Salvador Allende: Last Words to the NationMy friends,
Surely this will be the last opportunity for me to address you. The Air Force has bombed the towers of Radio Portales and Radio Corporación. My words do not have bitterness but disappointment. May they be a moral punishment for those who have betrayed their oath: soldiers of Chile, titular commanders in chief, Admiral Merino, who has designated himself Commander of the Navy, and Mr. Mendoza, the despicable general who only yesterday pledged his fidelity and loyalty to the Government, and who also has appointed himself Chief of the Carabineros [national police]. Given these facts, the only thing left for me is to say to workers: I am not going to resign! Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seed which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Chileans will not be shriveled forever. They have strength and will be able to dominate us, but social processes can be arrested neither by crime nor force. History is ours, and people make history.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/allende/1973/september/11.htm The other September 11: Chile, Allende and the myth of the “peaceful road” to Socialism By Nikos Mottas Editor-in-Chief of In Defense of CommunismMore than half a century later, the Chilean coup remains one of the clearest historical examples of how far imperialism and the bourgeoisie are prepared to go when their class interests and political power are threatened. Its lessons acquire renewed significance today, at a time when the United States is once again openly reinforcing its political, military and economic presence throughout Latin America, seeking to secure markets, strategic resources, alliances and geopolitical influence across the continent. The experience of 1973 therefore cannot be treated merely as a dark chapter of the past. It belongs directly to the political struggles of the present. We will not dwell here on the criminal role of the United States and the CIA in the overthrow of Allende’s democratically elected government. This has been extensively documented. The more important issue is what Chile teaches us about the so-called “peaceful transition” to socialism or, in other w
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