Painful Birth How Chile Became a Free and Prosperous Society [Paperback]

The 1970 accession of Salvador Allende to the presidency of Chile is a good test case of what happens when a country turns its economy over to the government. Painful Birth provides us with a thought-provoking account of this dramatic plunge into socialism, and also of the countrys subsequent escape from it. Dr. Edwards concise, readable study provides an excellent background for todays debates about the desirable scope of government.Painful Birth discusses how Chile escaped becoming a communist state in the late 1970s and transformed into a free and prosperous society. It narrates the events and explains the economic policies, institutional transformation, and ideological change involved, providing an invaluable case study in economics, international relations, and Latin American development.Painful Birth is the astounding story of how Chile narrowly escaped becoming a Leninist/Stalinist slave state in the early 1970s and over a relatively short historic period was transformed into the near paragon of freedom and prosperity that it is today. The book not only narrates the events but also explains the economic policies, institutional transformation, and ideological change involved. Painful Birth provides an invaluable case study in economic growth, international relations, political ideologies, and Latin American development.ContentsPreface: The Nature of Freedom and a Free SocietyChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6About the AuthorJames Rolph Edwards obtained his B.S. in political science from Brigham Young University in 1969. After a stint in the army, Edwards attended the University of Utah and earned his Ph.D. in economics in 1983. Since 1988, he has taught economics and political science at Montana State University Northern in Havre, Montana. Edwards has published four previous books on economic topics along with numerous journal articles.