The gap between the rich and the poor widened, and industrial production dropped to an all-time low. Wages for agricultural workers plummeted 38 percent between 1953 and 1960. The per capita income for an average Chilean in 1954 was less than $150, compared to $2000 in the United States. By contrast, school and university enrollments were on the rise during this period. While Chileans had one of the best educated populations and one of the most democratic countries in South America, millions of lower-class workers were left mired in poverty, which put increasing pressure on the government for more radical economic reforms. In 1952 Chilean women were given full voting privileges and became, along with the growing middle class and the rural workers, another popular constituency. The newly formed Partido Democrata Cristiano (PDC), or the Christian Democrats, appealed to these constituencies but had strong competition from the growing Socialist party, whose members formed an electoral alliance known as the Frente de Acción Popular (FRAP). A third prominent political organization was an assortment of labor unions; controlled mainly by communists, the unions called for improved working conditions and equality for workers with other members of Chilean society.
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