Like most countries of Ibero-America, Chile was colonized by Spain; hence, its politics, economy, society, culture, language, and legislation was greatly influenced by Spain. In the early 19th century, most countries of Ibero-America gained independence as a result of the independence of America, the French revolution, and the fall of the house of Bourbon in Spain, and so did Chile on September 18, 1810.
After its independence, especially from early 20th century to late 20th century, Chile went through political, economical, and social chaos. Since General Augusto Pinochet's coup d'état on September 11, 1973, Chile's judicial system was violated, and as a result, democracy was at risk and human rights were abused for about 15 years. Upon reflection, Chile has been promoting the reform of public organizations regarding pension, health service, tax, and education as well as the judicial system, after the handover of power to the civilian government.
In the meantime, unlike other countries in Latin America, Chile had been promoting a capitalist market economy since the late 1970s. The country has increased its exports especially after the 1990s, which led it to maintain the most stable and reliable economic growth in Latin America. Moreover, Chile is actively participating in trade liberalization and market integration through the FTA. On October 25th, 2002, Chile concluded an FTA with Korea, and close development in political and economic exchange has been made since then between the two countries.
This article examines the development of Chilean legislation focusing on i) legislation history, ii) norm system, iii) governmental organizations, and iv) the trend of judicial reform.