Between 1986 and 1988, Spain was in the second term of the socialist leader Felipe González, while Chile lived the final years of the Pinochet dictatorship. Because of cultural ties and similar historical experiences lived by both countries, Spanish public opinion, the government, political parties, and NGOs were very sensitive to the Chilean issue, so from Spain would start a great current of solidarity with Chilean democratic opposition, which resulted in numerous cooperation projects. This involvement in the democratization of the country was especially intense during the National Plebiscite of October 1988, which attracted numerous Spanish observers from all parties and was lived by the González government as a whole “state issue”.
Keywords:
Military dictatorship of Chile, 1988 Chilean national plebiscite, PSOE, Transitions to democracy, Civil society, Political repression
Author Biography
Pedro Feria Vázquez, Universidad Austral de Chile
Doctor en Historia de la Universidad Austral de Chile. Valdivia, Chile, ORCID ID: 00000001-6112-8890. Correo electrónico: pedro.feria@uach.cl
Feria Vázquez, P. (2021). A ‘state issue’: Spanish implication in the democratization of Chile during the second term of Felipe González (1986-1988). Cuadernos De Historia, (54), pp. 327–356. Retrieved from https://revistaurbanismo.uchile.cl/index.php/CDH/article/view/63845
