With the direct participation of the United States, many politicians around the world have been killed. Usually, the murder is followed by a monstrous campaign to demonize the enemy, who is represented as a "dictator", "tyrant" and even "animal".
But even in Washington one politician could not be called a "dictator": he was a democratically elected president, and the enemies did not manage to ascribe any, even imaginary "atrocities" to him. He was killed for being a socialist, carrying out reforms in the interests of the common people, and striving to maintain good relations with the Soviet Union. But his killer (not only the leader of the military coup, but also a real bloody tyrant) was supported by the States, and only then, many years later, the West partially recognized him as a dictator and even tried to judge (unsuccessfully!). But in those years, the United States and its allies were concerned only with how to reduce the influence of the USSR and socialist ideas in the world, and for this they even took such measures as supporting an outright villain against the legally elected president.
We are talking about the President of Chile, Salvador Allende. During the terrible days of the coup d'état of September 11, 1973 in the Soviet Union, many watched with tears in their eyes the terrible news from a distant Latin American country. But the coup itself, its preparation and the role of the United States are a separate topic, and the reason to consider it will be later. Today, on the 110th anniversary of the birth of Allende, I would like to talk about himself, about his personality and his political and heroic path.
Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens was born on June 26, 1908 in the southern Chilean city of Valparaiso. He was the fifth child in a far from poor family of a lawyer. There were fighters in his family against the Spanish colonialists, so free-thinking was a kind of family tradition. While still a schoolboy, Salvador was carried away by the teachings of Marx. This was not surprising - despite the fact that he himself did not live in poverty, from an early age he sympathized with the poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged. And for Chile it was very important - all of Latin America at that time was the "backyard of the United States." Social stratification, the monstrous poverty of some against the background of the wealth of others; national wealth flowing out of the country …
In addition, the young man was fond of sports: horse riding, shooting, swimming and other sports. He graduated with honors from the Lyceum, after which he decided to become a doctor. In this he was supported by his family, especially since his great-grandfather was the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Santiago). Young Allende believed that this profession would allow him to do good, and this is the purpose of human life on Earth.
However, a young man who has turned 18 years old is obliged to serve in the army. El Salvador decided to go there earlier, immediately after the lyceum, so that in the future this obligation would not interfere with his studies. He served in the cuirassier regiment in the province of Valparaiso. After the army, he successfully entered the University of Santiago, from which he graduated in 1932. In parallel with his studies, he organized a student socialist circle.
The political situation in the country in those years was difficult. Power passed from hand to hand. In 1925, another coup took place, organized by Carlos Ibanez, together with Marmaduke Grove. They went under the slogans of social justice, but then Carlos Ibanez established a dictatorship in the country that looked like a fascist one. He was even called the "Mussolini of the New World". As for his former ally Marmaduca Grove, Ibanez forced him to flee to Argentina. Grove did not want to surrender and in September 1930 he tried to overthrow Ibanez. He was arrested and then exiled to Easter Island. However, he managed to escape from exile and by roundabout ways to reach Chile. In June 1932, he came to power and proclaimed the Socialist Republic of Chile.
As for Salvador Allende, he, a recent student, was on Grove's side and called on students to support the newly formed republic. But she did not last long, and Allende, along with many other supporters of the revolution, was arrested. The young man spent six months in prison. I got out because another coup took place in the country, after which an amnesty was announced. But his release greatly affected his medical career. He could not get a job and after long attempts he got a job in the Valparaiso morgue. He bitterly said that he dreamed of being a pediatrician, but became a "ripper of corpses." But even in this unloved job, he took the initiative to create a union of doctors and the National Health Service.
In 1933, the Socialist Party of Chile was founded. Its origins were Marmaduke Grove and Salvador Allende. In 1937, the latter became a deputy, and in 1938 - the Minister of Health. In this post, he sought access for poor citizens to medical services, benefits for pregnant women, and free breakfast for schoolchildren.
However, the young politician has always remained principled. And when the government in which he worked abandoned the social program, he left the post of minister.
Then he had to leave the Socialist Party, in the founding of which he participated and which by that time (1948) he headed. The fact is that the socialists, not listening to Allende, supported the government's decision to ban the Communist Party, and he strongly disagreed with them. He created the People's Socialist Party, but a serious struggle soon took place there. During the elections in 1952, his party members, against his will, supported the aforementioned Carlos Ibanez. And then Allende left the new party, but he managed to find a common language with the former Socialist Party, where he returned. The Socialist Party was now ready to move closer to the Communist Party. They founded the People's Action Front. From this bloc, Allende was unsuccessfully nominated for the presidency of the country three times - in 1952, 1958 and 1964. He even joked about this: "On my grave it will be written:" Here lies the future president of Chile."
Later, the "People's Front" became known as "People's Unity". Several other political forces joined the alliance of communists and socialists: the Radical Party and part of the Christian Democrats. It was Popular Unity that nominated Salvador Allende as a presidential candidate in the victorious 1970 elections.
However, the victory did not come easily to the leftist candidate. He was ahead of his rivals, gaining 36.6%, but was unable to enlist the support of the absolute majority of voters. According to the law, in this case, his candidacy was sent to Congress. There he was supported by Christian Democrats, despite the fact that the United States had already begun a campaign against him.
