Daughter of Fortune | Historical Context

Daughter of Fortune Historical Context

Overview of Chile's Contemporary Political History

Chile is a long, narrow country that extends down the western shore of South America from Peru and Bolivia at the north to the Straits of Magellan and the base of Argentina to the south. Much of Chile's economy is based on agriculture and mining, chiefly of copper. The mines were traditionally owned by the country's elite. However, in the twentieth century, they were taken over by U.S.-based companies, a fact that ultimately affected Chile's politics.

The political atmosphere of Chile tended to be very conservative, controlled by the moneyed classes of landowners, businessmen, and mine owners who supported the National Party or Partaido Nacional (PN). However, this changed in the first quarter of the twentieth century, when socialist and communist parties emerged, calling for land reform, better working conditions, and a more uniform distribution of the country's wealth. This is the same time that U.S. interests in Chile's...
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