Allende, Salvador

Allende (Gossens), Salvador

Salvador Allende, c. 1971.

(credit: Michael Mauney—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

(born July 26, 1908, Valparaiso, Chile—died Sept. 11, 1973, Santiago) Socialist president of Chile (1970–73). Of upper-middle-class background, Allende took a degree in medicine and in 1933 helped found Chile's Socialist Party. He ran for president unsuccessfully three times before winning narrowly in 1970. He attempted to restructure Chilean society along socialist lines while retaining democracy, civil liberties, and due process of law, but his efforts to redistribute wealth resulted in stagnant production, food shortages, rising inflation, and widespread strikes. His inability to control his radical supporters further alienated the middle class. His policies dried up foreign credit and led to a covert campaign by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to destabilize the government. He was overthrown in a violent military coup, during which he died by gunshot, reportedly self-inflicted. He was replaced by Gen. Augusto Pinochet. See also Eduardo Frei.