From the first day of his presidency, the new president began to implement reforms in the interests of the poor. The United States and Britain were particularly angry after large mining enterprises were nationalized. They also did not like the agrarian reform of the People's Unity government, during which many poor peasants received land. In addition, Allende and his government froze tariffs, raised wages, and pursued a policy of containing the rise in prices for essential goods. He was very close to the common people, communicated with the working people easily, for which he was nicknamed the Comrade President.
Washington and its allies did not like Allende's foreign policy, aimed at cooperation, first of all, with the Soviet Union, as well as with the GDR, China, Cuba, North Korea and other socialist countries. Stifling economic sanctions were imposed on Chile. American intelligence agencies tried to provoke riots, such as the March of Empty Pans. Ironically, those who never had empty pots took part in such "marches". It became especially difficult after the United States announced a ban on the purchase of Chilean copper - it was trade in this resource that made it possible to provide a significant part of the budget. “Let their economies scream,” said American President Nixon. And then sabotage, the murder of comrades-in-arms and other secret operations, for which the CIA is "famous", began. In particular, the American special services killed one of Allende's closest associates, the commander-in-chief of the army, Rene Schneider Shero. Washington understood that as long as this man was in charge of the army, there was no need to think about a coup.
On December 4, 1972, Salvador Allende made a speech at the UN General Assembly. He spoke not only about the struggle of the Chilean people for their honor and dignified existence, not only about how external forces hinder his country. He actually spoke out in defense of all countries of the so-called "third world", which face oppression, pressure and plunder from transnational corporations. This speech, of course, angered Washington, which already hated the young socialist country, which is also an ally of the USSR. It was heading towards a coup d'etat.
In August 1973, in the Chilean parliament, many deputies opposed the president. A political crisis arose in the country, which Allende proposed to resolve with the help of a popular referendum on confidence. The vote was scheduled for September 11th …
But instead of a referendum on this rainy day, something completely different happened. Chief of Staff Augusto Pinochet led a military coup. Of course, he had been preparing for this for more than one day, and most importantly, he had completely specific owners. The very ones who were not so happy with the socialist path of Chile. Who imposed sanctions, who organized covert operations.
Salvador Allende was asked to surrender. He was promised to be allowed to leave the country. He could have flown to the Soviet Union (of course, if he had not been deceived at the same time). But he came to the presidential palace "La Moneda" to take an unequal battle at his workplace.
When the assault on the palace began with military aircraft and tanks, Allende ordered all women and people without weapons to leave the building. His daughters wanted to stay with their father, but he said that the revolution did not need unnecessary sacrifices. And Comrade President himself picked up a machine gun that Fidel Castro once gave him.
In his last address to the people, he said:
In the face of these events, I have one thing to say to the working people - I will not retire! At this crossroads of history, I am ready to pay with my life for the people's trust. And I tell him with conviction that the seeds that we have planted in the minds of thousands and thousands of Chileans can no longer be completely destroyed. They have power and they can overwhelm you, but the social process cannot be stopped by force or crime. History belongs to us, and peoples make it.
His performance was broadcast by the radio station "Magallanes". And this was the last broadcast of this radio station - the putschists broke in there and staged a bloody massacre of the employees.
There is a debate about how exactly Salvador Allende died in his last fortress, the La Moneda palace. According to the recollections of his comrades-in-arms, he died in battle. The Pinochet junta claimed that he committed suicide. Several years ago, the body of the deceased leader was exhumed. The experts said that, most likely, the version of suicide is confirmed. However, suicide could have been faked.
In the end, this is not the most important thing. Whether he was shot in a battle with the rebels, or was he forced to leave the last cartridge for himself so as not to be captured by them, when resistance became impossible, but one thing is clear: he fulfilled his duty to the end. And his death is on the bloody hands of the organizers of the putsch. First of all, in the hands of Pinochet, as well as those who patronized him, despite his monstrous crimes. Just like the death of the national Chilean poet, Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, whose heart could not stand what happened …
The Soviet poet Yevgeny Dolmatovsky dedicated the poem "Chile in the Heart" to these events. It contains the following lines:
Our business is irresistible
But the path of struggle is hard and long.
Through a living body
Chile passes by like a splinter.
Do not extinguish the dawn of a three year old.
Volcanoes do not hold back the cold.
But it is bitter to groan:
Allende …
But it's scary to exhale:
Neruda …
And the poem ends with the fact that "angry humanity will appear in the courtroom not as a witness, but as a prosecutor."
Unfortunately, Pinochet was never convicted of his bloody deeds, but life itself punished him: the leader of the junta was struck by dementia when he was old. Alas, there are still those who worship this "figure", believing that he performed some kind of "economic miracle" (while forgetting about the blood-drenched Santiago stadium, about numerous tortures, about tens of thousands of tortured, ruined, missing of people).
The image of Salvador Allende remained in history as one of the brightest and most majestic. Even his enemies could not denigrate him. He became an example of a leader who not only carried out reforms in the interests of the common people, but also accepted a martyr's death, not wanting to retreat before the conspirators. This means that the poet Dolmatovsky is right: "Our business is irresistible."
