98-512: The Concertación , officially the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia ( Spanish pronunciation: [konseɾtaˈsjon de paɾˈtiðos poɾ la ðemoˈkɾasja] ; English: Coalition of Parties for Democracy ), was a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile , founded in 1988. Presidential candidates under its banner won every election from when military rule ended in 1990 until
196-482: A Chilean can have so much hunger for power, to aim to stay for 25 years in power! Never before has a Chilean ever done so. And you asked me to answer either Yes or No, and that's what I did. Please excuse me, Raquel , but I'm speaking after being silent for 15 years already! To this day, in Chile the phrase "Lagos' finger" refers to this memorable event; on that night, many people were convinced he would not survive to see
294-620: A former Minister of Defense . As before, the situation was to be resolved through a primary election. However, in May 2005, after months of internal disputes regarding her party's directives, Alvear withdrew from the presidential race, deciding instead to run for senator in Santiago . Bachelet therefore became the Coalition's candidate, and the second woman to run for Chilean President (the first being Communist leader Gladys Marín ), competing with
392-575: A period of Pasokification in which social democratic parties saw large declines during the 2010s, largely being replaced by far-left and right-wing populist parties. The centre-left's stance on immigration in Europe was one of multiculturalism, further pushing working class voters from the centre-left to the far-right. In some cases, centre-left and centre-right politics in these countries became less distinct as political cleavages shifted toward populist versus traditional politics. The Arab Spring in
490-696: A policy publication focused on relations and development in the Western Hemisphere. Lagos contributes regularly. After abandoning power, Lagos taught a one-month special seminar at UC Berkeley 's Center for Latin American Studies, called "Democracy and Development in Latin America". In May 2007, Brown University announced that Lagos would take a teaching position at the Watson Institute for International Studies for
588-652: A position he held until 1973 when he became Secretary General of the University of Chile. Lagos subsequently began work as a professor of economics in the School of Law at the University of Chile, and between 1971 and 1972 he was Director of the Institute of Economy. He was later named Director of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. During the 1970s, Lagos declared himself an "independent of
686-517: A prominent form of centre-left politics, beginning with the Australian governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating in the 1980s and 1990s. Similar movements developed elsewhere, including in Germany and New Zealand. Centre-left parties in Latin America also shifted from social democracy to social liberalism in a pragmatic attempt to reach voters. The most prominent adoption of Third Way politics
784-470: A reformist alternative to the revolutionary left, arguing that societal improvements within capitalist democracy would better serve the working class. This philosophy became widely popular among the European left after World War I, which had convinced many contemporary leftists that national identity was more important to the working class than class solidarity , which would render Marxism unviable. This
882-459: A school of thought within British and American centre-left politics in the mid-19th century. Early progressive thought developed from modernism and humanism , manifesting as calls for reform. It developed as a political movement in the late-19th and early-20th centuries as it was adopted by social liberal and social democratic parties. Unlike later social democratic movements, social democracy in
980-571: A two-year term as President of the Club de Madrid —an exclusive organization of former presidents created by a Spanish philanthropist to promote democracy across the world. He also assumed co-chairmanship of the Inter-American Dialogue 's Board of Directors. On 2 May 2007 Lagos, along with Gro Harlem Brundtland and Han Seung-soo , was named by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as a Special Envoy on Climate Change . His appointment
1078-522: A visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill political science department until 1965. After his time in North Carolina, he maintained ties with both universities. On his return to Chile, he was employed at the Institute of Economy of the University of Chile directed by Carlos Massad. In 1967, he was named Director of the School of Political and Administrative Sciences,
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#17327647558841176-727: Is not supported by the centre-left in the 21st century. The modern centre-left distinguishes between just and unjust capitalism, advocating for welfare state policies to create what it considers to be just capitalism. Through the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the centre-left has been more likely to benefit electorally during periods of economic growth and suffer electorally in economic downturn. The core objective underlying centre-left economic policies, democratic capitalism , has largely been achieved within many economies, with further policies seeking to merely reform or improve upon this system. These may include measures to reduce poverty or to support lower-wage workers. One common dispute within
