The end of the old Chilean agrarian regime (1955-1965)

Abstract

This article analyzes the agrarian structure of the Chilean hacienda system during the period immediately before the agrarian reform(1955-1965), looking particularly at the transition to modern agricultural capitalism, agricultural development and the land question.It argues that the hacienda system monopolizedthe majority of agricultural resources in Chile, especially land. It holds that from 1930 onwards, agricultural productivity of the haciendasystem stagnated. It further suggests that the main reason for this agricultural downturn was the inability of the system to modernize.