Allende en las calles de Melbourne - Australia

Lienzo de Allende en las paredes de la Central de los Trabajadores (Trades Hall) de Melbourne-Australia, junto al monolito de homenaje a los Trabajadores que han perdido su vida en el trabajo.

Allende in Victoria Trades Hall Council...


Los esperamos en las celebraciones y homenajes que se están programando en Australia, si esta en Melbourne, presione aqui

We look forward to see you in the Salvador Allende Centenary activities of tribute and Celebrations in Australia...if you are in Melbourne click here

Salvador Allende and Hugo Chavez:

Similarities and Differences on the "National Road to Socialism"
by JAMES PETRAS, May 2008

I have known and advised three left wing president including President Papandreou (Greece 1981-85), President Salvador Allende of Chile (1970-73) and President Hugo Chavez.

Both Allende and Chavez share many strategic goals and embrace policies favoring the working class, peasantry and the urban poor. They also pursued programs regaining national control over the strategic sectors of the economy, redistributing land (agrarian reform), reallocating budgetary expenditures in favor of social programs for the poor and pursuing independent anti-imperialist foreign policies.

In broad historical and sociological terms, they also share a common belief in constitutional, electoral processes, in a multi-party system, a mixed economy and independent trade unions, business and civic associations.

Despite the convergences and similarities between Allende and Chave, there are important political differences, which account for their different trajectories. Chavez proceeded toward political change before undertaking a deep socio-economic structural transformatio, thus creating a solid constitutional and political framework. Allende, on the other hand, accepted the existing political system and proceeded to implement radical socio-economic changes. As a result, Allende constantly faced political blockages, institutional obstacles that limited his capacity to realize the full potential of the structural changes. In contrast, Chavez' political reforms led to the compatibility between political institutions and socio-economic change – minimizing opposition obstructionism.

Secondly Allende's government lasted less than 3 years, while Chavez has governed for nearly a decade and is still very popular. The military coup in Chile in September 1973 destroyed the Popular Unity Government and the military dictatorship lasted 15 years (until 1989). In Venezuela, a military coup (April 11-12 2002 lasted 48 hours before it was defeated and Chavez was restored to power. The reason why the coup succeeded in Chile and failed in Venezuela was because Chavez had built a substantial loyalist base among military and developed a strategic alliance between the military-popular masses, while Allende mistakenly trusted the so-called 'professionalism' of the military. Both Allende and Chavez faced 'bosses' lockouts', attempts by the capitalist class to shut down the economy in order to foment discontent and overthrow the government. In both countries the mass of workers, technicians and some managers intervened to support the government. However, while Allend
e returned the majority of the factories to their capitalist owners, Chavez fired 15,000 managers and supervisors who led the lock-out and replaced them with loyalists. Similarly while Allende allowed the rightwing generals to purge loyalist military officers in the run-up to the coup, Chavez expelled and jailed military officers after the failed coup.

In other words, Chavez is a political realist who understood better than Allende the limits of bourgeois democracy, was willing to use the prerogatives of executive power to defend popular democratic rule against its internal oligarchic and external imperial enemies.

Chavez sees the revolutionary democratic and socialist transition process based on institutional and popular power organized through mass organizations. Allende saw socialist change principally through the established institutions and minimized the role of popular power institutions – creating a constant tension between the political parties and the community councils.

Chavez and Allende opposed US imperialism, its wars (Vietnam in the 1960-1970's), Iraq and Afghanistan (today). But Chavez' foreign policy is much more pro-active, in promoting Latin American integration via ALBA, Banco Sur and bilateral trade and arms agreements with China, Russia, Iran, Brazil and Argentina. Allende looked more to the Andean Pact, the non-aligned movement and links with social democratic European regimes like Sweden and Germany. As a result Chavez has been more successful in isolating and defeating Washington diplomatically than Allende with his constant effort to conciliate with the US.