1274-489: Is required to be elected president, a presidential runoff was subsequently held in January 2000 for the first time ever in Chile. Winning 51.3 percent of the vote, Lagos became the new President of Chile. During the first year of his term in office, Lagos had to confront a high level of unemployment, generated by the political instability of the region, a process that began to revert at the end of 2003. He also promised to keep
1372-705: Is the balance between egalitarianism and pragmatism. The centre-left often faces pressures from working class voters to restrict immigration to prevent competition over jobs and public services. Other centre-left policies can also be negatively impacted by immigration, as a large increase in low-skilled workers can raise concerns about the increased price of public services, prompting spending cuts and roll-backs of centre-left welfare policies. Though positions on environmentalism are not consistent across centre-left parties, they are more likely to support environmentalist policies than centre-right parties. Centre-left parties are popularly associated with environmental policies in
1470-450: Is typically associated with the centre-left ideologies of social liberalism and social democracy, though communist and centrist ideologies have sometimes been involved in progressive politics. There is great divergence within the progressive movement, with disagreement in what reforms should be attempted and how they can be implemented, though redistributive policies are a common theme within progressivism. Progressivism first developed in
1568-425: Is typically considered radical in nature and distinct from centre-left ideologies. The Third Way is a variation of social democratic politics that gained prominence in the 1990s after the decline of traditional social democracy. It advocates reform of the social democratic model to emphasize equal opportunity over equality of outcome . To accomplish this, it supports heavy deregulation and privatization for
1666-580: The Digital Revolution altered the objectives and demographics of the centre-left, as the working class has been largely subsumed by the middle class in developed nations due to increased living standards and the establishment of a knowledge economy . Of those in service industry careers, class is not a unifying or significant aspect of personal identity. In particular, this shift has caused People's Parties based on mass mobilization to be less viable. These rapid developments in society during
1764-464: The Middle East and North Africa supported ideals often associated with social democracy and the centre-left. Ricardo Lagos Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar ( Spanish pronunciation: [riˈkaɾðo fɾojˈlan ˈlaɣos eskoˈβaɾ] ; born 2 March 1938) is a Chilean lawyer, economist and social-democratic politician who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. During the 1980s he
1862-735: The Radical Party , gathered in the Democratic Alliance ( Alianza Democrática ). In 1988, several more parties, including the Humanist Party , the Ecologist Party , the Social Democrats, and several Socialist Party splinter groups added their support, despite fears of election fraud by Pinochet, and the Concertación de Partidos por el NO ("Coalition of Parties for NO") was formed to campaign against
1960-757: The Second Republic and the Second Empire was commonly associated with the Moderate Republicans . Thiers restored the centre-left to prominence in the Third Republic , where it was led by the liberal republican Opportunist faction. Elsewhere in Europe, centre-left movements appeared from the 1860s, mainly in Spain and Italy . In Italy, the centre-left was born as coalition between the liberal Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour and
2058-615: The United Nations considered the New International Economic Order plan that would facilitate social democratic governments in developing nations. Centre-left politics were historically unpopular in Latin America, and left-wing candidates were kept out of power through both right-wing dictatorships and through conservative victories in fair elections. In the mid-20th century, centre-left politics supported state-led development and industrialization in
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#17327647558842156-678: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Buenos Aires . As a public servant, he also served Chile as a United Nations delegate with the rank of ambassador at the 26th United Nations General Assembly . In addition, he was a delegate to the UN's 3rd Conference of Commerce and Development ( United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ). Soon after the 1973 coup d'état , he and his family were sent into exile in Buenos Aires , Argentina , where he took
2254-574: The left " and abandoned the Radical Party of Chile, which he had joined in 1961 when this party supported Jorge Alessandri 's government. Although he did not possess much diplomatic experience, he worked with Hernán Santa Cruz as the Chilean delegates to the United Nations and presented an outstanding speech on the international financial crisis. During the speech, he strongly criticized the decision of U.S. President Richard Nixon to suspend
2352-532: The pink tide . In the 21st century, centre-left politics are challenged by the developments of the Digital Revolution , the subsumption of the lower class into the middle class in developed nations, and an increase in support for populism . The ideologies of the centre-left include social democracy , social liberalism , progressivism , and green politics . Centre-left politics often incorporate elements of libertarianism and occasionally favour limited state intervention. As with all political alignments,
