The records in this massive archive range from the era of the Great Depression to the height of the Cold War. The period of Radical Party dominance (1932-1952) saw the emergence of a strong middle-class party and its role as the key force in coalition governments. In this era the state steadily increased its participation in the Chilean economy. Documents include: negotiations with British nitrate interests (March 1934); U.S. state department concern of a possible ���crisis in Chilean copper production��� (October 1940); troops on alert following the refusal of telephone and electric company employees to obey orders to end a strike (January 1950); a student strike at the University of Concepci��n demanding adequate financing for the university (April 1950); and a U.S. embassy report noting ���Chilean Roman Catholic Church Initiates Own Agrarian Reform Program��� and ���Moscow Conference Attracts Chileans��� (July 1962).