When was salvador allende president

On the surface, the reforms appeared to be successful. It became clear, however, that the successes were not balancing out the problems. Rising wages produced a boom in consumerism, and Chile had to rely on imports to meet demand.

In addition, the Chilean Government was running out of foreign sources of aid. These issues led to a series of demonstrations and strikes from to On June 29, , in the midst of widespread protests and strikes, Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Souper led a failed coup attempt against Allende. In a radio address Allende called for the people to support his administration and help defeat the unlawful coup, and called in General Carlos Prats to deal with the rebel forces.

Prats, like Schneider, believed that the military should remain apolitical, and the coup was aborted by late morning. Although Prats was key in stopping the coup, by August he lost the support of much of the army.

Between June and September , more protests and strikes crippled Chile. On August 22, the Chamber of Deputies charged the Allende government with breaching numerous sections of the Constitution. Allende refuted the allegations, stating that his actions were constitutional. By this time, it was clear that dissent in the military was rampant and that a coup would be successful if supported fully by the military.

On the morning of September 11, , the military launched another coup against the Allende government. At a. Long live the people! Long live the workers! Once it became clear that the military would take the palace, Allende told the defenders to surrender.

Allende died during the final events of the coup: his death is now widely regarded a suicide. During this time, he helped implement such social reforms as higher pensions, a free school lunch program and safety laws for factory workers. Allende was elected to the Chilean Senate four times from to Early on, he declared his commitment to Marxism and his desire to promote a socialist Chile.

In the Senate, Allende consistently defended the interests of the working class and attacked capitalism and imperialism, siding with the Cuban Revolution. During this time, Allende also ran for president unsuccessfully in , and , before finally winning in When Allende took office, Chile was enduring a severe economic crisis. Unemployment was high and an estimated half of the country's children under the age of 15 were suffering from malnutrition.

Allende immediately implemented his socialist agenda, increasing wages and freezing prices while taking steps to reform the education system, health care and government administration. In addition to nationalizing many large-scale industries, Allende expropriated American-owned copper industries without compensation.

This solidified opposition from U. President Richard Nixon 's administration, which increased support to Allende's political opponents and led efforts to cut off international lines of credit to Chile. Poor economic planning and a growing dysfunctional relationship between Allende and Congress deepened the country's economic difficulty. The president's inability to control his own radical left wing brought further hostility from the middle class, though he remained popular among workers and peasants.

During the siege, a large number of civilians were killed or wounded and many were imprisoned. I address the man of Chile, the worker, the farmer, the intellectual, those who will be persecuted, because in our country fascism has been already present for many hours — in terrorist attacks, blowing up the bridges, cutting the railroad tracks, destroying the oil and gas pipelines, in the face of the silence of those who had the obligation to act. They were committed.

History will judge them. Surely Radio Magallanes will be silenced, and the calm metal instrument of my voice will no longer reach you. It does not matter. You will continue hearing it. I will always be next to you. At least my memory will be that of a man of dignity who was loyal to his country.

The people must defend themselves, but they must not sacrifice themselves. The people must not let themselves be destroyed or riddled with bullets, but they cannot be humiliated either.

Workers of my country, I have faith in Chile and its destiny.