2450-498: The "NO" vote won with a 54% majority, and a general election was called for 1989. In that year, the coalition changed their name to Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia ("Concert of Parties for Democracy") and put forward Patricio Aylwin , the Christian Democrat leader, as a presidential candidate, as well as launching a common list for the parliamentary elections. In elections the following year, Aylwin won and
2548-684: The 1970s. It was initially developed in Australia and New Zealand, and it first gained influence in Germany as a response to the Cold War and environmental issues . The presence of green politics in national government is mostly limited to Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, though green political parties briefly held influence during the postcommunist period of Eastern Europe. Green political parties have been most successful in Belgium, Finland, France, and Germany, where they integrated into
2646-494: The 1973 coup d'état. Lagos's lowest approval rating in office was 45%, which was still a decent rating for any Chilean politician post-Pinochet. On 3 April 2001, with a 63-37-4 vote, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile approved a bill to abolish the death penalty in Chile for civilian crimes and set the maximum punishment at life imprisonment . The politicians who rejected the bill belonged to right-wing Chilean parties. The law
2744-512: The 19th century held socialist society as an eventual goal. The first social democratic party was established in Germany in 1863. Social democracy had developed as a major political movement in Europe by the early 20th century as a response to the strength of capitalism. Challenging the idea that capitalism was nearing an implosion , reformist socialists such as Eduard Bernstein rejected Marxist ideas of historical materialism and class conflict , and social democrats established themselves as
2842-739: The Bolivian sea claim, causing a diplomatic impassé between Chile and Venezuela. The tension between both governments had dissipated during July 2004. During Lagos' presidency, Free Trade Agreements were signed with the European Community , the United States, South Korea, the People's Republic of China and New Zealand , Singapore and Brunei (though some of his supporters in the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy consider that these agreements may have negative effects on
2940-683: The Democratic Alliance, a force that grouped the majority of the democratic parties opposing the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet . In 1983, he decided to leave his position as an international civil employee in the United Nations. In December of that year, he became president of the Democratic Alliance. In 1987, as the president of the Committee of the Left for Free Elections, he called on all citizens and parties to enrol in
3038-605: The Frei administration, he continued to be a leader of opinion and was a sure option for the following presidential election. His status was later ratified by his appointment as one of the members of the Committee of Twelve Distinguished Members of the Socialist International , which he shared with such personalities as Felipe González and Gro Harlem Brundtland . This committee was set up to process proposals for
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3136-598: The Great Depression and World War II . A post-war consensus formed among policymakers in Western Europe that rejected both classical liberalism and democratic socialism in favour of social democratic ideals. With the end of fascism, countries in Western Europe adopted social democracy and liberal democracy. Social democracy was widely adopted and implemented in much of Europe, both by centre-left and by traditionally centre-right parties. Social liberalism
3234-726: The Regional Program of Employment of the United Nations, PREALC. During the implementation of policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund , his mission was to advise all the governments in the South American continent on the matter of employment. During the 1980s, Lagos assumed a fundamental role in the fight for the recovery of democracy. In addition to being one of the leaders of the Socialist Party of Chile , he became President of
3332-592: The Santiago-West district. On 11 December 1989, the day of the elections, he obtained the district's second majority. Nevertheless, he did not win a seat because his alliance's list did not double the vote of the second most voted list; this being a requisite in the Chilean electoral system created by Pinochet. In 1990, Lagos was named Minister of Education by President Patricio Aylwin. In this position, he initiated reform aimed at increasing equality in access and improving education levels. In June 1993, he pushed for
3430-576: The UDI's Joaquín Lavín and RN's Sebastián Piñera . On 11 December 2005 , Bachelet won with 45% of the votes, but was forced to compete with Piñera in a runoff election. In the same month, the coalition won 51.25% of the votes in the parliamentary elections, gaining 20 seats in the Senate and 65 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. This gave them a majority in both Houses for the first time. On 15 January 2006,
3528-529: The UDI's Joaquín Lavín in the presidential election. However, since he got a plurality as opposed to a majority of the votes, a runoff vote was held, the first in Chilean history, in which Lagos won with 51% of the votes. In 2005, two candidates were again proposed: the Christian Democrats' Soledad Alvear , a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Socialists' Michelle Bachelet ,
