Chile

Alessandri served as president for only a couple of months in 1925. Carlos Ibañez, who had helped return Alessandri to power, forced Alessandri out of office. Ibañez had himself elected president through carefully manipulated elections. He was clearly a military dictator, but he promoted industry and public works. Chile's economy was doing well until the Great Depression struck the world in the 1930s. The Depression was Ibañez's downfall. .
             In 1932 Arturo Alessandri returned to power and restored the power of the Constitution of 1925. He acted as a conservative and ruled almost like a dictator. In 1938 the Popular Front Party was created through a coalition of Communists, Radicals, and Socialists. Their candidate, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, defeated Alessandri in the election. He was skilled, but he retired in 1941 due to illness. Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was elected president in 1942. His policies were similar to those of Aguirre, but the Popular Front coalition came apart soon after. Ríos died in 1946, and Chile had to hold new elections. .
             From 1952 until 1973, different parties led Chile every six years with every new election. The parties included; the Popular Liberation Alliance (APL), the Conservative Party (PC), Christian Democratic Party (PDC), and the Socialist Party of Chile (PS). The 1970 elections gave the Socialist, Salvador Allende Grossens power. He became the first constitutionally elected Marxist in the Western Hemisphere. However, with help from the United States, a military coup ousted Allende in 1973 and placed Augusto Pinochet in power. He ruled Chile with aniron fist?, returned many banks, factories, and land to private owners. Chile experienced some economic growth in the 1970s, but by the 1980s the country fell into a recession. By 1988 public opinion began to build up against him and Chile returned to a democratic government in 1990 after 17 years of harsh dictatorial rule.