Born July 26, 1908
Valparaiso, Chile
Died September 11, 1973
Santiago, Chile

Former president of Chile Salvador Allende.

Salvador Allende became Chile’s first democratically elected Socialist president in November 1970. Allende immediately undertook a series of social reforms aimed at improving the standards of living for Chile’s impoverished majority. For his actions Allende was revered by Chile’s workers and peasants, yet he was hated by the upper and middle classes, industrialists, and international businesspeople. On September 11, 1973, the Chilean armed forces, with the backing of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, staged a bloody coup. They toppled the Allende government and instated a military dictatorship with General Augusto Pinochet at the helm.

Radical politics a family tradition

Salvador Allende was born on July 26, 1908, in Valparaiso, in central Chile. Allende received an early education in progressive politics from several members of his family. His grandfather had been...