Roberto Merino: The Post-French Revolution Epic Is a Leftist Dream Reflected in the Social Outburst

Roberto Merino, a columnist for La Tercera, argues that the political left in Chile viewed the 2019 social unrest as an opportunity to realize a revolutionary ideal rooted in the aftermath of the French Revolution. According to Merino, this perspective framed the “estallido social” not merely as a series of protests, but as a vehicle for a long-incubated dream of systemic transformation.

Merino’s Analysis of Leftist Ideology and the Social Outbreak

In his analysis published by La Tercera, Roberto Merino connects the motivations of the Chilean left to a historical “epic” following the French Revolution. He asserts that this specific historical narrative has been preserved as a dream within leftist circles, which then sought to project that same revolutionary energy onto the events of October 2019.

Merino suggests that the social outbreak provided a tangible moment for these ideological aspirations to manifest. By linking the current political climate to the post-French Revolution era, he describes a pattern where the desire for a total rupture with existing institutional frameworks drives political strategy and interpretation of public unrest.

“Esa épica post Revolución Francesa es un sueño incubado en la izquierda, que vio algo de eso en el estallido social”Roberto Merino, La Tercera

Context of the 2019 Social Outbreak

The “estallido social” began in October 2019, initially triggered by an increase in subway fares in Santiago. The movement rapidly expanded into a broader national crisis, with protesters demanding fundamental changes to the Chilean pension system, healthcare, and the 1980 Constitution created during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

The unrest led to a period of intense civil instability and eventually resulted in a political agreement to hold a plebiscite on whether to draft a new constitution. This process sought to address the systemic inequalities and social grievances that Merino identifies as the fuel for the leftist “dream” of revolutionary change.

Political Implications for Santiago and National Governance

The tension between institutional reform and revolutionary aspiration remains a central theme in Chilean politics. Merino’s commentary focuses on how the left’s interpretation of the protests influenced the trajectory of the constitutional process and the subsequent political discourse in Santiago and across the country.

By framing the unrest as an “epic” struggle, the analysis suggests that the goal was not simply policy adjustment, but a fundamental shift in the power structure of the state. This ideological approach contrasts with more moderate views that saw the 2019 events as a demand for specific social services and economic fairness rather than a total revolutionary overhaul.