3626-888: The United Kingdom and the United States during the 19th century. Green politics is an ideological movement that advocates a political focus on ecology and nonviolence . It challenges modern industrialisation and institutions through a lens of social justice while rejecting traditional political philosophy and organization. Definitions of the scope of green politics may vary; it may be limited to explicitly environmentalist parties, or it may broadly cover political movements descended from New Left or left-libertarian ideas. Besides environmentalism, green politics often includes support for disarmament , ending nuclear power , decentralized democracy, feminism , and immigration . Green politics developed from various left-wing ideologies, including social democracy and Marxism, in
3724-469: The United Kingdom in the mid-20th century, where it took the form of new liberalism . The identification of centre-left ideologies as "liberal" is most common to the United States. Liberalism is less common in regions such as Africa and Asia, where there is no individualist or liberal democratic tradition. Progressivism is the support of continuous social reform to improve society gradually , opposing revolutionary or conservative politics. It
3822-474: The blame for the economic crises, and support for the centre-left declined in favour of conservative neoliberalism . At the same time, the end of several right-wing dictatorships in Southern Europe prompted support for centre-left politics among these countries in the 1970s. A decline in the relevance of trade unions , historically a prominent voter group for social democratic parties, contributed to
3920-499: The budget deficit in check and interest rates and inflation low. Lagos enjoyed great popular support, bordering on 55%, and ending around 60-70% during the last six months of his term. He left office with an approval rating of 75%, a historic level of support for any politician in post-Pinochet Chile. The policy of proximity with people was pronounced in the opening of the doors of the Palacio de La Moneda , that had remained closed since
4018-449: The burden of welfare from the state to the family. Centre-left politics seeks equal opportunity in society. Centre-left groups are more likely to prioritize issues of long-term or abstract importance than other ideological groups. These include environmentalism, the arts, science, social equality , and foreign aid . Advocates of centre-left politics typically support laws and government programs to support marginalized groups such as
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4116-538: The centre-left in Western countries. Promotion of general welfare, supporting members of the family, and the ideal of the Harmonious Society all have implications for centre-left politics. The welfare state of East Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan are sometimes described as Confucian. These welfare systems have been influenced by Confucian familialism , which shifts some of
4214-451: The centre-left include welfare capitalism , social justice , liberal internationalism , and multiculturalism . Economically, the centre-left supports a mixed economy in a democratic capitalist system, often including economic interventionism , progressive taxation , and the right to unionize . Centre-left politics are contrasted with far-left politics that reject capitalism or advocate revolution . The centre-left developed with
4312-614: The centre-left is the extent to which centre-left parties should reform markets versus regulating pre-existing markets. Centre-left parties in Europe and the United States have supported corporate governance reform to protect the investments of shareholders . The economies of Nordic countries such as Denmark and Sweden are often upheld by proponents of centre-left economic policies as successful applications of these policies. These economies heavily emphasize international trade as well as collaboration between government, industry, and labour. In post-war Europe, West Germany established
4410-587: The centre-left supported the Plan De Man . During the Great Depression in the 1930s, social democracy became a viable alternative to other left-wing ideologies, and state intervention saw popular support throughout the western world. It was also seen as a potential means to counteract rising far-right movements that were developing in Europe. The centre-left was particularly strong in Sweden, which
4508-565: The centre-right, implemented this foreign policy in Europe during the Cold War, but it has become less prominent due to the rise of anti-globalist far-right parties. The immigration policies of centre-left groups vary depending on the political circumstances of a given country, and they may seek to greatly expand or greatly restrict immigration. In principle, centre-left parties generally believe in multiculturalism and support high immigration. The key issue of centre-left immigration policy
4606-566: The coalition gained the majority of votes in the Chamber of Deputies. However, in Chile's bicameral parliament, they had no majority in the Senate, a situation they found themselves in constantly for over 15 years. This forced them to negotiate all law projects with the right-wing parties, the Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI) and Renovación Nacional (RN) (later coalesced into the Alliance for Chile ). In 1993 ,
4704-478: The coalition put forward the Christian Democrat senator Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle as a presidential candidate. Frei was the son of Eduardo Frei Montalva , the founder of the Christian Democrat Party and himself a former President of Chile (1964–1970). Gaining 57% of the votes, he defeated to the right-wing candidate, Arturo Alessandri Besa , becoming the third Christian Democrat president, and
