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"They may overcome us, but social processes cannot be stopped, neither by crime nor by force. History is ours, and it is made by the people."
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An absolute and utter tragedy and red salute to Allende
Rest In Power
Castro warned him to get people under control and setup a dictatorship of the proletariat. Allende believed he had found a 3rd way to socialism though (as so many have before and why they've ended up facing a wall as Allende did and so many have since the Parisian communards)
Some snippets from Ny times so ignore the liberalism, 1972, where they assert that a right wing dictatorship is unlikely. Its interesting to see them say "Chile is not a police state" in reference to the setting up of a dictatorship of the proletariat and forcibly suppressing your enemies. It would become a police state under Pinochet though for decades and the West would praise him for it.
The next day at breakfast, Castro gave his assessment: “If you don't get these people under control, the revolution is not going to succeed. We were never up against anything like this in Cuba.”
Allende has not tried, of course, for political control as this is understood in Cuba—where op ponents are shot, jailed or compelled to do forced labor, and dissent is silenced by the absence of a Congress, of a free press and of political parties. None of this can be imagined in Chile without a collapse, or subversion, of well‐developed political institutions that are rooted in the country's long‐ standing democratic experience. Chile is not a police state, as Cuba has been for decades, both before and after Castro.
Allende claims that this is Chile's historic oppor tunity to open a “second way” to socialism without the human costs of revolutionary violence. For this claim to remain credible, Chile will have to retain the political conditions that not only made it pos sible for Allende to become the first freely elected Marxist president in the Western world, but that would also make it possible, at the end of Allende's term in 1976, for his Marxist Government to be the first to be freely voted out of office.
General Schneider was gunned down as he was being driven to work at the War Ministry. Military investigators, who quickly rounded up most of the conspirators, discovered that it had been a bungled kidnapping attempt by a small group of right‐wing plotters connected with retired army officers led by Gen. Roberto Viaux Marambio. Sub sequently, the commander in chief of the navy, and the general commanding the Santiago army garrison, were convicted by a military court of not having disclosed their knowledge of the plot. The plan had been to force a take‐over of the Govern ment by the armed forces, canceling the election before Congress could confirm Allende as President.
The possibility that a delib erate extremist killing, or some more ambitious move, could trigger serious civil con flict in the prevailing political tensions is not discounted by the opposition. But there is confidence that if the armed forces have, to move in to maintain public order, it will be also to uphold the constitu tional structure, not to impose a dictatorship.
Whatever the outcome of the political struggle from now until 1976, Chile's future appears to be pointed toward Socialism, with the workers having a major say in the country's affairs. But the issue is whether this will be a dem ocratic Socialism in Chile's political tradition of tolerance, or an authoritarian Marxist system.
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/17/archives/the-opposition-in-chile-said-castro-to-allende-if-you-dont-get.html
I can't say for sure what would have worked in his situation, I feel the army would have stepped in sooner with the excuse of "stopping the repression and freeing the people". But at the same time, I don't disagree, it was fatal to leave the opposition's power unchecked.
Allende sought to butter up the military rather than run a knife through them like butter smashing the upper officer core and putting in place working class comrades loyal to himself
The officer core and top layer of generals have proved themselves as bastions of reactionary fascism since the Russian White Guardists and its no surprise Pinochet came from thie layer of the military
Allende should've set up an org like the Cheka/Nkvd or Kgb and had them kickimg in the doors of military officers and taking some of them away at 3am. The fear of God should've been instilled into them. Instead they were kowtowed to and they were able to freely collaborate with US and a fascist dictatorship would be setup for decades
Allende has unabashedly sought to cater to the military, providing officers with tax‐ free automobiles or bank loans for purchase of homes. He has bought the navy ships and promised the air force new planes. But while these attentions are well received (particularly among those in the noncommissioned officer ranks and in the national police force), and Allende en joys good relations with the armed forces, very few people in Chile believe that the mili tary can be “bought” to stand apart if the country's basic political freedoms are at stake.
A tearjerker every time.
With this constitutional abolition, as well as the communists polling ahead, we may see the pink tide turn red.
Here's hoping, the world as we know it won't survive much longer under continued Capitalist exploitation.