The Alliance for Progress and the “Developmentalism” in Chile

Abstract

The governments that preceded the presidency of Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez, implemented a series of industrialist policies that, deliberately or not, signified energetic steps forward in the direction of developmentalism preached by ECLAC in its collaborative action with the Alliance for Progress (ALPRO) promoted by the Democratic government of JF Kennedy.

At the national level, Chile’s developmental strategy, supported by ALPRO, not only required technical and financial support measures for the development of the industry, but also a far-reaching historical change, committed to national development and regional integration such as had been proposed by ECLAC on a Latin American scale. ALPRO was implicitly accepting that commitment. However, this great social experiment was demolished with blood and fire by the assassination of the Kennedy brothers and the subsequent installation of military dictatorships in South America.