Communism In Chile

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Allende officially came into power on 4 September 1970 and was the first Marxist to govern a country in a free democratic election. He took control of a country that was economically in debt and catering towards a small group of Chile’s elite. Allende’s party, The Unidad Popular, believed that the economy at the time was monopolistic, externally dependent, oligarchic and capitalistic. Allende wanted to create a period in history that would be remembered as a “democratic regime” by changing the economy of the country. Allende’s party was always focused on building the middle class and thought that the “national bourgeoisie” was essential in order to obtain socialism and a fairer society.

In 1971 the economy in Chile was at its peak and people …show more content…

Relations had always been tense between Chile and America but when Allende came to power, that scared Nixon. That fearfulness led him and his government to try and prevent Allende from being elected. Nixon felt that if they helped Chile out, they’d have to help every other country in Latin America as well, therefore “[he] tend[s] to be against doing anything for ‘em”. He also believed that “it would be very detrimental to all of us if the Chilean experiment spread through the rest of the continent”, with the Chilean experiment referring to the attempt to have democracy. What Nixon most feared was that if Chile’s democratically elected socialist government prevailed, it would become a beacon of hope for other Latin American countries and they’d follow their example. Nixon wanted those countries under control which is why he was against Allende this much. Kissinger also shared Nixon’s opinions, and feared Allende more than Castro due to Allende’s “non violent path to socialism”. Despite America’s harsh attitude towards Chile, Allende had always made it clear that they wanted to maintain relations with the United States and understood its importance when dealing with the country. In one of Allende’s speeches, he mentioned that “It is the purpose of this government to maintain friendly and cooperative relations with the United States.” It is clear to see that the United States played a major role in Chile during the coup d’etat by refusing to lend them money in their time of need. They played such a significant role that some historians, such as Oppenheim, believed it to be the main cause of the downfall of the economy as well as the socialist

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