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[[Image:sallendeJozefArkusz.jpg|framedthumb|SalvadorJózef AllendeArkusz]]
'''Józef Arkusz''' ([[1929]] - [[1996]]) was a [[Poland|Polish]] [[film director]] and [[producer]]. He created [[General Topic Films]] (Filmy Oswiatowe), and is credited as being one of the few early Polish documentary film makers. Topics included technical and biological specialities, and focused on new biological advances of the modern age.
Dr. '''Salvador Allende Gossens''' (pronounced ''ah-YEN-deh'') ([[July 26]], [[1908]]-[[September 11]], [[1973]]) was president of [[Chile]] from [[1970]] until 1973, when he was overthrown in a military [[coup d'état|coup]], during which he died.
Józef Arkusz was born in Peratyn, Poland (modern day Ukraine) near Tarnopol. He moved to Lwów, and as a teenager fought in [[World War II]] as member of the underground movement [[Armia Krajowa]]. Following the war he moved West to the industrial city of [[Lodz|Łódż]], in central Poland.
==Background==
He studied at the University of [[Poznan|Poznań]], and recieved a Doctorate in Biology. He then furthered his education by studying at the Łódż Film School, now renowned for its most famous graduate [[Roman Polanski]]. He worked on several minor films and projects until the 1970s when he began to be noticed by the international community. At this point his career began to take off, and he made some of his most famous films.<br><br>
Allende was born in [[Valparaíso, Chile|Valparaíso]] and was a medical doctor by profession. He was also an ardent [[Marxist]] and an outspoken critic of the [[capitalist]] system. As president, Allende declared his intention for far-reaching socialist reforms, but he remained vague on how exactly he planned to implement them. His political opponents accused him of planning to turn Chile into a Communist dictatorship, but Allende dismissed such allegations.
His award-winning movies include:
Allende co-founded Chile's [[socialism|socialist party]], and served as cabinet minister and president of the Chilean Senate.
[[1980]]: ''[[Energia Chemiczna]]'' (Chemical Energy)
==Election==
::Second Place winner at the Didactic Film Festival
[[1982]]: ''[[Troche Cybernatyki]]'' (A Bit of Cybernetics)
After running in vain for president three times, he was [[1970 Chilean presidential election|elected to the presidency]] in [[1970]] as leader of the ''Unidad Popular'' ("Popular Unity") coalition. Although he did not win a majority of the popular vote, he obtained a narrow [[plurality]] of 36% to 34% over [[Jorge Alessandri]], a former president; 27% went to a third candidate. As provided in the Chilean constitution, the national legislature had to choose between Allende and the next-highest vote-getter.
::First Place winner at the Educational Film Festival in [[Tehran]].
[[1983]]: ''[[Bioelektronika]]'' (Bioelectronics)
Even before he became president, Allende was a deeply unpopular figure within the administrations of successive [[US President]]s. Because of his socialist ideas, it was claimed there was a danger of Chile becoming a "communist state" and joining the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] sphere of influence. In addition, the [[United States]] had substantial economic interests in Chile (through [[ITT]], Anaconda, Kennecott, and other large corporations). The [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] administration in particular was the most strongly opposed to Allende, a hostility that Nixon admitted openly. During Nixon's presidency, US officials attempted to prevent Allende's election by financing political parties that opposed him. Some suspected Allende of receiving financial backing from foreign Communist groups, but this remains disputed.
::First Place winner at the Educational Film Festival in [[Lodz]].
[[1985]]: ''[[Sedlak]]''
After Allende was finally elected, the US [[CIA|Central Intelligence Agency]] ran operations in an attempt to incite Chile's outgoing president, [[Eduardo Frei Montalva|Eduardo Frei]], to veto Allende's Congressional ratification as the new president. The CIA's plan was to persuade the Chilean Congress to appoint Allende's runner-up, Conservative-Liberal Party candidate [[Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez]] as president. Under the plan, Alessandri would promptly resign his office immediately after assuming it, and call new elections. Eduardo Frei would then be constitutionally able to run again (the Chilean Constitution forbids more than two ''consecutive'' terms), and presumably easily defeat Allende. See also: [[U.S. Intervention in Chile]].
::First Place winner at the Documentary Society Film Festival.
However, in the end Congress rebuked the plan and chose to appoint Allende president, on the condition that he would sign a "Statute of Constitutional Guarantees" affirming that his socialist reforms would not undermine any element of the Chilean Constitution.
==Presidency==
After his inauguration, Allende began to carry out his platform of implementing socialist programs in Chile. Many corporations were nationalized, and a new "excess profit tax" was created. The government announced a moratorium on foreign [[debt]] payments and defaulted on debts held by international creditors and foreign governments. These moves angered middle- and upper-class elements and polarized the country.
Throughout his presidency, Allende remained at odds with the Chilean Congress, which was dominated by the [[conservative]] [[Christian Democratic Party]]. The Christian Democrats continued to allege that Allende was leading Chile toward a Cuban-style dictatorship and sought to overturn many of his more radical constitutional reforms. Some members even called for the normally apolitical Chilean military to stage a coup to "protect the constitution".
