During the late twentieth century, neoliberal policy transformations were occurring in countries all over the world. In Chile, this radical change in policy removed the state from many economic spheres, which ended up hurting the Chilean people. The newly enacted neoliberal policies left the Chilean citizens in an even worse position than they had been in originally, and this suffering eroded any possibility they had of democratically participating in their government. Since the state was removing regulations with the aim of stimulating economic growth, workers were no longer promised a livable wage and they lost their opportunities to live in affordable housing. With their incomes decreasing and their expenses on the rise, they were forced to work more hours to make up the difference. Since the workers were spending more time in the factories, they had less time to be politically active. This ultimately weakened political groups tasked with holding elected officials accountable, and this caused the average Chilean citizen to become even less effective politically. Overall, free markets seem to stand in direct opposition to the idea of having a pluralistic democracy. In search of economic success, the Chilean people ended up losing their political rights, and the quality of democracy in Chile was greatly diminished
