The great chilean recovery: assigning responsibility for the chilean miracle(s)

September 11, 1973, a day etched in the memory of Chilean history, marked the abrupt end to the socialist government of Salvador Allende, via a military coup led by the General of the Army, Augusto Pinochet. Although condemned by many for what they consider the destruction of Chile�s democratic tradition, the administrative appointments made and decisions taken by Pinochet and his advisors established policies necessary for social changes and reversed economic downward trends, a phenomenon known as the "Chilean Miracle." Pinochet, with the assistance of his economic advisors, known as the "Chicago Boys," established Latin America's first neoliberal regime, emphasizing that a free-market, not the government, should regulate the economy. Examining the processes through which Pinochet formed his team of economic advisors, my research focuses on the transformations wrought by the Chicago Boys on the economic landscape of Chile. These changes have assured that twenty-four years after Pinochet�s rule, the Chilean economy remains a model for Latin American nations. In particular, this examination seeks to answer the following question: Who was responsible for the "Chilean Miracle"?