before the coup, chile had been hailed as a beacon of democracy and political stability for decades, a period in which the rest of south america had been plagued by military juntas and caudillismo. the collapse of chilean democracy ended a succession of democratic governments in chile, which had held democratic elections since 1932. historian peter winn characterised the 1973 coup as one of the most violent events in the history of chile. a weak insurgent movement against the pinochet regime was maintained inside chile by elements sympathetic to the former allende government. an internationally supported plebiscite in 1988 held under the auspices of the military dictatorship was followed by a peaceful transition to an elected civilian government.