4802-475: The conservative candidate Sebastián Piñera won the Chilean presidential election in 2010. In 2013 it was replaced by New Majority coalition. In 1987 General Augusto Pinochet , the dictator of Chile, legalized political parties and called a plebiscite to determine whether or not he would remain in power after 1990. Several parties, including the Christian Democracy , the Socialist Party and
4900-422: The continuation of Pinochet's regime. The parties and leaders that made the first Party Presidents' Council were: During the election campaign, the Coalition organized a colorful and cheerful campaign under the slogan La alegría ya viene ("Joy is coming"). Some Socialist factions were the last to join, because they were reluctant to work in the plebiscite, fearing election fraud by Pinochet. On 5 October 1988,
4998-589: The convertibility of the U.S. dollar into gold , a measure that would end in the rounding up the Asian crisis. In 1972, President Salvador Allende appointed Lagos as the Chilean ambassador to the Soviet Union in Moscow , but the appointment was never ratified by Congress . As a Regional Director of the training program of post graduate studies in social sciences, he was later put in charge of Project UNESCO , of
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#17327647558845096-586: The country); the incidence of extreme poverty was significantly reduced; the legal workweek was reduced from 48 to 45 hours; improvements were made in infrastructure and transport; an unemployment insurance scheme was created; as well as the AUGE health program guaranteeing coverage for a number of medical conditions; the Chile Barrio housing program; the Chile Solidario program; compulsory schooling
5194-518: The denominated MOP-GATE case. Gloria Ana Chevesich , the judge in charge of this case, discovered that ministers, undersecretaries, and other officials of exclusive confidence of the President received additional payments to their regular remuneration: the so-called "extra payments". This irregularity was acknowledged by Lagos, who specified that the practice had also developed during the governments of Frei Ruiz-Tagle and Aylwin. The official position of
5292-464: The dominant ideology in Western Europe during the post–World War II economic expansion and it spread to Africa after decolonization . Centre-left economics declined in popularity following the 1973–1975 recession and was replaced by neoliberalism . In the 1990s, Third Way politics emerged as a centrist variant of social democracy in Europe, and centre-left politics spread to Latin America during
5390-451: The elderly, the handicapped, and the unemployed. Measures to this effect include financial assistance and anti-discrimination laws . Liberal internationalism is associated with the centre-left through its idealism , constructivism , and progressivism. Liberal internationalists seek cooperation between nations, often including support for common security and arms control between nations to facilitate peace. The centre-left, along with
5488-508: The electoral registries to vote "no" in a 1988 national plebiscite on whether Pinochet should be allowed to remain president of Chile. Lagos became the undisputed leader of Pinochet's opponents after appearing in Canal 13 's first political debate show since the 1973 coup d'état, De cara al país (towards the country), where he stated; "With the triumph of " No ", the country will prevent General Pinochet from being 25 years in power, it will mark
5586-581: The end of the decolonization period, which had been dominated by far-left politics. Most post-colonial African political parties adopted some form of socialism or social democracy, though social democratic policies have seen limited success due to the unstable nature of democracy in Africa. By the beginning of the 21st century, the centre-left had almost entirely overtaken further left groups in politics globally, with other forms of left-wing politics seeing little support in democratic nations. Globalization and
5684-482: The entire people and the common good while rejecting the Marxist position of aligning specifically with the working class. Liberty under social democracy is defined as a collective concept based in equality rather than an individualist concept. Democratization , the welfare state , public education , and Keynesian economics are all major components of social democratic politics. Social democracy has influenced
5782-513: The exact boundaries of centre-left versus far-left or centrist politics are not clearly defined and can vary depending on context. Centre-left ideologies are common in stable political systems, which typically allow for political debate with an ideological centre. Social democracy is a reformist offshoot of socialism that supports the modification of capitalist economies rather than their total abolition. It seeks to regulate capitalism to protect social equality , advocating reforms that benefit
5880-597: The focus on free markets. Labour-government relations and the right to unionize have been less prominent ideas in East Asia. Centre-left politics often involve transfer payment systems, such as welfare and early childhood education , with the goal of creating higher employment while avoiding a welfare trap . Closely associated with this is the implementation of a progressive tax , in which higher earnings are taxed at higher rates. Some early centre-left groups supported gradual reform toward socialism, but this position
5978-412: The government consisted of not acknowledging the criminal nature of these practices and establishing a legal reform that increased the pay of ministers and undersecretaries of the government, a matter that was approved in its legislative proceeding. During 2004, Lagos faced a series of tensions in his relationship with other South American countries, caused by recurring Bolivian aspirations for access to
