Recognizing The Significance Of Allende's Election

Historian and author of the book Beyond the Vanguard: Everyday Revolutionaries in Allende's Chile, Marian Schlotterbeck, joins Sam to discuss the 50th anniversary of the US back coup of the Chilean government. In 1973, the United States played a significant role in the overthrow of Chile's elected Marxist president, Salvador Allende, resulting in the rise of a right-wing dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet. The coup and the subsequent 17-year dictatorship saw the disappearance, death, and torture of thousands of Chileans, and this brutality prompted a strong reaction in the United States, galvanizing public opinion against U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. had a history of involvement in Chilean politics, driven by Cold War concerns and fears of communist influence in the region. Allende's election as a socialist president, pledging to nationalize U.S.-owned copper companies, intensified U.S. efforts to prevent his rise. Despite extensive covert actions, propaganda campaigns, and economic measures aimed at thwarting Allende's government, he narrowly won the presidency in 1970. Subsequent destabilization efforts culminated in the 1973 coup, although there were other domestic factors contributing to Chile's polarization and political crisis. While the U.S. was not directly involved in the coup, it had created conditions favorable to it, leading to unintended consequences and long-lasting impacts.

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