"This book investigates why Chile suddenly descended into violence and revolution in 2019, after almost thirty years of peace, during which time the country was broadly regarded as Latin America's most successful nation. Since democratic restoration in 1990, Chile's relatively high levels of stability, increasing prosperity and social modernisation have stood out in a region shaken by social and political convulsion and economic malaise. In early 2019, President Sebastián Piñera confidently claimed that Chile represented a true 'oasis' of political stability and economic vitality. However, just weeks later, the announcement of a small increase in the price of Santiago's underground transport system unleashed an unprecedented wave of extremely violent anti-government protests in the country, with protestors ultimately demanding Piñera's resignation and the end of neoliberalism and the 1980 Constitution, amongst many other demands. This book analyzes the causes of Chile's socio-political upheaval, arguing that the neoliberal model and fast process of economic transformation led to a series of destabilizing political processes in the country. At a time when much analysis of the October uprising tends to be superficial or polarized on ideological grounds, this book provides a much needed sociological and institutional analysis of the crisis. It will be an important read for scholars of Latin American politics and development, as well as those with a broader interest in state legitimacy, social movements, and political contestation against neoliberalism"--