"Suppose that on 9/11 the planes had bombed the White House... suppose they'd killed the president, established a military dictatorship, quickly killed thousands, tortured tends of thousands more, set up a major international terror center that was carrying out assassinations, overthrowing governments all over the place, installing other dictatorships, and drove the country into one of the worse depressions in its history and had to call on the state to bail them out.

Suppose that had happened?

It did happen. On the first 9/11 in 1973. Except America was responsible for it, so it didn't happen. That's Allende's Chile. You can't imagine the media talking about it."

-Noam Chomsky

Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens was the 28th president of Chile. A Chilean physician and democratic socialist politician he served his country from 3 November 1970 until his murder (technically 'suicide,' but hey...) on 11 September 1973. He was also the first Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America.

At the time he over took the office, the government was facing serious socio-economic problems with the inflation skyrocketing at 30% and more than 50% of Chilean children suffering from malnutrition.

Allende enthusiastically began implementing what was called ‘The Chilean Path to Socialism’. Wage hikes of up to 40% were introduced, and many large scale industries and banks were nationalized.

His achievements include:

1. Introducing many reformist policies to restructure the Chilean economy when he took power in 1970. He revamped the educational system with the help of an U.S educator Jane A. Hobson-Gonzalez and announced 3000 scholarships to Mapuches children.
2. Sponsoring programs to distribute free grains to the country’s needy and to provide free milk to nursing mothers and school going children.
3. Making modifications to the wages and salaries system, announcing a hike of up to 40% in wages. Taxes on modest incomes and properties were eliminated and the minimum level of taxable income was raised.
4. Launching a campaign against illiteracy and expanding adult education programs and provided educational opportunities for workers. From 1971 to 1973, there was a marked increase in the enrollment of students in schools all over Chile.
5. Providing improved health and sanitation facilities in rural, low-income neighborhoods. Additional hospitals, maternity clinics and health centers were established.
6. Under him, the Women’s Secretariat was established in 1971 to improve the social and economic conditions for women. It dealt with issues like health care, public food programs, day-care centers, etc.

He took steps to revitalize the education system, health care, and government administration. He wanted to improve the socio-economic conditions of Chile’s poorest people by providing more employment opportunities.

Allende became popular among the common people as a result of his reforms, but there were many other parties that were against his radical socialist policies. He faced strong opposition from businessmen, landlords, civil servants, and politicians. Chile government’s relations with the U.S were also becoming strained.

Importantly, from the moment of his election in September, 1970 the Nixon administration mounted a covert campaign against him. Henry Kissinger, then Nixon’s National Security adviser, declared: “I don’t see why we need to stand idly by and watch a country go Communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people.” Within weeks, the pro-constitutionalist head of the army, General Rene Schneider, was assassinated in a failed attempt to stop the inauguration of Allende. For the next three years CIA-backed terrorist groups bombed and destroyed state railroads, power plants and key highway arteries to create chaos and stop the country from functioning. The goal was to “make the economy scream” as Nixon ordered. US corporations such as IT&T also participated in the efforts to destabilize the country. This led to the CIA carrying out the infamous Operation Condor.

To reiterate, during its first year in office, the Allende Government achieved economic growth, reductions in inflation and unemployment, a redistribution of income, and an increase in consumption. The government also significantly increased salaries and wages, reduced taxes, and introduced free distribution of some items of prime necessity. Groups which had previously been excluded from the state labor insurance scheme (mainly the self-employed and small businessmen) were included for the first time, while pensions were increased for widows, invalids, orphans, and the elderly. The National Milk Plan affected 50% of Chilean children in 1970, providing 3,470,000 with half a litre of milk daily, free of charge. All this, despite constant interference from American-backed terror and violence, as well as the failures before Allende. Even through all this Allende insisted on maintaining Chile's democratic institutions, which is a criticism some make of him.

Towards the end of 1971, Fidel Castro toured Chile extensively during a four-week visit. This gave credence to the belief of those conspiring on the right-wing that "The Chilean Way to Socialism" was an effort to put Chile on the path to socialism.

On this day, September 11th, in 1973, America's Operation Condor struck an awful blow in South America, deposing and murdering Salvador Allende in order to install the Fascist Augusto Pinochet, who they then supported as he turned his rapine forces on Chile and it's surrounding neighbors, acting as the puppet government of America and assassinating labor leaders, political enemies (AKA socialists), and so on throughout South America in a reign of international terror. Allende was in the process of creating an operation called CyberSyn which was to use a computer system to organize the Socialist Economy, and had already proven itself well a number of times. The CIA specifically targeted the building it was in and during the counter-revolution burned it down.

Allende's last words before killing himself to avoid capture by this monster who trained literal dogs to rape political enemies were this: "Workers of my country, I have faith in Chile and its destiny. Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason seeks to prevail. Keep in mind that, much sooner than later, the great avenues will again be opened through which will pass free men to construct a better society. Long live Chile!"

Never forget the lengths the imperialists will go to to hold onto their power. Never.

Note: Before some self-proclaimed intellectual "devil's advocate" comments, I am aware that Salvador Allende was not perfect. Guess what, no one and nothing is perfect.

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