The bloody overthrow of the democratically- elected socialist
government of Dr. Salvador Allende in Chile by the military junta in September 11,
1973 continues to be one of the most blatant cases of political
repression and the violation of human rights. Images of the coup are still hauntingly captivating, reflecting a looming betrayal and fall of Shakespearean proportion.
Marxist regimes of the 20th century have left us
with a painful legacy of dictatorship, mind control, and economic failure. In retrospect, it is also true that the rise of Marxist hegemony was often used as scare tactic to justify military dictatorships during the Cold War and in pursuance of the strategy of containment.
Allende tried to experiment with the idea of socialism with a human face. Whether he was on the right track, democratic processes should have been allowed to act as the final arbiter of his presidency. Instead, brutal forces were unleashed to sabotage Allende’s legal government. A coup d'etat was staged and the presidential palace was bombarded. Allende died, democracy was wounded and Santiago’s soccer stadium was turned into a venue for torturing and killing students, workers, and intellectuals.
Allende tried to experiment with the idea of socialism with a human face. Whether he was on the right track, democratic processes should have been allowed to act as the final arbiter of his presidency. Instead, brutal forces were unleashed to sabotage Allende’s legal government. A coup d'etat was staged and the presidential palace was bombarded. Allende died, democracy was wounded and Santiago’s soccer stadium was turned into a venue for torturing and killing students, workers, and intellectuals.
Allende’s last presidential speech still resonates forty
years later:
Placed in a historic transition, I will pay for loyalty to
the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seed
which we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of
Chileans will not be shriveled forever.
They have strength and will be able to dominate us, but
social processes can be arrested neither by crime nor force.
* Khavaran is a cemetery located in Tehran. It is the site of unmarked mass grave for thousands of political prisoners executed during 1988 mass execution.
http://www.irantribunal.com/index.php/en/
* Khavaran is a cemetery located in Tehran. It is the site of unmarked mass grave for thousands of political prisoners executed during 1988 mass execution.
http://www.irantribunal.com/index.php/en/
Intellectuals, and students are the solution, not the problem. When you create diversity in government, you, in fact, insure the government against corruption. No wonder dictatorships are intolerant of divergence.
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