Chile’s military, specifically the Chilean Air Force, were enlisted to end the Allende Administration. Their desire to see Allende out of the presidency ended with the bombing of the presidential palace, the La Moneda on September 11, 1973, which prompted Allende to commit suicide and resulted in a 17 year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (Hellinger 2011, 171). The resistance of the elites and their aiding of the United States in a military coup, led to the breakdown of democracy in the Chilean government.
As demonstrated in this essay, the democracy in the Chilean government broke down because of the low levels of economic development, which resulted in the inequality between social classes. This inequality led to President Salvador Allende’s attempt to reduce the power of the wealthy and to create socialized sectors of the economy. However, despite his attempts the economy continued to weaken and the resistance among Chile’s elites against Salvador Allende grew. Because of this resistance, the government’s ability to govern became crippled which resulted in a