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Original article: Un libro nacido en el exilio vuelve a Chile: Vicent Garcés presenta «Análisis del primer año de la dictadura militar (1973-1974)»

Exiled Book Returns to Chile: Vicent Garcés Launches «Analysis of the First Year of the Military Dictatorship (1973-1974)»

Valencian socialist researcher, academic, and politician Vicent M. Garcés will visit Chile in the last week of May to present the reissue of his book Chile. Analysis of the First Year of the Military Dictatorship (1973-1974), originally published in Buenos Aires in 1974 under the pseudonym Pablo Santillana and recently reissued by Pampa Negra Ediciones.

This work is one of the first systematic analyses of the establishment of the Chilean military regime following the coup d’état on September 11, 1973.

Written in exile and under semi-clandestine conditions, the book examines the economic, ideological, and repressive transformations initiated during the first year of dictatorship, relying primarily on official sources from the regime itself: newspapers, magazines, trade union bulletins, public statements, and institutional documents.

Throughout its chapters, Garcés discusses the dismantling of the Social Economic Area established during the Popular Unity government, the restitution of companies and lands to business groups, the opening to foreign capital, the reorganization of the economic model based on neoliberal principles, and the deployment of a repressive apparatus aimed at destroying trade unions, political parties, and social organizations.

Additionally, the volume addresses the political-ideological evolution of the Military Junta and compiles positions from various political forces of the time — including the parties of the Popular Unity, the MIR, and the Christian Democracy — reproduced from their own documents and statements.

The Original Print Run Disappeared

Originally published in Argentina by Prensa Latinoamericana amid a context of increasing political persecution in the Southern Cone, a significant portion of its print run vanished following the repressive advances that preceded the Argentine dictatorship.

Thus, for decades the book circulated only in isolated copies preserved by libraries, researchers, and private collections. This new edition restores both the original title and the true name of its author, bringing back into circulation a document considered part of the historical archive of Chilean exile.

Moreover, the reissue includes prefaces by Emma Sepúlveda Pulvirenti and Eduardo Trabucco Ponce, along with a selection of images by renowned Dutch photographer Chas Gerretsen.

In her text, Sepúlveda describes the book as a “living memory” and “warning” against the risks of historical repetition, emphasizing that the volume “was born in exile and out of urgency to characterize the beginnings of the military regime.”

Born in Valencia in 1946, Vicent Garcés arrived in Chile in 1972 to assist the Salvador Allende government in agricultural planning and was a member of the Socialist Party. After the military coup, he lived in Spain, France, Cuba, and Argentina, actively participating in international solidarity networks with Chile.

He later developed an extensive political and academic career in Spain, serving as a councilor, regional deputy, and Member of the European Parliament, while promoting initiatives related to human rights, food sovereignty, and democratic memory.

During his stay in Santiago, Garcés will participate in book launches, discussions, and community meetings in cultural, university, and political venues.

Scheduled Events

Book Launch
Tuesday, May 26 | 19:00 hours
Society of Chilean Writers
Presented by: Vicent Garcés and Eduardo Trabucco.

Presentation at the Socialist Party Headquarters
Wednesday, May 27 | 19:00 hours
Socialist Party of Chile
Featuring Vicent Garcés and Paulina Vodanovic.

Presentation at the Academy of Humanistic Christian University
Thursday, May 28 | 18:30 hours
Academy of Humanistic Christian University
Featuring Vicent Garcés and Rodrigo Gangas.

Presentation at Furia del Libro
Saturday, May 30 | 16:00 hours
Transiberian Room, Estación Mapocho.

All events are open to the public.

El Ciudadano

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