He believed that he could make the transition to socialism from the parliamentary path in Chile: Who is Salvador Allende Gossens?

(1908-1973) Chilean politician and president. He presided over the People's Union government and advocated the transition to socialism through the parliamentary path. Salvador Familyde Gossens was born in Valparaiso. He was the son of a wealthy family. He completed his medical studies at the University of Chile in 1932. He became interested in politics during his student years; He was among the founders of the Chilean Socialist Party in 1933. He was a member of parliament between 1937-1945. Between 1938 and 1942, he worked as a health minister in the Popular Front government founded by President Pedro Aguirre Cerda. He was appointed general secretary of the Socialist Party in 1943. He won the senate elections in 1945 and soon became president of the senate. He participated in 1952, 1958, and 1964 presidential elections as the candidate of the alliance formed by the socialist and communist parties. However, he did not win this election. In 1970, he won the presidential elections as the candidate of the Popular Union coalition formed by socialist, communist, and other left parties, and became the President of Chile. He was killed as a result of the military coup in September 1973.

Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the first Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America.

One of the features that set Chile apart from other underdeveloped countries in Latin America at the time Allende came to power was that it had a strong parliamentary tradition. The left-wing parties founded in the 1920s received widespread support from the public, especially from workers' organizations. Due to the development of democratic institutions, Chile was also called the "England of Latin America".

With the election of Aguirre Cerda as the head of state in 1938, the Popular Front, consisting of radical, socialist, and communist parties aiming to establish a national industry, came to power. In your family, as a member of the socialist party in this government, he became the minister of health. The Popular Front, which was dissolved after the death of Aguirre Cerda in 1941, was re-established in 1952 by an alliance of socialists and communists. Allende, who participated in the presidential election as the candidate of this alliance, did not win the election and became the head of state of Ibanez. In 1958, socialists and communists formed the Popular Front for Action (FRAP) and again proposed Allende as their joint candidate. However, the conservative Alessandri, supported by the USA, who had a significant impact on Chilean domestic politics, won the presidential election by a narrow margin.

After 1963, the United States began to support a reformist alternative in Chile. Frei, the candidate of the Christian Democratic Party, represented this alternative, which was needed in the face of the strengthening left movement.

In the 1964 presidential elections, Frei, the candidate of the Christian Democrats, became the head of state against Allende, the candidate of the socialist-communist alliance. The export-oriented reformist economic growth model of the Frei administration has failed in practice. As a result of the disappointment caused by the reform policy of the Christian Democrats, the masses began to put forward radical demands. After 1966, land occupations and strikes covered the whole country. By 1970, the country's economy was facing major problems such as high inflation, economic recession, unemployment, the balance of payments deficit, and inequalities in income distribution.

In the 1970 presidential election, the conservative wing of the capital sector nominated Alessandri, while the reformist part supported Tomic from the Christian Democratic Party. On the other hand, the coalition formed by socialist, communist, and other small left parties under the name of the People's Union nominated Salvador Allende as a joint candidate. Allende won the presidential election on September 4, 1970, and proclaimed his cabinet in November. While the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) advocated the transition to socialism through revolution, it agreed to support the government from the outside.

Salvador Allende believed that he could bring about the transition to socialism from the parliamentary path in Chile. The existence of a pluralist constitutional order in the country, the advanced quality of workers' organizations, and the existence of a wide level of political tolerance were the basis for Allende's thought. The Popular Unity coalition was a coalition between parties supported by workers and wage earners and was mainly aimed at developing the alliance between workers and the middle classes.

The fact that Allende won the elections worried both the USA and the Chilean capital. The United States stopped economic aid to Chile. A large amount of money was withdrawn from the banks and capital was smuggled abroad. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) spent $11 million between 1962 and 1970 to prevent Allende's election.

1971 was a year when Chile-US relations deteriorated gradually. The most important development that drew the reaction of the USA was the decision of the Allende administration to nationalize the American copper enterprises in October. Following this decision, Cuban President Fidel Castro's visit to Chile in November, which lasted for a month, accelerated the USA's open stance against the Allende administration.

In its first year, the Allende government turned to large-scale expropriations. 90% of the finance and banking sector, 80% of exports, and 55% of imports were under government control. In the economic field, the Allende administration envisaged the transfer of income to the workers and the middle classes.

In 1972, economic indicators started to show negative signs. In particular, agricultural production began to fail to meet the increasing demand. On the other hand, the balance of payments deficit was limiting the Allende administration's imports of foodstuffs.

In 1972, Chile-US relations deteriorated rapidly. In January, Nixon announced that he would follow a tougher policy towards countries such as Chile, which did not pay adequate compensation to the nationalized companies and began to put pressure on Chile with the decision of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The events that started in September 1972 caused the left forces to act together. Revealing the preparations for a military coup, MIR decided to freeze its contradictions with the Communist Party for a while and take a common stance in demonstrations against right-wing forces. Upon the rumors of the coup, General Prats, the Chief of General Staff, declared that the armed forces were on the side of the constitutional order. In October, the middle classes took action against the Allende rule. The truck owners' strike, backed by the US, later spread across the country, with small shopkeepers and factory owners joining in. Production and distribution came to a standstill.

Workers quickly took action against it. The factories, which were closed by their owners, were occupied by the workers and opened for production, the workers distributed the goods among themselves by establishing distribution systems.

1973 was a period when the struggle between the Allende administration and right-wing forces sharpened and ended with a military coup in September. In January, the government announced the establishment of state control over the distribution of all agricultural products and met with a strong reaction from the employers' organizations.

In August, as a result of constant pressure from the Christian Democrats, Allende had to take 4 generals to the council of ministers. However, when the right-wing pressures increased, General Prats, the Chief of the General Staff, known for his loyalty to the constitutional regime, resigned "to protect the unity of the army". With the replacement of General Prats with General Pinochet as the chief of staff, the supporters of the coup gained weight in the army. On 22 August, the Assembly called on the Armed Forces to "end the conditions that led to violations of the constitution". Meanwhile, it was revealed that some sections of the army were preparing for a coup. Allende did not take an active stance against the putschist activities in the army; He did not try to establish any connection with the elements close to him in the army. On the other hand, both the work of the MIR in the army and the actions of the workers and peasants across the country intensified the reaction of the army's top management. Warplanes began to make demonstration flights. The MIR and other radical socialist movements began to prepare for a possible military coup. However, both the coordination among themselves and the organic ties between them and the mass organizations were not sufficient. The Allende administration was also not effective in strengthening this bond.

Hundreds of factories and farms in the country were occupied by workers. Under these conditions, domestic and foreign capital circles supported the military coup as a solution.

A significant portion of the middle class was openly opposed to the Allende administration. The economic gains they had made in the first year of the government disappeared in the following years. Moreover, they began to fear the possibility of widespread factory and land occupations and a socialist revolution. They were willing to support a government that would restore order in the country and guarantees property rights.

The United States was aware of the coup. The Nixon Government summoned the US ambassador to Chile to Washington a few days before the coup.

On September 11, the army commanders under the command of General Pinochet, the Chief of the General Staff, presented a memorandum to Allende. In the memorandum, the People's Union is accused of training and organizing quasi-military groups; It was stated that the armed forces aimed to liberate the country from the yoke of Marxism and to restore law and order. Allende was asked to resign and a curfew was declared in Santiago. The commanders had given Allende half a day to surrender! However, Allende, who refused to surrender, was killed while clashing with soldiers trying to enter the presidential palace. The military administration announced in its official statement that Allende had committed suicide. His wife was not allowed to see his body.