Democracy as Dictatorship
Abstract
In this essay I propose a radical demystification of the perceived image of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte’s Chilean dictatorship as a period of uniform terror that suffocated all popular contestation. Based on the differentiation of repressive styles and the popular responses to them, I propose that this perceived image has been artificially constructed in order to hide the historical continuity between Pinochet’s dictatorship and the current democratic regime. I relate this historic reconstruction to a more general thesis: I argue that there is an essential continuity between both political periods ruled by the deep dictatorial character of so-called current democratic regimes. To conclude I highlight the dictatorial mechanisms of current democracies as well as the political tasks that would allow for a progressive opposition to these same mechanisms.Keywords
Democracy, Dictatorship, Democratic Opposition, Bureaucratic PowerPublished
2015-12-31
How to Cite
Perez Soto, C. (2015). Democracy as Dictatorship. Athenea Digital. Revista De Pensamiento E investigación Social, 15(4), 279–303. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/athenea.1579
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Copyright (c) 2015 Carlos Perez Soto
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