Summary Of Costa Ric The Breakdown Of Democracy

Words: 1466
Pages: 6

The Breakdown of Democracy: A Comparative Analysis of Chile and Costa Rica
On September 11, 1973, within a matter of hours, the once proud and historic democracy of Chile gave way to a coup d'etat orchestrated by the most senior and trusted leaders of the State's military. As explained by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela in A Nation of Enemies, “The coup shattered … the myth that Chile's 150 year old civilian constitutional government was invincible”(Constable, p.20). Looking for answers to the various questions about how a State, with such an austere culture of civility and history of democratic rule (Constable, p.20), could devolve into a military dictatorship it helps to compare this State with another one that has a similar culture. For this purpose, I will compare the circumstances and results of the breakdown of Chilean democracy with Costa Rica's ability to remain democratic in the face of similar circumstances. The outcome I intend to show is that the existence of a strong military, coupled with the strong ideological tendencies of its leadership, was the exact ingredient needed to tip the scales, and create a breakdown in democracy. To make a comparison of the States of Chile and Costa Rica, I will use the method of
…show more content…
During the CIAs involvement in the States' affairs, there was polarization that took effect within Costa Rican citizenry. In fact, there was even talk that the country should reinstate a standing military force. The support given to the Contras generated very strong debate in Costa Rica, Some citizens thought that there was not enough being done to combat communism. Other citizens were very adamant about not wanting the United States involved in any State affairs. In this case, the issue was resolved by electing a moderate President, Oscar Arias, in 1986. Arias reasserted Costa Rica's national independence, and strongly affirmed