Chile as described in ‘Talking In Whispers’ has a fascist government, this is sometimes described as a ‘Dictatorship’. The Dictator of Chile at this time was general Pinochet. The dictatorship in Chile is typical of all dictatorships. In any dictatorship if a group of people were found to be opposing the government were shot, tortured and imprisoned. Then they would use lies to cover up what they had done and as well as lying to there own people they will lie to any interested foreign government. There lies often have two purposes, one to cover up what they have done and one to discredit the people by saying horrible things about them. Dictators use lies to make them seem more worthy. Hitler, the German dictator of the 1930’s did this, he was one of the first people to use propaganda. He had a minister who’s only job was to tell lies on behalf of the government.
Fascist governments can come into power through three main ways. A fascist government could be voted into power by the people but then abolish the opposing parties. The government can also come into power after a war or where there is political unrest and there is no operating government. Finally, the government can also come into power by a ‘coup’ this is when the powerful group of people who do not agree with the government takes control by force. This is usually the military. After they think of a reason for doing this.
So the government is often afraid of the people in case they manage to over throw them and even kill them in turn, so they monitor the people especially educated people carefully and do not allow public gatherings. In the book the CNI stopped the people gathering to hear the Silver Lion talk about how they would achieve democracy. The people also have to be in their houses by a certain hour each day if they were not then they were arrested.
Since fascist governments fear the people they try to control them using military force. In countries like the USA and Britain the army is used to protect the country but in countries like Chile the army is used to control the people. Because fascist governments use force to stay in power the consequences of being over thrown are much greater than if a party is over thrown in an election in a democracy. There the people of the old government just carry on with their normal life as members of the opposition legally. But if a party of a fascist government is over thrown then they risk losing not only their power but also there liberty or possibly their life. This means a great deal of money is used to pay the solders and secret police. The alternative form of government is democracy. This means that the government is voted into power by the people. Democratic governments are stable and are voted for in elections and the price of a party being voted out is not dangerous compared to a fascist government.
The government in Chile is afraid of being over thrown so they are always watching and monitoring the educated middle class because they know they are slaves and are the most likely to start a revolution. The laws in Chile were very unjust in comparison to a modern democracy . In “Talking In Whispers” Andres was tortured because he, Isa and Beto helped a wounded man. The man he helped was a revolutionary. There are many young homeless people in Chile and theft is common but if you are caught stealing you are shot and this is because these young people are likely to want to join a revolution. In Chile little has changed since the time that ‘Talking In Whispers’ is set in. The people are still shot, tortured and in poverty. The difference between fascism and democracy in not the difference between wealth and poverty but the difference between freedom and slavery. In the book the characters are not fighting not to be in poverty but to be free. We know that the twins and Andres did not like the government by the puppet the twins made who was a mockery of the prime minister and made the puppet say “We will give you stockings for Christmas and what will we put in those stockins? We will put the finest electricity in them!” and by how the CNI took away Andres,s father and by how Andres’ anger when he read the lies in the paper which said his fathers car had crashed because his father had been drunk. This is why I think the author succeeded in showing the horror of living in Chile.