Brazil and Chile: a comparative history of coups, authoritarianism, and democracy

Abstract

The article performs a comparative analysis of the political history of Brazil and Chile from the moment when both countries suffered ruptures in the democratic constitutional order, in Brazil, in 1964 and in Chile, in 1973. The article initiates with a discussion about the use of comparison in political history studies to define an interpretative board concerning the conjunctures that preceded the coups d'Etat. It then considers the main characteristics of the authoritarian regimes, analyzing especially the economic, social, and political transformations that were occurring. It continues with the analyzes of the democratic transition process and its governments, in Brazil, from 1985, and in Chile, until 1990. Lastly, it analyzes, comparatively, the reach and the deadlocks of both democratic experiences. A post-scriptum is also added on the events that took place in Chile from October 2019.