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The Chilean Road to Socialism (1970-1973): What Happened and Why? Elements for a Debate

Module description

This module will introduce you to one of the most controversial moments in Chile’s history, the period of the Popular Unity, also known as the Chilean Road to Socialism (1970-1973). Led by Socialist president Salvador Allende, the Popular Unity government is crucial to understand not only present-day Chile, but also to the development of the political Left in Latin America and beyond. Through a series of lectures, seminars, and readings, you will gain knowledge of the necessary elements to begin an informed discussion on the forces and reasons that led to the rise and fall of Chile’s experiment on a democratic, institutional path to socialism.

This module features extensive reading in Spanish, as most of the historiography has been written in that language. The module will involve engaging with Chilean Spanish to an extent.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Study the social and political causes behind Salvador Allende’s election in 1970.
• Study the main historical processes in Chile from 1970 to 1973, with a focus on: the Government, the civil and military opposition, the revolutionary left, the workers’ movement, and the international dimension.
• Discuss the causes behind the 1973 military coup in Chile.
• Introduce the main historiographical trends about the period.
• Discuss the concept of socialism in connection with the related concepts of revolution and reform.
• Analyse primary sources such as newspaper articles, testimonies, and documentary film.
• Discuss different subsequent representations of Allende and the Popular Unity.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the key themes of the period of the Popular Unity in Chile.
• 2. Evaluate the main developments within Chile during the period, developed through independent study and seminars.
• 3. Demonstrate critical familiarity with a range of secondary and primary texts (in English and Spanish) relating to these themes and developments.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Present a detailed argument in an appropriate register of English, mustering a range of historical and textual evidence in its support
• 5. Analyse the key developments within a particular historical environment
• 6. Identify, focus on, and comprehend complex issues
• 7. Recognise and apply, in written or oral contexts, a range of political and historical terminology in a comprehensible manner
• 8. With some guidance from the course tutor, evaluate and apply a range of historiographical approaches and interpretations to the material covered

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Undertake defined learning activities with a measure of autonomy, asking for guidance where necessary
• 10. Select, criticise and organise material in order to produce, to a deadline, a written argument
• 11. Using course material provided, research, plan and write an essay on a chosen aspect of the subject, to a specified length and deadline

Syllabus plan

Topics may include some of the following, but are liable to change:

• Precedents and causes of Allende’s electoral victory: class situation, economic imperialism, workers’ movement, the Popular Front, the electoral system in Chile, Frei Montalva’s government.
• Allende’s Government: the government programme, the land reform, the nationalisation of resources.
• Allende and the reformist Left.
• Allende and the revolutionary Left (Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionario and other formations; the cordones industriales).
• Allende and the Right.
• The international dimension: the U.S.A.
• The international dimension: the URSS and Cuba.
• The economic crisis.
• The Popular Unity and right-wing historiography (Villalobos, Vial).
• Military insurrection, coup, and persecution. Stances and interpretations.
• Representations of Allende and the Popular Unity.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Austin Henry, Robert, et al. La vía chilena al socialismo 50 años después. CLACSO/Ocho Libros, 2020.
• Cury, Márcia. El protagonismo popular chileno. Experiencias de clase y movimientos sociales en la construcción del socialismo (1964-1973). LOM. 2018.
• Del Pozo, José. Allende: Cómo su historia ha sido relatada. Un ensayo de historiografía ampliada. LOM, 2017.
• Garcés, Mario. La Unidad Popular y la revolución en Chile. LOM, 2020.
• Gaudichaud, Frank. Chile 1970-1973. Mil días que estremecieron al mundo. Poder popular, cordones industriales y socialismo durante el gobierno de Salvador Allende. LOM, 2016.
• Harmer, Tanya. Allende’s Chile and the Inter-American Cold War. The University of North Carolina Press, 2014.
• Frens-String, Joshua. Hungry for Revolution: The Politics of Food and the Making of Modern Chile. University of California Press, 2021.
• Power, Margaret. Right-Wing Women in Chile. Feminine Power and the Struggle Against Allende. Penn State University Press, 2002.
• Winn, Peter. La revolución chilena. LOM, 2009.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
• Memoria Chilena: Chilean Government website offering a series of primary and secondary sources. https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-channel.html
• Portal Socialismo Chileno (años 1970-1973), which provides a series of primary sources: https://socialismo-chileno.org/PS/apsjb/apsjb70.html
• Centro de Estudios Miguel Enríquez has digitalised sources otherwise difficult to find, particularly with regards to the history of the Chilean left. See especially the section on Allende and the Popular Unity: https://www.archivochile.com/S_Allende_UP/html/sallende.html
• Cuadernos de Historia: the academic journal of Universidad de Chile’s History Department: https://cuadernosdehistoria.uchile.cl/
• Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española’s Diccionario de Americanismos: https://www.asale.org/damer/

Key words search

Latin America, Chile, Socialism, Salvador Allende, History, Politics