In many South American countries, the twentieth century is known for its political instability and the dictatorship under dishonorable and deceitful rulers. Despite vast natural resources, many countries continue to struggle with the social consequences of widespread poverty and social depression. To top that, the countries Chile and Guatemala had to deal with the overthrowing of their government and leaders which ultimately led into a disruptive society and economy. Both leaders Salvador Allende and Jacobo Arbenz Guzman were viewed as deceiving and disorderly by outer countries, specifically the U.S. which helped with both rebellions.
Salvador Allende and “the Road to Socialism” Salvador Allende’s original plan was to become a physician. …show more content…
He was elected a deputy for Valparaiso in 1937 and served as a minister of Health from 1939-1942. Until then, he moved to Moneta and became the senator in 1945. His fame gained enough prowess, his supporters were called “allendistas.” In 1970, he was nominated as a Christian Democrat Party (PDC) candidate for the 1970 election against Pablo Neruda for the Communists, Choncol for Popular Unitary Action Movement (MAPU), Allessandri, and Tomic. The election year its self was marked by “petty violence: street skirmishes, assaults inside party offices and even the odd bomb attack.” On July 8, there was an attempted general strike by the CUT in support of Allende. Allende fiercely pushed the “transition the socialism.” During his campaign, his main goal was to build a republic for the working class. His only true opponent to beat was Allessandri. “Only eighteen months earlier, the parties now forming the Unidad Popular (UP) had won more than two-fifths of the vote which gave Allende the edge he needed.” In early September, it was clear that Allende was the winner by a margin of only 40,000 votes. Almost two-thirds of the people voted against him. Allende was the winner by of only 40,000 votes. Almost two-thirds of the people voted against …show more content…
The man responsible for the overthrowing of Allende was General Augusto Pinochet. He was a close advisory and companion to Salvador Allende. He was a graduate of the military academy in Santiago in 1936. He was a military officer chosen to be army commander in chief by President Allende eighteen days before the coup had happened. Which he planned and led with the help of his army behind him. Pinochet was named head of the victorious junta’s governing council, and he moved to crush Chile’s liberal opposition. In its first three years, the regime arrested approximately 130,000, many of whom were tortured. In June 1974 Pinochet assumed sole power as president, relegating the rest of the junta to an advisory role. The junta members originally planned that the presidency would be held for a year by the commanders-in-chief of each of the four military branches in turn. However, Pinochet soon secretively consolidated his control of the military junta. This created his title of "Supreme Chief of the Nation" on June 27, 1974. Pinochet was determined to eliminate leftism in Chile and to bring back free-market policies in the country’s economy which Allende had destroyed. With the power in his hands, he closed down the Chilean Parliament and banned all political and trade union activity in Chile. This led him to formally change his title to "President" in December of 1974. This was the beginning of the “Pinochet