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#17327647558846076-413: The idea that the upper class seeks to harm or exploit members of society, instead arguing that these are unintentional effects of laissez-faire economics. Left liberalism supports liberal capitalism and a mixed economy , which have been adopted by virtually all liberal nations. Political pluralism and strong social institutions are prioritized by liberalism. Social liberalism was developed in
6174-441: The ideology lost influence in other countries during the 1970s. Social democracy also became a popular ideology in many African governments after the decolonisation of Africa . Social liberalism, or left liberalism, overlaps significantly with social democracy. This form of liberalism argues in favour of capitalism and the benefits it provides for society, but it also advocates regulations to reduce wealth inequality . It rejects
6272-672: The inclusion of previously excluded groups in society through citizenship and its associated rights . Income inequality also became a major focus, and centre-left parties in the region promote redistributive policy . Liberalism in Latin America has historically been conservative and oligarchic rather than a centre-left liberalism of progressivism or egalitarianism. Several centre-left parties supported reforms toward economic liberalism in line with those supported by their right-wing counterparts, in some cases leading to backlash that saw incumbent centre-left leaders replaced by far-left populists. Ideological diversity developed in Africa after
6370-532: The liberal-nationalist Movement Party . The centre-left was Orléanist , but supported a liberal interpretation of the Charter of 1830 , more power to the Parliament , manhood suffrage and support to rising European nationalisms . Thiers served as Prime Minister for King Louis Philippe I twice (in 1836 and 1840), but he then lost the king's favour, and the centre-left rapidly fell. The centre-left during
6468-449: The limited success of centre-left politics in the 1980s. Furthermore, centre-left policies faced new challenges that necessitated a reconsideration of the welfare state, including population ageing that threatened pension programs and women in the workforce that heavily altered the job market . Green political parties first became prominent in the 1980s when they became influential in European politics. Third Way politics developed as
6566-615: The minds of voters, which earns them support in good economic conditions but loses them support in poor economic conditions. Environmentalism is a major component of green politics. Centre-left groups generally support a mixed economy with moderate economic interventionism . Keynesian economics has historically seen support among the centre-left. This is an interventionist economic philosophy that emphasizes income rather than pricing. These ideas have since declined in popularity in favour of balanced budgets and low government spending. Closely related to centre-left politics are concepts of
6664-437: The national party system. In addition to the most common centre-left ideologies, other ideologies are sometimes described as centre-left or have centre-left variants. Democratic socialism supports the abolition of capitalism in favour of socialism, though it opposes the creation of a communist state . It was historically seen as a centre-left position, and may sometimes be described as such, but modern democratic socialism
6762-459: The next day. Indirectly, as Lagos reminded on live TV, Pinochet did not run for the presidency in 1989 as he previously promised. After the triumph of the No alternative and the subsequent resignation of Pinochet, Lagos declined to be a candidate for the presidency in spite of being the main leader of the opposition. Instead, he supported Patricio Aylwin 's candidacy and ran for a seat in the Senate for
6860-451: The notion of using primary elections in order to select the Concertación coalition's candidate for the following presidential election. He lost this primary to Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle , who went on to become President of Chile. In 1994, Frei himself named Lagos Minister of Public Works. In this role, he developed an innovative system of road concessions, integrated the private sector in the construction of works and its later operation. During
6958-516: The parenting of the children of Lagos' first marriage, the children of Durán's first marriage, Hernán and Alejandro, and their only child together, Francisca. While in university, Lagos attended the lectures of historian Jaime Eyzaguirre whom he held in high esteem. After obtaining his law degree from the University of Chile in 1960, Lagos pursued a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University , which he completed in 1966. During that time he became
7056-476: The political spectrum, with centre-left and centre-right variants both being common. Christian democrats often support the welfare state, and social justice has been a frequent theme among Christian democracy parties in Latin America. Christian democracy in Europe is not usually associated with the centre-left, instead favouring the centre-right. Though it is often associated with conservatism, some elements of Confucianism invoke ideas that are associated with
7154-462: The politics of nearly every major democracy, though it has historically been most successful in the European Union , where it was the predominant ideology from 1945 to 1973. Sweden in particular has historically been closely associated with social democracy, as it was the first country to be led by a social democratic party, and social democrats in Sweden continued to be relevant even after
