Chile 1973: Reformism vs. Revolution
There is another 9/11 that communists remember. On September 11, 1973, the US backed a bloody coup to overthrow Chile’s president, Salvador Allende. For the following 17 years, Pinochet’s military dictatorship unleashed savage terror on the population, with the full complicity of imperialism.
Allende was elected in a left-wing coalition as a self-identified Marxist. His Popular Unity government carried out major reforms, including the nationalization of key industries and freezing of rent. This generated great illusions in social democracy and a “parliamentary road to socialism.” But against Allende’s pacifist, reformist approach, the counterrevolution was implacable.
Can socialism be won through the ballot box? Can we reform our way out of capitalism, without resorting to revolution? In the wake of renewed interest in democratic socialism and its electoral wins, these questions are as relevant as ever. The tragic defeat of Chile 1973 answers them definitively.
Reading list:
Books
- State and Revolution – V.I. Lenin
- Reform or Revolution? – Rosa Luxemburg
Articles
- Lessons of Chile 1973 – Alan Woods (also available as a booklet)
- Chile: the Threatening Catastrophe – Alan Woods
- Chile: 50 years after the Coup D’Etat – Carlos Cerpa
- Two Trends in the Socialist Movement – John Peterson
