Salvador Allende 

Article by Liam Geoghegan and Charlotte Wright. Edited by Harriet Di Francesco. Additional Research by Michelle Brien. 

Salvador Allende (full name Salvador Isabelino Allende Gossens), perhaps one of the better-known South American presidents outside of the continent, was a remarkable character. Born on 26th June 1908 in Valparaíso, Chile, Allende made a name for himself long before he was elected as the country’s president in 1970. 

Allende came from a middle class family with roots in freemasonry and politics. His grandfather was a freemason, Head of Health for the army and a senator; he eventually took the title of Gran Maestro of the Gran Logía de Chile in 1884. In 1935 Allende followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and joined as a freemason, where he remained a member for thirty years. He had previously attempted to leave the organisation, but his resignation was refused. 

It was prior to his freemason years, however, that Allende had gained recognition. As a student of Medicine at the University of Chile, Allende was elected Vice President of the student federation in 1930. This was only a couple of years after having made a name for himself in the fight against the widely disliked President Ibañez, who took power in 1927. Although Allende was expelled for his actions he was allowed back to the university after the downfall of Ibañez in 1931, where he graduated as a surgeon. 

It was in the year of Ibañez’s downfall that Allende’s own political career began. He was co-founder of el Partido Socialista (the Socialist Party) along with Marmaduke Grove in 1931. Despite their common Marxist ideals, the party took an anti-Soviet line. From the mid-1930s onwards, Allende’s political career flourished. He was elected Regional Secretary and then deputado (representative/MP) of Valparaíso and installed as Minister of Health in Cerda’s 1938 government. From 1945 he became a senator, representing a number of different provinces over the next twenty-five years.

Prior to his ascendance to the presidency in 1970, Allende experienced three unsuccessful attempts to be elected (1952, 1958 and 1964). As the Chilean President, Allende represented the party Unidad Popular and is widely regarded as the first democratically elected Marxist in the Americas. His policies as head of the Chilean state concentrated on the welfare of the people. He attempted to resolve the two big issues of the time – malnourishment (50% of children in Chile were classed as malnourished) and unemployment (20% of Chilean men were out of work). Allende gave every child in Chile half a litre of milk a day, increased wages by 40%, nationalised the copper industry (by far Chile’s largest at the time) as well as the banks, and placed restrictions on the inflation of prices by companies. 

Allende’s policies may have been popular with the masses, but they made him a seemingly unending list of enemies both domestically and internationally. In addition, many of the policies proved unsuccessful. This was due partly to these oppositions and partly to the rate at which he attempted to implement change. Allende’s economic actions meant he was hated by businessmen, landowners and employers. His secularisation of education upset the Catholic Church. His Marxist tendencies and friendships with leaders such as Fidel Castro made him an enemy of both John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon. In fact, the Nixon administration organised an attempted coup against him in 1970. 

Allende’s personal life is as interesting as his political one. Friendly to his staff, well-dressed, and always polite, he comes across as an all-round “nice guy.” He was a lover and writer of poetry. Incidentally this passion has been continued by his niece, the famous author, Isabelle Allende. One of Allende’s stranger traits was his deep fear of earthquakes. This phobia, however, did have its silver lining. During an earthquake in 1939, Allende rushed from the mason’s temple fearing for his life, running straight into Tencha Bussi – a woman who shared his fear. This was apparently grounding enough to begin a romance and the couple eventually wed. 

The final act of his life is possibly the most interesting and the most remarkable. On 11th September 1973 a coup was staged against him. As the coup ensued around the palace, Allende sent out a radio broadcast to his people from his presidential office. Allende informed them of his love for his country. He was found dead after the successful takeover. 

Allende’s death is officially recorded as a suicide (a fact which is accepted by his family). It is believed that he shot himself using a gun given to him by Castro. However, both his supporters at the time and even many people today believe that Allende was murdered by his enemies. 

Allende led an amazing life. His legacy as one of the great socialist leaders is certainly justified. It is not often that political leaders appear to be truly good men. Touched by the suffering of others and with the people’s interests at the centre of his policies, Allende is a unique example of a genuine and decent statesman.

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