In 1971, following a month-long visit of Cuban president [[Fidel Castro]], with whom he had a close friendship, Allende announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with [[Cuba]], despite a previously established [[Organization of American States]] convention that no nation in the [[Western Hemisphere]] would do so.
Allende's increasingly aggressive socialist policies (partly a response to pressure from some of the Marxists within his coalition), combined with his close contacts with Cuba, heightened fears in Washington. The Nixon administration began exerting economic pressure on Chile via multilateral organizations, and continued to back his opponents in Congress.
==The coup==
[[Image:Allende-Pinochet.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Pinochet and Allende]]
By September 1973, high [[inflation]] and shortages had plunged the country into near chaos. On [[September 11]] of that year, the Chilean military led by [[Augusto Pinochet|General Augusto Pinochet]], staged a coup against Allende. During the capture of the [[Palacio de La Moneda|La Moneda Presidential Palace]], Allende was said by his personal doctor to have committed suicide with a submachine gun given to him by [[Fidel Castro]], although others believe he was killed in the defense of the palace.
The coup that many Chileans hoped would protect the constitution actually resulted in its destruction. Pinochet ruled, unelected, for seventeen years. His government's human rights abuses left more than three thousand Chileans dead or missing during the long period of [[dictatorship]].
In the aftermath of the coup, many Allende supporters began to allege that the president's overthrow had been the result of an US-orchestrated scheme. The [[CIA]] denies having actively supported the coup and claims that it was merely informed of it. [[Declassified]] documents indicate that the CIA had been at least supportive of a coup to overthrow Allende, though not necessarily in favour of bringing Pinochet himself to power.
==Legacy and Debate==
More than thirty years after his death, Allende remains a controversial figure. Since his life ended before his presidency, there has been much speculation as to what Chile would have been like had he been able to remain in power.
Allende's story is often cited in discussions about whether a "Communist government" has ever been elected in a democratic election. Communist sympathizers say yes, and consider Allende's plurality a mandate for communism. Anti-communists say no, saying that Allende went much farther to the left than voters could have expected.
In many western countries, Allende is seen as a hero to the more radical factions of the political [[left]]. Many view him as a [[martyr]] who died for the cause of socialism. His face has even been stylized and reproduced as a symbol of Marxism, similar to the famous images of [[Che Guevara]]. Members of the political left tend to hold the United States, specifically Henry Kissinger and the CIA, directly responsible for his death, and view him as a victim of "American Imperialism."
Members of the political right, however, tend to view Allende much less favorably. His close relationship with Fidel Castro has led many to accuse him of being a communist who was destined to eventually transform Chile into a Castro-style dictatorship. They also argue the socialist reforms he implemented while in power badly crippled the country's economy.
The unclear nature of the US involvement in the coup that deposed Allende remains a heated debate topic in the context of US conduct during the [[Cold War]]. While there were several coups in Latin America during this period, Allende's downfall remains one of the most controversial (see [[Chilean coup of 1973]]).
==Quotes about Allende==
*''"Allende is seeking the totality of power, which meant Communist tyranny disguised as the dictatorship of the proletariat."'' -- Statement from the National Assembly of the Chilean Christian Democratic party, [[May 15]], [[1973]].
*''"As for the bourgeois state, we are seeking to overcome it, to overthrow it."'' -- President Allende, speaking to French Journalist [[Regis Debray]] in 1970.
*''"Not a nut or bolt shall reach Chile under Allende. Once Allende comes to power we shall do all within our power to condemn Chile and all Chileans to utmost deprivation and poverty."'' -- [[Edward M. Korry]], US Ambassador to Chile, upon hearing of Allende's election.
*''"Of all of the leaders in the region, we considered Allende the most inimical to our interests. He was vocally pro-Castro and opposed to the United States. His internal policies were a threat to Chilean democratic liberties and human rights."'' -- [[Henry Kissinger]], ''Years of Renewal''.
*''"I don't see why we have to let a country go Marxist just because its people are irresponsible."'' -- Henry Kissinger
*''"The Popular Unity government represented the first attempt anywhere to build a genuinely democratic transition to socialism — a socialism that, owing to its origins, might be guided not by authoritarian bureaucracy, but by democratic self-rule."'' -- [[North American Council on Latin America]] (NACLA) editorial, July 2003.
==Articles about Allende/Pinochet coup d'état in Chile==
*[[Augusto Pinochet]] - took power in 1973 coup
*[[History of Chile]] - long article with section on 1970-1973 events
*[[Chilean coup of 1973]] - about the 1973 coup itself (also linked via [[1973 coup in Chile]])
*[[U.S. intervention in Chile]]
*[[1970 Chilean presidential election]]
==See also==
* [[Isabel Allende]], Salvador Allende was the uncle of the Chilean writer
==External links==
* [http://literature.rebelyouth.ca/educhile_1970s/index.html History of Chile under Salvador Allende and the Popular Unity] By: Ewin Martinez
* [http://www.remember-chile.org.uk/ Remember Chile:] General Pinochet and human rights abuses
* [http://www.salvador-allende.cl Allende Memorial Site] (in Spanish)
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[[Category:Chilean presidents]]
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