history of the time. "Chile's loss was Britain's gain,” he notes, referring to the arrival in Britain of many Chileans who subsequently made a valuable contribution to British cultural and political life. In response to international outcry prison sentences for active supporters of Allende and Popular Unity were commuted to exile by the Pinochet regime. In Britain a Chile Solidarity Movement helped in the process of receiving and supporting exiles. Members of the movement worked with Chris Welch to research and develop the content of the book. The final section provides a useful historical record of different aspects of solidarity with Chile at the time.