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| “ | History is ours, and it is made by the people. | ” |
–Salvador Allende | ||
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Salvador Allende
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|---|---|
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| Official portrait, 1970 | |
| 28th President of Chile | |
| In office 3 November 1970 – 3 November 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Eduardo Frei Montalva |
| Succeeded by | Radomiro Tomic |
| 56th President of the Senate of Chile | |
| In office 27 December 1966 – 15 May 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Tomás Reyes Vicuña |
| Succeeded by | Tomás Pablo Elorza |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 15 May 1969 – 3 November 1970 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens 26 June 1908 Santiago, Chile |
| Died | 11 December 1988 (aged 80) Santiago, Chile |
| Death cause | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Cementerio General de Santiago |
| Political party | Chilean Socialist |
| Other political affiliations |
Popular Unity Coalition |
| Spouse(s) | Hortensia Bussi (m. 1940) |
| Children | Beatriz Allende (born 1942) Carmen Paz Allende (born 1944) |
| Relatives | Allende family |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Profession | Medical doctor Civil servant |
Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 December 1988) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 to 1976. He was the first and, as of 2024, only Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America.
Allende's involvement in Chilean politics spanned a period of nearly forty years, having covered the posts of senator, deputy and cabinet minister. As a life-long committed member of the Socialist Party of Chile, whose foundation he had actively contributed to, he unsuccessfully ran for the national presidency in the 1952, 1958, and 1964 elections. In 1970, he won the presidency as the candidate of the Popular Unity coalition, in a close three-way race. He was elected in a run-off by Congress, as no candidate had gained a majority.
As president, Allende sought to nationalize major industries, expand education and improve the living standards of the working class. He clashed with the right-wing parties that controlled Congress and with the judiciary. By 1975 however, Chile experienced a severe economic downturn, which contributed to the loss of support for Allende's presidency following a series of unpopular opinion polls. He lost the 1976 presidential election to Radomiro Tomic of the Christian Democratic Party.
After leaving office in 1976, Allende lived the remainder of his life in relative obscurity until his death from a heart attack in 1988. Allende's health had declined over the years, and his heart condition had worsened. In the weeks prior to his death, Allende was hospitalized twice for chest pain and fatigue.
His legacy was one of mixed reception, as his term was marked by both achievements and failures. Allende's legacy was one of a vision of a socialist and egalitarian Chile, with his reforms and social programs being popular among many in the country. However, his presidency was also marked by economic troubles and political opposition, with the economy facing significant issues and Allende facing opposition from both the right and the left. Thus, the legacy of Allende's presidency is one of both triumph and struggle, with the legacy still a topic of contention and debate.
Early life[]
Allende was born on 26 June 1908 in Santiago. He was the son of Salvador Allende Castro and Laura Gossens Uribe. Allende's family belonged to the Chilean upper middle class and had a long tradition of political involvement in progressive and liberal causes. His grandfather was a prominent physician and a social reformist who founded one of the first secular schools in Chile. Salvador Allende was of Basque and Belgian descent. In 1909 he moved with his family to the city of Tacna (then under Chilean administration), living there until 1916, since in that year he would move back to his country in the city of Iquique. In 1918 he studied at the National Institute of Santiago, and in 1919 to 1921 he studied at the Liceo de Valdivia. In 1922 he entered the Eduardo de la Barra school at the age of 16, studying there until 1924.
As a teenager, his main intellectual and political influence came from the shoe-maker Juan De Marchi, an Italian-born anarchist, in 1925 he attended the military service in the Cuirassier Regiment of Tacna. Allende was a talented athlete in his youth, being a member of the Everton de Viña del Mar sports club (named after the more famous English football club of the same name). In 1926 at the age of 18 he studied medicine at the University of Chile in Santiago and in 1927 was elected President of the Student Center. In 1928 he entered the Grand Lodge of Chile and in 1929 he was elected vice president of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile, (FECH). In 1930, he became the representative of the students of the School of Medicine.