Between 1979 and 1990, more than a dozen Latin American countries experienced a democratic transition: in South America, for example, the end of the military regime occurred in 1982, in Bolivia; in 1983, in Argentina; in 1984, in Uruguay; in 1985 in Brazil, and in 1988 in Chile [see Chronology]. Despite the decline of military regimes occurring in Latin America in a short period of time, there are substantial differences between the historical processes of each country. In Argentina, for example, the failure of the Armed Forces to act in the Malvinas War (1982) contributed substantially to the weakening of the military regime and to the articulation of a large popular mobilization to demand the end of the dictatorship, which occurred shortly afterwards, in 1983. In Chile, despite the gradual strengthening of popular mobilizations during the military regime (in the early 1980s), and the re-articulation of leftist parties – which formed the Popular Democratic Movement – the end of the regime military was a much slower process than what happened in Argentina. If compared to the Argentine case, the stability of the Chilean military regime is revealed in the fact that the general who articulated the 1973 military coup, Augusto Pinochet, always enjoyed significant popularity and governed the country until 1990.
However, even though there are many specificities in the histories of Latin American military regimes and in their respective transition experiences, it can be said that, in general terms, the democratization process was invariably marked by many conflicts and negotiations, which occurred during and after the end of dictatorships. Thus, it should be noted that the events that took place in this period of transition did not necessarily result in the full establishment of democracy: this was a very slow process, in most cases, and permeated with tensions, advances and setbacks.
Nunn, F. M. (1995, June 1). The South American Military and (Re) Democratization: Professional Thought and Self Perception. Source: Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Summer, 1995, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer 1995), pp. 1-56.