History of Chile WHAP/Napp

“Salvador Allende, an avowed Marxist, became president of Chile in 1970 after being confirmed by the Chilean congress. For the next three years, the United States exerted tremendous pressure to try to destabilize and unseat the Allende government.

Allende’s election in 1970 was his third attempt at the presidency. In 1958, and again in 1964, Allende had run on a socialist/communist platform. In both elections, the United States government (as well as U.S. businesses such as International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), which had significant investments in Chile) worked to defeat Allende by sending millions of dollars of assistance to his political opponents. In 1970, the United States again worked for Allende’s defeat, but he finished first out of the four candidates. However, since he had garnered less than 40 percent of the popular vote, the final decision had to be made by the Chilean congress. The United States worked feverishly to derail Allende’s selection but the election was upheld on October 24, 1970. Allende immediately confirmed the worst fears of U.S. officials when he extended diplomatic recognition to North Vietnam, North Korea, and Cuba, and also began to take action to nationalize the holdings of U.S. corporations in Chile, notably ITT and Kennecott Copper. U.S. officials also believed that Allende was supporting revolutionary activities in Latin America and viewed him as a significant threat to hemispheric security and U.S. economic interests in Chile.

Yet, Allende posed an interesting problem. Unlike Castro, he had come to power peacefully and democratically. Thus, the United States could hardly launch a Bay-of-Pigs-like attack on the Allende regime. Undaunted, the administration of President Richard Nixon began to formulate plans to destabilize the Chilean government and see to the removal of Allende. These plans came to fruition in 1973 when a coup by the Chilean military overthrew Allende and assassinated him.” ~ History

1. The United States government tried to stabilize the government of Salvador Allende because
(A) Allende was an advocate of tariffs and sought to prevent the creation of a free trade association in the Americas
(B) Allende was a Marxist and sought to nationalize foreign-owned investments
(C) Allende forged alliances with South Korea and Iran.
(D) Allende promoted international terrorism. / 2. The U.S. policy of containment was a policy that
(A) Sought the expansion of theocracy in the world
(B) Encouraged the abolition of private property
(C) Advocated the proliferation of nuclear weapons
(D) Sought to prevent the spread of communism
(E) None of the above

“The success of the Cuban Revolution impressedand worried those who feared revolutionary change in a Communist mode. Military officersoften saw themselves as above politics and best equipped to solve their nation’s ills. Many timesthese leaders had the support of the U.S. In Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru,governments were taken over by military-based rulers with repressive authoritarian inclinations.”

~ World Civilizations

Key Words/ Questions / I. Chile’s Geography
  1. Western Coast of South America; between Andes and Pacific Ocean
II. The Incas
  1. An empire that stretched from Ecuador to Chile
III. The Conquistadors
A. In 1536, Spanish conquistadors arrived looking for gold
  1. In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia, a lieutenant in Pizarro’s army, led the conquest of Chile; Spain pursued mercantilism (a colony must benefit the mother country – a colony’s resources are extracted and sent to the mother country and colonies only trade with mother country)
  2. Spain ruled Chile for nearly 300 years
IV. On the Road to Independence
A. Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, was placed on the Spanish throne
  1. Chileans proclaimed independence from Napoleon’s rule since his brother was not the legitimate king of Spain in the colonists’ eyes
  2. After the defeat of Napoleon, Spain reclaimed the colony
  3. Bernardo O’Higgins was a creole, nationalist leader in Chile
  4. O’Higgins was aided by another nationalist leader, José de San Martín
  5. By 1818, Chile had gained independence
V. After Independence
A. Little change occurred in the social hierarchy; Chile was still a stratified
class system – creoles had replaced peninsulares as the new elites
  1. The government was influenced by the Roman Catholic Church and wealthy landowners often dominated government posts
VI. Liberals and Conservatives
  1. The government was dominated by wealthy landowners
  2. Liberals wanted reforms
  3. Conservatives wanted to maintain the status quo
VII. Eduardo Frei Montalva
A. Christian Democrat president in 1964/Wanted reforms
  1. But not enough for liberals and too much for conservatives
VIII. Salvador Allende
A. 1970, Marxist, elected President; nationalization and land expropriation
  1. But opposition to his “Chilean Road to Socialism”
  2. By 1973, Chilean society split apart
IX. Military Coup
A. September 11, 1973; 3,000 killed in military onslaught
  1. Presidential palace bombed with Allende inside; death of Allende
X. General Augusto Pinochet
A. Led new military government/17 year rule
  1. Dissolved Congress and suspended constitution
  2. Night-time curfew, limits on media yet free market
  3. Brutal repression/Thousands died, thousands fled
  4. But Pinochet miscalculated and lost plebiscite in 1988
  5. Accused of corruption and human rights abuses; never brought to court

