The Legitimacy of Power Debates on the Concept of Democracy in Chile (1925-1948)

This article analyzes the changing definitions of the concept of democracy in Chile between 1925 and 1948, based on the content of brochures, books and press news published in that period. The hypothesis sustains that, from the promulgation of the Constitution of 1925 until the publication of the Ley de Defensa Pemanente de la Democracia [Law of Permanent Defense to Democracy] in 1948, the concept of democracy as a legitimizing means of political power was the object of disputes and redefinitions that depended on the aspiration of different political actors. The article identifies four moments of redefinition and the respective political groups who advocated the revisions of the concept. In doing so, the article intends to show an aspect of the political conflict of the time and the zigzagging use of the concept of democracy in the dispute for power.