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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 23. 23rd September 1973

Popular Unity's Programme

Popular Unity's Programme

The contention between these classes determines the development of Chilean politics. Grouped around Popular Unity were large sections of the working masses, in town and country, as could be expected from its composition of the Socialist Party, the "Communist" Party, the Radical Party and left Christian Democrats. Popular Unity's programme reflected this. Included in it were the nationalisation of foreign monopolies (particularly the copper industry), banks, insurance companies, large domestic monopolies, transport, communications, oil, electricity production and other key Industries. Much of private industry was to remain in private hands, and there were to be joint state-private concerns. Agrarian reforms would include expropriation of the large latifundias (large landholdings which used virtually slave labour) and the formation of cooperatives. Inflation was to be halted, wages raised and unemployment ended.

This programme was not one of socialist revolution but a continuation and deepening of the bourgeois revolution in Chile; it struck at the latifundia economy, the monopolies and foreign imperialism. Allende himself stated, "We are struggling for Chile's economic, cultural and political independence."

Much of it was implemented in the first year of Allende's presidency. Unemployment was cut in half. Production was lifted in heavy industry. Flats were built in Santiago de Chile which holds one-third of all Chileans. A new fishing port was constructed with Soviet and Cuban aid. Political prisoners were freed. Land reforms were instituted. The principal textile and cement plants, breweries, nitrates, steel and tyre factories, 80% of banking and credit facilities, and wholesale distributors were nationalised.

But as this programme was implemented Popular Unity ran into difficulties. Inflation could not be halted, an important factor in the desertion of the middle classes to the bourgeoisie this year. With the nationalisation of the latifundia came spontaneous land seizures. Peasants with land less than 80 hectares began to worry about their future and turned away from the government. As the rich and middle peasantry recoiled from the bourgeois revolution, counterrevolutionary detachments appeared in Southern Chile. Allende attempted to deny the existence of these detachments at the time.

The Chilean bourgeoise supported the expropriation of the foreign monopolies. But once this process had been completed it used its control of Congress to amend the Constitution in late 1971 to prevent further nationalisations. Allende vetoed this amendment, setting in motion the permanent crisis of his administration which culminated this month.