  1. What was the Spanish conquistadors’ PRIMARY motivation in gaining new territories in the Americas?
(A)They were mainly concerned with making great profits.
(B)Above all, they wanted to bring Catholicism to the Native Americans.
(C)They planned to use the land to build prisons for Spanish felons.
(D)They hoped to find the “Fountain of Youth.”
(E)None of the above
  1. How did the harshness and ruggedness of the terrain in the Andes Mountains affect the way that societies there evolved?
(A)People were forced to cooperate with each other and work out a division of labor.
(B)Very few buildings were erected.
(C)Culture was very primitive.
(D)There was much fighting over scarce resources.
(E)Individual families tended to remain isolated, retarding the development of sophisticated societies.
  1. What political characteristic did Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina share during the 1920s and 1930s?
(A)All became democracies.
(B)All were governed by authoritarian regimes.
(C)All were monarchies.
(D)All were ruled by Getúlio Vargas
(E)All had experienced communist revolutions /
  1. Who among the following was a democratically elected leader of a Marxist government in Chile?
(A)Salvador Allende
(B)Che Guevara
(C)Augusto Pinochet
(D)Juan Perón
(E)Fidel Castro
  1. The precious metal most sought by the Spanish and Portuguese in the Americas was
(A)Gold
(B)Copper
(C)Tin
(D)Silver
(E)Nickel
  1. Spain’s principal reason for colonization in the New World was
(A)Economic profit
(B)Conversion of Native Americans to Catholicism
(C)Scientific curiosity
(D)Strategic advantage
(E)The desire of ordinary Spanish to settle elsewhere
  1. At its height, how large was the Incan Empire?
(A)It stretched from Chile to what is today Panama
(B)It stretched from Argentina to Brazil
(C)It stretched from Chile to northern Ecuador
(D)It stretched from Colombia to Peru
(E)It stretched from Mexico to Costa Rica

Thesis Practice: Continuity and Change over Time

Analyze political and economic continuities and changes in Chile from 1540 to 1990. ______

Out of the Barracks: Soldiers Take Power

“The success of the Cuban Revolution impressedand worried those who feared revolutionary change in a Communist mode. Military officersoften saw themselves as above politics and best equipped to solve their nation’s ills. Many timesthese leaders had the support of the U.S. In Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru,governments were taken over by military-based rulers with repressive authoritarian inclinations. All these regimes were nationalistic but approached economic problems differently; however, the result – little or no growth – was a common theme.

The New Democratic Trends

“The 1970s and 1980s witnessed an increase in democratizationin many Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, andPanama, but not without problems. Leftist rebel groups continued to agitate in some of them, asin Colombia and Peru. Cuba remained Communist, but under what appeared to be fewerrestrictions. Economies continued to struggle, with inflation as a common problem. Despitedifficulties, by the 1990s it appeared democratic trends were well established.” ~ World Civilizations

The socialist president of Chile who was overthrown by the military in 1973 was

(A) Peron.

(B) Romero.

(C) da Camara.

(D) Allende.

(E) Batista.

MAP EXERCISE: The following exercise is intended to clarify the geophysical environment and the spatialrelationships among the important objects and places. Locate thefollowing places on the map.

Panama, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti