Where Allende went Wrong

It is difficult to answer all questions regarding Allende's presidency--like how much the CIA actually influenced the coup, or whether the leftists were preparing to take up arms to defend their government.  What we do know is that there were many people both in and outside of Chile that wanted Allende overthrown.

Why was Allende--a man who had so much support from the workers--hated by many other groups?  Did he actually overstep the constitution as many of his opponents claim?  Why or why not?

Catching up on Chile

Post one question that you still have on Chile and the Cold War.  It can have anything to do with Videla, Ibanez, Alessandri, Frei, or Allende's presidencies, as well as anything about Chile's relationship with the US during the Cold War.

Allende Revisited

Now you are reading about Allende's election a second time through a new source.  I know we were not finished talking about Alessandri and we did not discuss Frei, but at least now through the reading you have a sense of the tension building in Chile between right and left throughout the Cold War period.

Allende received 36% of the vote in 1970, but in the election of 1964, he had earned 39% of the vote behind Frei's 56%.  Is it dangerous that even though Chile was truly not united that Allende and the Unidad Popular still pushed forward its socialist agenda?  Also, what is your take on the United States' relationship with Chile throughout the Cold War?  How invested was the US in Chile?  Why might this have caused Nixon and Kissenger to act in the way that they did?

US-Chile Relations in the 50s and 60s

Consider the US's role in Chile during Ibanez and Alessandri's presidencies.  How were both of these presidents arguably appeasing the US and other western powers?  Now consider why Chile was so important to the US by the time 1970 rolls around.  The US cannot afford to have another Cuba.  Are you starting to see why the US was enforcing containment-esque policies throughout Latin America?

Legacy of Anti-Communism in Chile

After reading about Videla's presidency, you now know that communism was not new to Chile in 1970.  Why did Videla purge Chilean communists in the late 1940s?  To what extent might the US have been involved in this action?  How do you know?

Oh, that fun thing called historiography -- part I

This post will be a two-parter.  Almost all historical events have different interpretations, but when it comes to a CIA-backed coup of an alleged communist president, historians are still trying to make sense of the events.

Your reading is one interpretation.  In class tomorrow, we will watch part of a documentary on Allende that provides another.

So for part I -- according to the Wall Street Journal article, why might the US have been justified in staging its coup?  What were elements of Allende's rule that may have been misunderstood by the public?

Does it matter that we take into consideration the source of this article (Wall Street Journal).  Why?

Why Allende was unique

Salvador Allende made his mark on Chilean history, even though he was the nation's president for a short three years.  Now that Pinochet's dictatorship is safely in the past, his supporters have revealed even more about his popularity and lasting legacy.

Even though Allende was a socialist and admired world leaders like Castro, Mao, and Ho Chi Minh, his rise to power was very different.  Allende's major accomplishment was that he was able to implement socialism through a democratic election, NOT a violent revolution.

Why then, if Allende achieved the presidency legitimately, did the US still want to overthrow him?  How might the US have felt about Allende compared to some of the previous Chilean presidents like Ibanez or Frei?