The political paradox is that the Allende government, based primarily on self-identified 'Marxist' parties and trade unions, never achieved hegemony over the majority of the masses (especially poor women) while President Chavez has established Chavista majorities in 12 national and local elections and referendums.

During his tenure in office President Allende represented his time – a clear democratic-socialist alternative to US-controlled client regimes. Even today the establishment of worker-controlled factories, popular neighborhood councils and popular power under Allende, serve as important reference points for the present transition to socialism in Venezuela. But President Chavez has gone much further and deeper in some areas of social transformation: He has introduced popular militias, decentralized the budgetary expenditures to local neighborhood councils and organized a unified mass socialist party, to avoid the intra-party conflicts which plagued the multi-party coalition of the Allende Government.

Conclusion

While there are important historical continuities between the democratic socialism of Allende and the 21st century socialism of Chavez, and both reflect important milestones on the road to national liberation, it is clear that Chavez, much more than Allende sees the clear and decisive importance of building a mass base for popular power outside of the strictly electoral parliamentary arena. Where Allende mistakenly idealized Chile's bourgeois democratic institutions, attributing to them a classless character, Chavez combines the democratic norms of electoral politics with the need to build independent organizations of class power. History has demonstrated, at least so far, that Chavez' realism has been much more effective in gaining and retaining popular power.than Allende's idealism

James Petras website: http://petras.lahaine.org

Salvador Allende Centenary 1908 - 2008

Activities in Melbourne Australia
(Castellano/Spanish below)

download Poster/flyer

2008 marks the centenary of Salvador Allende’s birth. Celebrations of his legacy will take place around the world by various social, cultural, political and grassroots organisations.

Salvador Allende Gossens (June 26 1908 - September 11 1973) was President of Chile from 1970 to 1973. He died in the Presidential Palace during the brutal military coup which installed a military dictatorship in Chile, supported by the CIA and USA Government on September 11, 1973 using torture, exile, disappeared and killed thousands of people during 17 years of Pinochet dictatorship rule.

Allende dedicated his life to the cause of poor and indigenous people in Chile, Latin America and the World.

Thursday June 26, 2008
12-2PM, Tribute to Salvador Allende, at Melbourne Trades Hall Allende's plaque
Speakers already confirmed:

Bill Davis, former Secretary Plumbers Union
Kevin Braken - Secretary MUA Victoria Branch
David Mier - ETU
Nelson Davila - Venezuelan Charge D'Affairs in Australia
Dave Kerin - Union Solidarity
Barry Carr - Professor from Latin American Studies Institute from LaTrobe University
Chilean Community representative
Joseph Caputo - Mayor of Moreland City Council
and others...

Jeannie Lewis, Singer song-writer

6:30PM
, A Toast to Allende’s legacy and Film Documentary
at Trades Hall

Trades Hall, corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton

Friday June 27, 2008

7:00pm till late, a celebration night in the Coburg Town Hall, with Latin bands, song writers, folkloric dance groups and more. And MC by Rod Quantock, and the participation of the Australian song writer Jeannie Lewis an important supporter and partipant of the Solidarity with the Chilean people .


Also an ongoing campaign "to name a street Salvador Allende in Melbourne, your signature is needed, if you want a petition for signatures just give as a call or write to our e-mail salvadorallende100years@gmail.com

Organised by:
"100 Years" Salvador Allende Centenary Collective - Melbourne
Further info call Marisol 0400 914 944 or Mario 0417 507 108
E-mail: Salvadorallende100years@gmail.com

Supported by:
Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET), Chilean Popular and Indigenous Network, Bautista Van Showen Collective, Chilean Socialist Party “Ernesto Manuel Moreno” Branch, Salvador Allende Chilean Socialist Party Group, Socialist Party Australia, 3CR Community Radio, Australian Metal Workers Union (AMWU), Union Solidarity, Moreland City Council...and more

Visit our blog for future updates and info about Salvador Allende and the centanary activities around the world http://salvadorallendecentenarioenmelbourne.blogspot.com/