ON THE morning of 11 September 1973, almost exactly three years after the Popular Unity (UP) coalition had come to power, the Moneda palace in Santiago, the residence of Socialist Party president Salvador came under attack from tanks and aircraft. The left's military coup - was coming true.
Allende and his bodyguard came out of the palace with machine guns, scanning the sky for the attacking planes. Within dead. The 'peaceful road' to socialism in Chile had come to an end.
In the days that followed the coup, the right wing and the army took revenge against the left. In three days 30,000 socialists, communists and trade unionists were killed by the military forces. Thousands of workers who had been told by the Communist and Socialist parties to assemble in their factories were unarmed when the army attacked.
A reign of terror followed which has not ended to this day. The shadow of the torturer hung over Chile as the experiment with a "peaceful road to socialism' was dismantled. To understand why, we have to look at what the Popular Unity coalition was trying to do, and how it went wrong.
In September 1970, Popular Unity's candidate, Allende, won the presidential elections. The right wing made the mistake of standing National demonstration Assemble Trafaigar Square Sunday 20 Soptember 2.30 pm o ocakers representative o he FDR, aden Livingsnde, Scargill, include Michael and Ron Hayward.
Despite Organised a didarity campaign acialist Challenge 17 September 1981 two candidates;
majority.
Allende, - a the middle class.
basic means of tionalisation Allende was Nonetheless the working class.
companies cut down Benn. increased creased. grew. dIso votes.
taken over, the alarmingly.
parties.
Chilean bosses.
and the left.
Fool, Arthur Allende, was ended.
the Chite and El Salvador The Allende received the highest number of votes (36 per cent) but not an overall Right from the start Allende tried to make concessions to the right wing; his cabinet contained as many members of the declining and right-wing Radical Party as of the much bigger Communist Party. The strategy of the Popular Unity government was gradually to carry out reforms in the interests of the working class, but not to go too quickly, for fear of alienating Instead of the nationalisation of all the to proace sea of mas place. Instead workers' mobilisations, during the first year of Allende's rule the hundreds of local Popular Unity committees which had been set up during the election campaign were disbanded.
the Popular Unity government did take many steps in the interests The number of nationalisations was much greater than the top envisaged for Britain by Wages and salaries were substantially Free milk was distributed to the and money for public housing was greatly in. Unemployment fell as the economy Popular support for government Popular Unity got a clear majority But the successes of Popular Unity were purchased at a high price. Because the big financial institutions and banks were not government had to borrow huge amounts. Inflation began to increase Ironically, the whole strategy of Popular Unity was to go slowly in order to win over the middle class. But because the gradual approach allowed economic chaos to develop, the middle class went over to the right-wing The destabilisation of the government by the right wing took many forms. cally, there was an investment strike by the Wealthy farmers took their cattle over the Andes into Argentina, rather than sell them in Chile. The press carried out a slander campaign against the government As the economy got in worse trouble, foreign companies refused to invest in Chile The United States organised an international campaign against Chile — all credit to Chile The US stepped up its contacts with the Chilean military forces.
In 1972 the political strategy of Popular Unity went into bankruptcy. The determination of imperialism and local reaction to wreck the economy made it impossible to win over the middle class.
whole STOCCUS of destabilisation reached a head in the autumn of 1972 when on strike, leaving transport paralysed. country ground to a halt.
Popular Unity policy to socialism by mobilising the workers.
mass supply of revitalised.
Tony workers in the industrial zones Military took over streets a bosses' strike was organised. Factories closed down; the middle class truck owners went The was itself divided. The right wing, led by Allende and the Communist party, advocated a continued 'go slow' what they called 'consolidation'.
The left wing - the left of the Socialist Party and their allies — put forward a policy of 'advance without compromise'; to push forward They were supported by the Movement of the Revo lutionary Left (MIR) outside the government The workers had something to say about this situation. Against the hoarding of vital nepest and distribution to tay to break the distribution to try to break the stranglehold of the black market. The support committees organised by Popular Unity were Workers started to fight for control of the land through a series of land seizures. Most important of all, when the bosses' strike occurred, the cordones industriales — set up factory and area committees.
The factory and neighbourhood committees constituted embryonic workers power, the workers were beginning le take their affairs into their own hands. Popular power was But the Popular Unity government opposed he self-organisation ›osses' strike developed, the government d nounced the cordones industriales committees as illegal.
Instead of mobilising the masses, intervening to support the actions of the workers themPopular Unity called in break the strike. Trade union leaders toured the factories telling the workers to rely on 'legality'; to leave it to 'their' government to overcome the crisis. government the armed forces of the state had remamca intact. his faith in the 'constitutional' character of the army. No attempt was made to undermine the armed forces; no attempt was made to win rank-and-file soldiers to the side of the government. Meanwhile the inks with the United States This situa of Popular U organisations class they ha of the govern its apparatus 1ic all the position the bourgeoisie government f the working they moved i At the be right wing bu the army to the governm Line wine the army to it ist' governm dreds of raid Ash Allende constantly repeated The whole si On 29 Jul Colonel Rol Tanks from military retained their attacked Ministry of the armed fo V DUL COW Allende. It gun.
The react ted coup wal fighting wen ties of Pop distribute art of 29 June demonstrate the reactiona When demanded th and execute that the dei workers that carried out.
For Alle the last chan wing on the workers had wanted to k ment.
But Alla precisely the the opportur the governm was to make Allende i figures to j Christian that the mill agreed on 10 By these Allende onk right The m could overth struggle. On Chile went i tatorship and
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SUPPORT THE STRUGGLES CHILEAN AND SALVADORAN PEOPLE