Fernando Camacho Padilla

Biography

Fernando Camacho Padilla has been an assistant lecturer at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid since 2015. Previously, he held a postdoctoral  fellowship at Universidad de Santiago de Chile (2013-2015). He also has been an assistant lecturer at Stockholm University, Uppsala University, Södertorn University College, and Dalarna University (Sweden). He has published the following books: América Latina, Suecia por Chile. Una historia visual del exilio y la solidaridad, 1970-1990, and Una vida para Chile. La solidaridad y la comunidad chilena en Suecia, 1970-2010.

Abstract

“Chile during the Late 60s: The road to the democratic revolution of 1970”

The political and social impact of the Cuban Revolution (1959) in Latin America caused great hope among leftists. The ideas and example of the Cuban revolutionaries soon inspired the youngest generations of the region. Nevertheless, after 1970, the New Left political leaders instead found Chile to be the political reference to follow. Chile’s social and political structure has several similarities with the European countries. Middle class Chilean students were concerned about the international scenario as well as the country’s internal difficulties. New radical political organizations emerged in the 60s, such as Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (Left Revolutionary Movement). Older political leaders, such as Salvador Allende and Pablo Neruda, also empathized with the cause of the Chilean youth. This paper will present the evolution of the Chilean Left in the 60s, with special attention to student mobilization, the influence of guevarism, and the main events that ended in the presidency of Salvador Allende.