The Cooking Oil Scandal, Moral Degradation and the War against Communism at the Beginning of Cold War. Chile, 1946-1947

Resumen

In this article we study the way in which a particular complaint (the so-called ?cooking oil affair?) against immorality and corruption became a weapon of political action, in the polarized post-war environment in Chile, between 1946 and 1947, when the communists participated in the government of Gabriel González. The moral disqualification of the adversary was not the only subject of debate at this time, but it managed to capture the attention of the press, by questioning the true objectives pursued by the Communists.