The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
When it comes to "iron-fisted presidents", everyone will definitely think of Putin, but Allende of Chile, a small South American country, is also an out-and-out iron-fisted president - he swears not to bow to Western countries, and dares to single-handedly challenge the rebels of the whole country, and is willing to sacrifice himself in order to lead the country to peace, which can be described as commendable courage!
01
The sprout of freedom
Born in 1908, Allende's father was a lawyer and his grandfather was a former member of parliament.
Due to the war, Allende often moved with his parents, so he was very concerned about the livelihood of the people in the country, and his heart was full of longing for peace.
Therefore, in some spare time, he will read books on politics and philosophy, and devote a lot of time to the country's wealth gap and the living problems of the people at the bottom, and have a deep understanding of the life of the common people.
In order to alleviate the suffering of the people, he chose to major in medicine when he went to university, but the domestic environment was not optimistic, and he felt that studying medicine could not save the people, so like Lu Xun, he gave up medicine and became a scholar.
Later, he also came into contact with Marxist philosophy, and had some thoughts about politics, and he gradually realized that the United States supported many high-ranking government officials in order to further control Chile, which is why the United States can be so arrogant.
In the years that followed, he would participate in political activities, and he also accumulated some supporters, and once organized a student strike because he was dissatisfied with the oppression of capital, but he was quickly arrested.
This time, he understood that although he had many ideals in his heart, without the cooperation of power, it could only be a utopian dream, and it was a long and arduous road to get rid of the control of the United States and become an independent country.
02
He ran for four races and was successful
One blow of strength, then decline, three and exhaustion.
Allende's bid for president was difficult, but he never gave up, adjusting his form after each defeat to meet the next election.
Despite Allende's difficult situation, what he has done has created many obstacles for the United States. It has been said that if Allende becomes the prime minister of Chile, then he can lead the whole of South America to the United States.
The first election was in 1952, and the result was not satisfactory, and only one in twenty people chose to support him, because Allende represented the socialist camp, which was one of the backyards of the United States, and the United States was naturally not happy to let them leave the capitalist camp.
After six years, the 50-year-old Allende is running again, this time still unsuccessfully, but the result is a little better than last time, with more than a quarter of voters starting to support him.
The two defeats did not make him give up, but strengthened his determination, but unfortunately the third time still ended in failure, and the fourth election was successfully elected after several twists and turns.
Speaking of which, thanks to the small actions of the United States behind the scenes, voters trust Allende more, because in this vote, Allende's support rate is very high, and the United States is worried that if socialism comes to power, it will become a second Cuba, so it wants to support a puppet to compete with Allende.
During the vote, the opponent used all kinds of tricks, smeared his image in terms of public opinion, and all bad words would be used on him.
But the truth of this incident was known to the Chilean people, which ignited their anti-American sentiment, and he was even more vocal in his already high approval rating, and Allende finally succeeded in the fourth election.
It was not the end of the year when they took office, but they began to work more intensely, and many of their previous policies were established under the guidance of the United States, which did not help the socialist road.
03
Moved someone else's cake
For the sake of the country, Allende submitted a proposal to nationalize the copper mines, which coincided with the ideas of the oppressed people in the country, and the proposal passed successfully, but the move also completely annoyed the Americans.
Because these copper mines are all controlled by the Americans, they have made a lot of profits from them, and the interests of the United States will be damaged by nationalizing the copper mines.
Nationalization has had a strong effect on Chile's economy, and since then it has been nationalized in many areas, which not only makes the country's economy more active, but also reduces the burden on the people.
As long as it is a company that has a relationship with the United States, it will carry out nationalization reforms, and such a large-scale action is still relatively rare, because the situation is still turbulent when they first come to power, and most of them will choose a moderate approach, but Allende did not do this, but began to attack American companies.
In the process of transformation, the problems gradually erupted, inflation made many people start to complain, and the United States took the opportunity to try to get him out of power, they began to plan Chile's domestic contradictions, and by the way, some neighboring countries and governance friction, into a situation of internal and external troubles.
The people's uneasiness and the reduction in agricultural output have led to the problem of food and clothing for many people, the disputes between various political parties have expanded, the intensity of reform has been excessive, many problems have arisen in the process of implementation, and the overall economic level has even regressed.
For a long time, Allende actually had no real power, and he was powerless in the military economy, and many people advised him not to waste his efforts, otherwise he would bring danger to himself.
But Allende knew in his heart that if he wanted to be truly independent, he had to go through some pain, and the current situation was temporary, but not everyone agreed with this approach.
Under the constant provocation of his opponents, he was even sentenced by his colleagues, and after seeing through the mind of the United States, he also began to act, first of all, to crack down on pro-American people at home and ease internal contradictions.
On the other hand, friendship with socialist countries has gained more support, and the Soviet Union, as the big brother of the socialist camp, is naturally among them, while Cuba and Chile are both the backyards of the United States, and both are socialists, and the relationship between the two countries has also rapidly become closer.
04
Steel helmets and AKs
At the end of 1971, the situation had not been effectively alleviated, there was a shortage of materials in the market, the quality of life of the people was not guaranteed, the pro-American people were constantly moving, and they fell into a situation of isolation and helplessness, and other countries were forced by the United States to dare not provide them with assistance, let alone those international organizations.
In order to stabilize the social situation, the commander-in-chief of the army, Pinochet, had to come forward, and through this method, he would definitely be able to stabilize quickly.
Unexpectedly, this Pinochet had already been bought by the CIA, and it was better for him to come forward.
Seeing the danger coming, many people advised him to compete with the limelight, and the Soviet embassy said that he could escort him out of the country, but Allende rejected the Soviet Union's kindness.
At this time, Pinochet began to surround the presidential palace, and Allende still did not move, saying that as president, he would not run away.
September 11, 1973, the last day of Allende's life. At this time, the presidential palace was already surrounded by water, and the sound of explosions sounded from time to time outside, and he recalled in his mind the twists and turns of his life.
From the beginning full of hope, to now there is no way back, Allende has never regretted what he has done, if there is a chance to do it all over again, he will run for president four times, and he will not hesitate to be anti-American.
With only 50 people left with him, he gave his last speech on the radio, and still believes that Chile will have a bright future and that freedom will come!
After saying that, Allende asked everyone around him to go out, and he was the only one left in the presidential palace, wearing a steel helmet and holding an AK, and all the rebels broke in.
Some say he was shot indiscriminately and killed.
Some say he committed suicide with an AK-47 given to him by anti-American fighter Fidel Castro.
05
epilogue
From a doctor to a president, and finally unfortunately left, is it because he has no way to govern, or is his opponent too strong?
A small country is thinking of confronting a big country. This may seem overwhelming, but it is with the efforts of these people that they can help the country embark on the path of independent development, and we cannot give up our efforts because we do not get the desired results.
Allende, a hero who truly fought for his ideals and beliefs, was the staunchest reformist and the strongest fighter.
In the Plaza de la Constitución in Santiago, Chile, stands a monumental statue of Allende, whose presence reminds people that they will not bow to the United States until they die!
Reference Sources:
A Study of Chile's Path to Modernization: An Exploration of the Allende Government's "Socialist Path" from 1970 to 1973, He Xi, World Book Publishing Company, 2014
Ibero-American Studies (2015~2016), Beijing, China Social Sciences Press, 2016, 372-385