7252-633: The position of Secretary General of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). He moved for a year to the United States, where he became visiting professor of the William R. Kenan chair for Latin American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1975, he worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme. Lagos returned to Chile in 1978, and worked for
7350-661: The progressive Urbano Rattazzi , the heads respectively of the Right and Left groupings in Parliament. This alliance was called " connubio " ("marriage") for its opportunist characteristics. Liberalism was typically associated with the centre-right in the late 19th century, but liberal parties in France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom adopted left liberal policies through coalitions of middle and working class voters that survived until World War I . Progressivism developed as
7448-419: The purpose of increasing economic growth to fund public goods such as education, healthcare, and pensions. The Third Way may be defined as centre-left or as centrist . Christian democracy is an ideology that incorporates Catholic social teaching into a secular political philosophy. Though most enduring Christian democratic parties are centrist, those in Latin America have historically ranged across
7546-447: The region, which allowed redistributive and socially inclusive policies to be implemented. In East Asia, interventionism and developmental policy were adopted by right-wing parties rather than centre-left parties. Keynesian economics declined in popularity after the end of the post-war consensus, spurred by the 1970s energy crisis and the subsequent recession . The centre-left parties that had held power to that point received much of
7644-702: The renovation of the social democratic thought for the 21st century. In 1999, Lagos resigned as minister in order to begin his presidential campaign. In the primaries, he defeated senator Andrés Zaldívar , of the Christian Democratic Party to become the Concertación's sole presidential candidate. In the first round of the presidential election in December of the same year, he defeated right-wing candidate Joaquín Lavín , by only 30,000 votes. Since he failed to obtain an absolute majority, as
7742-527: The rest of the left–right political spectrum in 18th and 19th century France, where the centre-left included those who supported transfer of powers from the monarchy to parliament or endorsed moderate republicanism . Early progressivism and left liberalism evolved in the late-19th and early-20th centuries in Western Europe and the United States, while social democracy split from revolutionary socialism , which became associated with communism , and advocated reformist socialist positions. Social democracy became
7840-497: The runoff was held. Bachelet won with nearly the 54% of the votes, becoming the first female president of Chile. She was also the fourth Coalition candidate and third Socialist to win. Center-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre and broadly conform with progressivism . Ideologies of the centre-left include social democracy , social liberalism , and green politics . Ideas commonly supported by
7938-586: The sea . This situation was linked to the power crisis taking place in Argentina , an important supplier of natural gas to Chile. In bilateral meetings between Bolivian President Carlos Mesa and Argentine President Néstor Kirchner , the former agreed to the sale of Bolivian gas to Argentina under the condition that "not a single gas molecule be sold to Chile". Additionally, the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez , has supported in various instances
8036-768: The second Coalition president. In the same year, the Humanist Party, the Christian Left, and the Greens left the Coalition, accusing it of betraying the purpose for which it was born. The Social Democrat Party and the Radical Party joined together to form the Social Democrat Radical Party , while the various former Socialist factions became part of the Socialist Party. Frei's government faced two main problems: an economic crisis
8134-482: The socioeconomic model of a social market economy , a regulated market economic system that promoted free markets and fair competition with regulation for social policies and a welfare state . The centre-left is descended from left-wing politics, which originated in the French Revolution and in the response to early capitalism. In France, the early centre-left was led by Adolphe Thiers , head of
8232-511: The start of the end of the dictatorship". Lagos then looked directly into the camera and accusingly raised his index finger to say directly to all viewers: General Pinochet has not been honest with the country... I will remind you, General Pinochet, that on the day of the 1980 plebiscite you said that "President Pinochet would not be a candidate in 1989". ... And now, you promise the country another eight years, with tortures, murders, and human rights violations . It seems to me inadmissible, that
8330-414: The turn of the century caused distress among voters, including increased perceptions of social inequality and fear of change, causing voters to move away from traditional centre-left ideologies toward populism . The Great Recession exacerbated this trend, bringing significant challenges to the rule of centre-left parties, particularly those with social democratic leanings. In Europe, this brought about
8428-631: The welfare state and regulated labour markets . In the 20th century, trade unions and their working class constituency were closely associated with social democratic and labour parties, especially in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and former British colonies in the Pacific. These associations generally lessened by the end of the century as union membership declined and centre-left parties shifted toward Third Way politics, which introduced elements of neoliberalism into centre-left politics, increasing
