Today, September 11, is the date of one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the history of the Americas. 45 years ago the US empire used proxy forces to execute a coup in Chile against the democratically elected gov of Marxist Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (thread) 
At some point I’ll write on Allende’s life, but today I want to discuss briefly the events leading up to the coup, and the brutal events of September 11, 1973 and the following months. It all began on September 4, 1970. Allende won a plurality of the presidential vote with 36.2%
Jorge Alessandri, running in a right wing coalition won 34.9%, and Radomiro Tomic, with the Christian Democratic Party, won 27.8%. The plurality is sometimes used to claim a lack of popular support for Allende's policies, but Tomic's platform was very similar to Allende's.
Since no candidate won a majority, congress got to choose the winner. It traditionally went to the highest vote getter (Allende in this case), but the US & allies didn't want to see Allende win so negotiations continued. This was ‘Track I’ of the US opposition to Allende.
Previous elections had been won by reactionaries w/ support of the CIA, benefitting US corporations and banks immensely. Aid/training for the military was given as a failsafe against progressive legislators. In 1970 the Kissinger-chaired 40 committee continued propaganda
On October 20th, a forewarning of things to come occurred, the start of ‘Track II’. With CIA provided weapons, payment, and planning Chilean reactionaries assassinated René Schneider, commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army who stood in opposition to a coup.
The assassination of Schneider created immense popular pressure to confirm Allende, and the Christian Democrats voted for him on October 24th. He took office on November 3rd, and Kissinger, Nixon, and other US imperialist leaders began plotting their attacks.
One of Allende's 1st actions, with the backing of congress, was nationalization of copper mines, incidentally owned mostly by US companies. In response the US cut off loans including from the world bank, blocked copper sales to countries throughout the world, & withheld machinery
The USSR did their best to help, as their trade with Chile "grew from 300,000 rubles in 1969 to 7.8 million rubles two years later" and aid throughout Allende's presidency was likely near $340 million. Cuba reformed Allende’s bodyguard and armed/trained Chilean socialists.
Allende also established closer relations with the People’s Republic of China, the Mongolian People’s Republic, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (he met Kim Il Sung the year before his election, 1969)
Nixon famously ordered the CIA to “make the economy scream” in Chile. The CIA eagerly responded, using tactics from currency manipulation and blocking trade to instigating strikes and using cash to turn workers against Allende
The achievements of Allende's government deserve a full exploration, but that could easily fill a book (some in the pics below). It's important to understand that the economy was doing better for the workers throughout Allende's presidency despite US manipulation of all kinds.
This of course infuriated the US and the wealthier Chilean collaborationists. On June 28, 1973, a plot was discovered and 9 collaborators arrested. On June 29 a faction of the military attempted a coup, surrounding the presidential palace and other buildings with tanks.
This coup was stopped after some civilians were killed, but the supreme court and congress were moving against Allende, claiming his administration was going against the rule of law. They claimed he was cracking down on dissent (sound familiar?), baseless charges.
The Christian Democratic Party had moved in opposition to Allende, and incidentally they’d also received a large amount of money from the US. I’m sure there’s no connection there though. The US also bankrolled El Mercurio as a propaganda outlet against Allende.
The CIA had considered Augusto Pinochet for coup involvement two years before the coup. Documents show that the US was eager to support a coup throughout Allende’s presidency but knew conditions had to be right for success.
On September 11, backed by US and Australian intelligence, the Chilean military initiated a coup against the democratically elected Allende government. It’s still hotly debated whether Allende killed himself as they stormed the palace, but they killed him regardless.
Before his death, Allende gave one last speech to his people.
In the years and decades following, the Chilean government, headed by Augusto Pinochet, was marked by repression and brutality. Detention and torture centers were set up across the country, and anyone considered left was taken. Thousands were killed.
Among the most famous was the National Stadium of Chile, where 40000 were imprisoned, including many students, many to be tortured and shot. Victor Jara, a socialist singer and songwriter was brutally tortured and killed, his body hung in front as a warning.
To ignore the similarities to current events is to spit on the graves of the people killed by US imperialism in Chile. The attacks on Ortega, on Maduro, on Evo Morales mirror the approach taken against Allende. We must do all we can to stop it this time.
