Salvador Allende Reader: Chile's Voice of Democracy

by Jane Carolina Canning and Salvador Allende

El 11 de septiembre de 1973, el General Augusto Pinochet llev? a cabo un sangriento golpe militar en contra del Presidente Salvador Allende en Chile. Allende muri? en la Moneda, el palacio... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1876175249
• ISBN13: 9781876175245
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Ocean Press
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Review of "Salvador Allende Reader: Chile's Voice of Democracy"

This is a compilation of writings and speeches of the late Chilean president Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed and killed by a US-assisted military coup in 1973 due to his socialist ideology and expropriation of American companies such as ITT. Contrary to America's fear at the time that he was turning Chile into a communist state, Allende demonstrated a remarkable respect for grassroots democracy and was unlike other Marxists in that he tolerated opposition. He was democratically elected by a plurality in 1970, which made the US government afraid that other countries would follow Chile and elect socialists. The American supported military junta under Augusto Pinochet Ugarte that replaced Allende ended up killing about 3,000 Chileans before democracy was restored around 1990. While I'm not a socialist and disagree with many of Allende's positions, I would never have wished such a terrible fate upon him or the Chilean people. At least Chileans and historical scholars still have this book to remember what he stood for, even if they disagreed with him.

Well-Assembled Collection Of Allende's Words

Salvador Allende, Chile's martyred leader and the first elected socialist President in history, is even more important to read today than ever with the growing shift towards socialism we are seeing in Latin America, especially Venezuela. The fascist goons lead by Augusto Pinochet, who killed Allende in a bloody coup that took place on September 11, 1973, believed that with Allende dead and gone he would be forgotten. Indeed, historical references to Allende and his Popular Unity government were repressed even from school textbooks during the Pinochet regime, and Chile is even today, with a socialist president, still hesistant to really discuss the man and his ideas. But Allende continues to have many supporters and admirers around the globe and in his country and "The Salvador Allende Reader" is the best collection of his speeches. Here we have a portrait of a highly intellectual leader, a deep thinker who wished to reform his country, fight racism and poverty, and stop the looting of Chile's natural resources by foreign corporations. This is not a book about the infamous coup, for that go to "Chile: The Other September 11" and "Paula," the powerful memoir by Allende's niece, the author Isabel Allende. The "Salvador Allende Reader" chronicles Allende's speeches from his stunning election in 1970 up to the heroic, final speech he gave as La Moneda Presidential Palace was being bombed. Allende's speeches here are also a testimony to what was happening in Chile during the three revolutionary years he was in power. We read Allende assuring his people that the fascist plots hatched by Chile's rich, upper classes in conjunction with the CIA would fail, in other powerful passages he stresses the need for education to advance a society and how racism is a plague. In 1971 Fidel Castro made a famous visit to Chile where he stayed for a record 27 days, here we get an interview between Allende and Castro where they both express solidarity and yet admit that Chile's revolution is it's own and not a copycat of Cuba. Allende's farewell speech to Castro is also a great call for unity between those in the Americas who wish to change things. One of the most impressive speeches is Allende's address to the United Nations where he declares that Chile is an independent nation that has the right to determine it's own future. The beauty of the work we find here is that it is not confined just to Chile, Allende's views and ideas about socialism and it's aims should be studied by all political students and socialists around the world. In fact, one can safely say that Venezuela is the direct the result of not just the movement begun by Cuba, but also by the striking example Chile showed the world as it peacefully, democratically elected a socialist to office. Salvador Allende has joined the mythical status of other revolutionary heroes such as Che Guevara, but his words still carry meaning and a potency scarcely found in the writings of long-dead Presidents.

The World Misses El Compañero

This is a very telling, informative and stimulating collection about not only the life of El Compañero Presidente, but Chilean history in general, especially during the years 1970-1973. One comes to understand Allende not as a Napolean of an Orwellian novel but as the embodiment of democracy, human rights and compassion. You will read about and come to understand how Allende came to power (the world's first freely elected socialist president), as well as the true socialist, not communist, nature of the programs he tried to introduce into Chile. You will read about his friendship and re-establishment of relations with revolutoinary Cuba. Included also are some great discourses given before world bodies such as the U.N., decrying, well ahead of the time it has become accepted to do so, what he viewed as the budding New World Order. More than anything, you will get a feel for President Allende's commitment to democracy, human rights and progress for Chile, as evidenced by his last words via radio to the Chilean nation before his assassination: "I have faith in Chile and its destiny."His words and ideas resonate still in our day. Anyone who believes that Allende was a victim of U.S. policy of containment, of U.S. fears, "justified," during the Cold War of Red communism getting another foothold in Latin America, which is now inapplicable, need merely consider the recent coup attempt in Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, a president similar to Allende in his election, political inclinations and friendship with such world malcontents as Fidel. The fact that the U.S., besides El Salvador, was the only nation in the hemisphere to quickly endorse the new government of a rightist who, like Pinochet, suspended all legislative and judicial bodies speakd volumes. Essentially nothing has changed, which provides for the words of Allende to still be applicable and important 30 years later. One need merely visit Chile to get a feel for and understand El Compañero Presidente. He lives on in the memories and hearts of many. The tension is still enough that it is a topic better left alone. Allende was a man of the people. He strove to give back to the people. He worked to include the Mapuche, the marginalized of Chile. There was complete freedom of the press in Allende's Chile, as well as not one political prisoner. The situation was entirely the opposite under Pinochet. You will read this and more in this good collection.Perhaps the highlight of the Salvador Allende Reader is a word from Fidel Castro, meant as a possible warning to Allende, become the defining and stirring memorial to El Compañero Presidente. Castro told Allende he thought "he trusted in democracy probably a little too much."

THE URGENCY TO UNDERSTAND ALLENDE

The words of Allende are not only important and inspiring, but are also urgently needed in our current de-evolutionary perspective of gross-consumerism. The intro. gives us a nicely detailed view of Chile and its potentials w/ Allende as its first democratically elected Marxist president. This was not a regime which ignored human rights. It seemed headed toward a true form of Communism, which may have only become possible by A) A defensive posture unified by the workers and the poor in Chile (i.e. Castroist Cuba during the Bay Of Pigs) and B) A willingness to further the great advancements Allende enacted, to their glorious ends. It reveals the true reality of Socialism and its real possibility and potential. The true failures of Allende were directed more-so by the counter-revolutionary tactics of Chile's Capitalists & those in the US government, who would rather see a military takeover by Pinochet & the deaths of 10,000 Allende sympathizers, including Allende himself, rather than a hint of true justice in the world.