Publication date:
14 December 2012Length of book:
90 pagesPublisher
University Press of AmericaDimensions:
236x157mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780761859994
Painful Birth is the astounding story of how Chile narrowly escaped becoming a Leninist/Stalinist slave state in the early 1970s and over a relatively short historic period was transformed into the near paragon of freedom and prosperity that it is today. The book not only narrates the events but also explains the economic policies, institutional transformation, and ideological change involved. Painful Birth provides an invaluable case study in economic growth, international relations, political ideologies, and Latin American development.
The 1970 accession of Salvador Allende to the presidency of Chile is a good test case of what happens when a country turns its economy over to the government. Painful Birth provides us with a thought-provoking account of this dramatic plunge into socialism, and also of the country’s subsequent escape from it. Dr. Edwards’ concise, readable study provides an excellent background for today’s debates about the desirable scope of government.