Chile: Its Path Towards Democracy

NIU ILAS 100

Sunday March 1, 2015

The novel Born in Blood and Fire: A concise History of Latin America by John Charles Chasteen (297-302) provides us with the events that lead to Chile’s transition from Communism to Democracy.

For many years, Chile’s constitutional government was one of the strongest in Latin America,

Chile also had a stable communist party, it was one of the oldest and strongest in the hemisphere ¹ . In the presidential election of 1958 Salvador Allende (Communist Candidate) began to appear in the top half of the popular votes, because of Allende's ties to communism the United States ( CIA ) began funding candidates to run against him. The United States was cautious about the rise in power of Allende so they attempted to place Chile in the Alliance for Progress aid Program. Started by U.S president John F Kennedy (1961), The Alliance for Progress aid program established economic ties between the U.S and the various Latin American countries, its main goals were to establish democratic governments, Educational reforms, land reforms and economic stability for those Latin American countries. (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-proposes-alliance-for-progress ) , because this programs main beneficiaries were the lower class it lost support and was viewed negatively among the “elites” in society  so it was never implemented in Chile. Because of the popularity of Allende within the upper class he won the 1970 election, Chile’s road to socialism began. Salvador Allende and his communist coalition called the Popular Unity were now in power. 

U.S intervention promptly occurred, The CIA continued funding Chilean candidates that opposed Allende and The Popular Unity. Salvador Allende later began to support the poor by raising wages, this economic reform was very unsuccessful since it corrupted the Chilean economy, his policies were starting to be questioned by the elite’s in the Chilean society this was the opportunity that the U.S waited for. The upper class and powerful figures in the Chilean community began to fight against Allende with the U.S. 

The sudden change of Allende's followers became much clearer, constant tensions occurred between Allende and the upper class this became prevalent on September 11, 1973, a military coup founded by the United States set their troops on Allende's door step.  

Allende's refusal to leave the country ended in his death along with thousands of his supporters. This event was the bloodiest take over in Latin American History, but a win for democracy ¹.

Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean Commander and a member of the military junta, appointed himself the new President. Ending the Marxist ideology that Salvador Allende implemented in the Chilean country.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/11/newsid_3199000/3199155.stm

¹ Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America. Third ed. New York: Norton, 2001. Print.

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