8526-481: Was a clash between local communities, environmental concerns and perceived economic benefits. On 14 January 2017, Lagos accepted the Party for Democracy's nomination to run for president in 2017. However, he withdrew soon after the Party for Democracy publicly backed Alejandro Guillier . Following this he announced his retirement. In early 2007, Lagos became a member of the editorial board of Americas Quarterly ,
8624-516: Was a well-known opponent of the Chilean military dictatorship and astounded contemporaries in 1988 by openly denouncing dictator Augusto Pinochet on live television. He served as Minister of Education from 1990 to 1992 and Minister of Public Works from 1994 to 1998 under President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle before narrowly winning the 1999–2000 presidential election in a runoff against Independent Democrat Union (UDI) candidate Joaquín Lavín . Lagos
8722-408: Was and still is very controversial among Chilean environmental groups who questioned his track record on the matter, claiming that he 'showed an utter lack of consideration for the environment, promoted policies against environmental sustainability and favoured the interests of big economic groups, even defending crimes against nature internationally', favouring large corporations every single time there
8820-466: Was born in Santiago , Chile. He was the only child of Froilán Lagos Sepúlveda (a farmer who died when his son was eight years old) and Emma Escobar Morales (who died in 2005). He attended primary school at Liceo Experimental Manuel de Salas and high school at the prestigious Instituto Nacional . In 1961, Lagos married Carmen Weber , with whom he had two children, Ricardo and Ximena. In 1969, he met Luisa Durán and they married in 1971. The couple shared
8918-415: Was developed in the United Kingdom by liberal politicians such as John Maynard Keynes and William Beveridge , who advocated market restrictions to the benefit of the public. Keynesian economics became the mainstream in Western Europe during the 1950s and 1960s, while the social market economy was developed by social democrats in Germany at the same time. As social democracy became influential in Europe,
9016-656: Was extended to 12 years; the first divorce law in Chile was approved; monetary compensation to victims of torture under the Pinochet regime identified in the Valech Report was authorized; and, recently, a recast constitution was signed. He finished his six-year term with a historically high approval rating of 70%. On 24 March 2006, Lagos inaugurated his own foundation called Democracia y Desarrollo ("Democracy and Development") in Santiago. Three days later he began
9114-462: Was raising the unemployment rate, and General Pinochet had been arrested in London. Both situations led the Coalition to fear defeat in the 1999 presidential elections. In that year , the coalition had two possible candidates: the Christian Democrats' Andrés Zaldívar and the Socialists' Ricardo Lagos . Primary elections were held to decide between the two. Lagos won the vote, and went on to defeat
9212-559: Was reinforced by the wave of democracy that followed, allowing socialists to participate in electoral politics. Social democrats made up the centre-left during the interwar period in Europe, advocating government regulation and intervention in opposition to the passive policies of the predominant Marxist and classical liberal parties. The centre-left and the centre-right in this period were primarily divided by their stance on trade unions, with social democracy advocating greater powers for unions in collective bargaining. In Western Europe,
9310-499: Was set to go into effect as soon as then-President Lagos signed it, which he did weeks later. Justice Minister José Antonio Gómez Urrutia praised both the Chamber of Deputies and Lagos for supporting the measure. Beginning in 2002, Lagos' government had to face suspicions of political corruption due to the prosecution of one of his ministers, Carlos Cruz, and of other civil employees of the Public Works Ministry , in
9408-449: Was that of New Labour in the United Kingdom. Centre-left politics remained unpopular in much of Continental Europe at this time. Third Way politics lost support among the centre-left after the early 2000s, and neo-Keynesianism regained popularity. Centre-left ideologies were among those uplifted by the pink tide in Latin America in the late 1990s. Early centre-left politics and progressivism in Latin America has focused heavily on
9506-633: Was the only country at the time to have ruling party that was explicitly social democratic, the Swedish Social Democratic Party . Other European countries with social democratic governments included Denmark, Norway, and Czechoslovakia. The Democratic Party in the United States also implemented centre-left policies with the New Deal , as a lack of ties to socialist groups allowed for a stronger centre-left relative to other countries. Centre-left ideas proliferated rapidly after
9604-541: Was the third president from the centre-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy to have governed Chile since 1990. He was succeeded on 11 March 2006 by Socialist Michelle Bachelet , from the same coalition. From 2007 to 2010 he served as a Special Envoy on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . Lagos made an unsuccessful bid to run for president in the 2017 Chilean general election . Lagos
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