Salvador Allende

Salvador Allende Gossens (July 26, 1908–September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from 1970 until 1973, when he died of a gunshot wound, under circumstances that remain a matter of dispute, during the violent Chilean coup of 1973.

The coup

See Chilean coup of 1973.

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The fear of a coup was in the air for a long period before it actually happened; there were rumors since at least 1972. In 1973, partly as a result of Allende's unpopularity with many of Chile's foreign trading partners and partly as a result of the rapidly declining price of copper (Chile's main export), the economy took a major downturn. By September, hyperinflation and shortages had plunged the country into near chaos.

Related Topics:
1972 - Hyperinflation

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Despite declining economic indicators, Allende's Popular Unity coalition actually slightly increased its vote to 43 percent in the parliamentary elections early in 1973. However, by this point what had started as an informal alliance with the Christian Democrats http://countrystudies.us/chile/85.htm was anything but: the Christian Democrats now leagued with the right-wing National Party to oppose Allende's government, the two parties calling themselves the Confederación Democrática (CODE). The conflict between the executive and legislature paralyzed initiatives from either side. http://icarito.latercera.cl/icarito/2003/912/pag1c.htm

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On June 29, 1973, a tank regiment under the command of Colonel Roberto Souper surrounded the presidential palace (La Moneda) in a violent but unsuccessful coup attempt. http://literature.rebelyouth.ca/educhile_1970s/tanquetazo.html On August 9, General Prats was made Minister of Defense, but this decision proved so unpopular with the military that on August 22 he was forced to resign not only this position but his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Army; he was replaced in the latter role by Pinochet. http://icarito.latercera.cl/icarito/2003/912/pag1c.htm

Related Topics:
June 29 - 1973 - Roberto Souper - La Moneda - August 9 - August 22

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For some months now, the government had been afraid to call upon the national police known as the carabineros, for fear of their lack of loyalty. In August 1973, a constitutional crisis was clearly in the offing: the Supreme Court publicly complained about the government's inability to enforce the law of the land and on August 22 the Chamber of Deputies (with the Christian Democrats now firmly uniting with the National Party) accused Allende's government of unconstitutional acts and called on the military ministers to assure the constitutional order. http://icarito.latercera.cl/icarito/2003/912/pag1c.htm

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In early September 1973, Allende floated the idea of resolving the crisis with a plebiscite. His speech outlining such a solution was scheduled for September 12, but he was never able to deliver it.

Related Topics:
Plebiscite - September 12

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On September 11, 1973, the Chilean military, led by General Pinochet, staged the Chilean coup of 1973 against Allende. Allende died during the capture of the La Moneda Presidential Palace. According to the junta's official version, he committed suicide with a machine gun. The stock of the gun bore a golden plate with the words "To my good friend Salvador Allende from Fidel Castro" engraved on it. At the time and for many years after, his supporters nearly uniformly presumed that he was killed by the forces staging the coup; in recent years, the story of his suicide has become more widely accepted. Another version says that Allende was killed in combat on the steps outside the Presidential Palace.

Related Topics:
September 11 - 1973 - Chilean coup of 1973 - La Moneda - Suicide - Machine gun - Gold - Fidel Castro

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It is known that the United States played a role in Chilean politics prior to the coup, but its degree of involvement in the coup itself is debated. The CIA was notified by its Chilean contacts of the impending coup two days in advance, but contends it "played no direct role in" the coup. http://cbsnews.cbs.com/stories/2000/09/11/world/main232452.shtml

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After Pinochet assumed power, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told U.S. President Richard Nixon that the U.S. "didn't do it" (referring to the coup itself) but had "created the conditions as great as possible" http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB123/index.htm#chile, including leading economic sanctions. Recently declassified documents show that the United States government and the CIA had sought the overthrow of Allende in 1970, immediately before he took office ("Project FUBELT"), through the incident that claimed the life of then Commander-in-Chief, General René Schneider, but claims of their direct involvement in the 1973 coup are not proven by publicly available documentary evidence. Many potentially relevant documents still remain classified. See U.S. intervention in Chile.

Related Topics:
Secretary of State - Henry Kissinger - U.S. President - Declassified - Project FUBELT - René Schneider - U.S. intervention in Chile

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