Rather than a cautionary tale, Salvador Allende has become a cherished myth for the left
jihadists destroyed the World Trade Centre, another September 11th had entered history as a dark day, especially for Latin America. On that date in 1973 Chile’s armed forces, an elected Socialist president, and his chaotic, divided government. The coup was a national trauma and a continental shock. Augusto Pinochet, its leader, went on to erect a brutal personal dictatorship that lasted 17 years. It murdered several thousand opponents. Tens of thousands were tortured.
But support for the young left-winger has fallen: since he took office last year, Mr Boric’s approval ratings have dropped from 50% to less than 30%. An attempt, backed by his government, to replace the, which is descended from the one introduced under Pinochet, was rejected by a whopping 62% of voters last year. And while the left may be in power, the far right, led by José Antonio Kast, appears to be ascendant.
It was the consequence of a disastrous political failure, that of Allende’s Popular Unity coalition. Allende is remembered today around the world as a martyr for democracy, largely because of his stirring final speech and his decision to take his own life rather than yield to force. He proclaimed a “Chilean road to socialism” by peaceful parliamentary means. But many in his coalition wanted revolution and had little regard for democracy.
Today left-wingers are in power in much of Latin America. Some of them, such as the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, never accepted these lessons. Instead, they concluded from Pinochet’s coup that only military power could safeguard revolution. Their road has led to tyranny and impoverishment., Colombia’s left-wing president, came to office last year wanting to remake everything, from security to health care, instead of building on what he inherited.
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