Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pre Reading:
Tito Mundt: Las banderas olvidades:
Ibanez izquierdista
- Pg95: despite saying he would not side with the right, Ibañez appeared to mix with
Herrera, who had marked fascists tendancies.
La VPS acerca al PS
- Pg96: Gonzalez, head of the VPS, in 1939 moved towards the left, specifically the
communist party.
- Gonzalez led this faction on the left as he was a great orator + leader.
La libreta de Raul Marín
- Pg97: Describes fall of Ibañez?
El golpe de Ariosto Herrera
- Pg98: Herrera declares he wants to créate similar situation in Chile to Franco in
Spain. Ibañez takes refuge in Praguayan embassay.
- Coup fails and Ibañez fails to seize power of Cerda.
- Left are victorious at La Moneda
Todo Chile de uniforme:
- Pg99: By 1939, Chile was very militarised, with youth either siding with left or right
paramilitary groups.
En plena guerra mundial:
- Pg100: Germans and Allies both had influence over Chilean press, but Allies had big o
fan advantage according to the text.
La conspiración contra don Pedro:
- Pg106: extreme right-wing press tried to make Cerda and other Frente Popular
leaders appear as criminals.
En medio de la guerra:
- Pg106: Allies controled 99% of the press in Chile.
- Autor is not happy about this.
El Movimiento Nacionalista de Izquierda:
- Pg107: Guillermo Izquierdo – head of movement
La muerte de Don Pedro:
- First effective president of the left.
- Died whilst in presidency
El golpe que pretendió dar Jorge Gonzalez:
- Pg109: Gonzalez, realising Ibañez had lost stated that coup was the only way to
regain power – prevent Rios from becoming president.
La USSR en Santiago:
- Pg110: With Videla as president, USSR visited Chile for the first time in 1947.
Lo que me dijo Evita Duarte:
- Pg111: In Argentina, it was not communism that the majority of the workers
supported, but argentinismo, popularismo + nacionalismo.
Dos presidentes en calzoncillos:
- Pg114: Mundt describes Ibañez in very flattering terms
Juan Antonio y los comunistas:
- Pg115: Mundt describes Juan Antonio Rios as very radical
FRENTE POPULAR
- Política de adapacion
- Grupo muy aislando
- Poco capacidad de alianza
- Notorio
- Enemigo principal, secundario
- Abandonando política como una lucha soliteria – como y con quien van a luchar’
- Influencia de la presencia de Lennin / Satlin.
- Socialista – mas pragmática. Pragmatismo del PC a entrar popularismo de Ibanez.
Begins by mentioning the "Frente Popular," an antifascist political strategy from 1935
associated with the Comintern and used in countries like France, Spain, and Chile.
It then mentions a political alliance in Chile in 1936 involving several political parties,
including PC (Communist Party), PS (Socialist Party), PD (Democratic Party), CTCh
(Christian Workers' Party), PRS (Radical Social Party), and PR (Radical Party).
The mention of the Chillán earthquake in 1939 indicates a significant natural disaster
during this period.
The latter part of the text appears to discuss the challenges of historical research and
the need for accuracy in historical data. It mentions that historical information may
not always be precise, and historians should strive for impartiality and balance in
their interpretations.
The text raises concerns about the imprecision inherent in recalling historical
events, emphasizing the idea that memories should not be treated as entirely
accurate recollections. It highlights the potential for errors, bias, and
subjective perspectives when relying on memories to understand the past.
It acknowledges that memories serve more as a means to illustrate or depict
the atmosphere of a particular era from the viewpoint of a witness. However, it
also acknowledges that the same historical period can be described differently
by different witnesses, emphasizing the subjectivity of memory.
The text briefly mentions the surprising support for a candidate named Ibáñez
and alludes to electoral practices in Chile, suggesting that these practices
might have been unconventional or noteworthy during that time.
It delves into a discussion about international influence, specifically
mentioning the Comintern (International Communist) and its role in the
struggle against capitalism and Nazism. The text highlights the Comintern's
dissolution as a strategic move to dispel suspicions that communism aimed to
destroy capitalism.
The shift in strategy is emphasized, moving away from direct confrontation
with all perceived enemies and adopting a more pragmatic approach. This
change involved forming alliances based on shared interests, especially
against common adversaries.
The text underscores the significance of these alliances and how they played a
pivotal role in shaping political dynamics during that era. It suggests that this
shift led to a departure from an isolated and dogmatic approach, enabling a
more nuanced assessment of the political landscape and the formation of
strategic partnerships.
LECTURE 9:
Pre-reading: Chile entre dos Alessandri – Olvarría
- Pg331: Frente Popular was a coalition of left-winged parties.
- Frente popular, according to Olvarría, disregarded what Comintern might think – not
looking towards USSR.
- Pg333: election of Coquimbo was turning point for Frente Popular, as it was
traditionally a conservative constituency, but was won by the left.
- Pg334-335: uses some kind of analogy between military coup and the role of his
mother in the household? – his mum died during this time?
- Pg336: Faivovich ignored pact between Olvarría and some others – for this reason
Olvarría did not get elected as deputy?
- Pg338: Alessandri approached Olvarría to agree to a unified left candidate in order to
prevent Gustavo Ross from become president.
- Pg339: describes power struggle between Cerda and Rios – cerda liberal and Rios
more radical
- Describes that Cerda beaten by Rios. Begs the question how did Cerda become
president?
- Says that with Marmaduke Grove and socialists intervention Cerda was voted for –
communists and frentists had no other choice but to agree – Cerda was elected
president on 17th April. Olvarría clearly communist – describes it as one of the most
contradictory moments in political history
- Pg347: Olvarría states that Cerda was the most prudent man to speak – suggests
respects him as a politician despite differing ideology.
- Pg350: Ibanez ran for election alongside Cerda and Gustavo Ross. Ibanez was
supported by the Chilean Nazis.
- Pg353: attempted coup by Nazis in 1938? Huge forcé in response – some blame
cabinerots and some blame Alessandri – did he say ‘’matarlos a todos’ – pg354
- Pg354: Ibanez detained and campaign ruined by failed putsch. Massacre of the
obreros.
- Pg358: results of the election: Cerda – 222.720, Ross – 218.609, dispersos/nulos/en
blanco – 2.559
- Pg362: ends up as minister of justice – Olvarría – of Cerda’s goverment.
Stalin's Efforts to Prevent German Invasion: Stalin, like the Soviet Union,
made efforts to prevent the German invasion of the Soviet Union. This
included attempting to establish alliances with the Western Front to counter
the German threat.
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression
treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, was a significant
development. It allowed Germany to focus on Western Front countries without
worrying about the Eastern Front. The pact had some secret clauses that
involved the division of certain regions, including Finland, the Baltic countries,
and part of Poland.
Impact on International Leftist Movements: The pact led to confusion and
criticism within the international leftist movements. Communist parties
worldwide had to adjust their positions. Some critics saw it as the Soviet Union
aligning with Nazi Germany, which was contrary to their previous stance of
opposing fascism.
Chilean Communist Party: The Chilean Communist Party's position shifted,
starting with neutrality. However, once the Soviet Union was invaded by
Germany, there was a rapid shift in the party's stance to support the Soviet
Union.
Pressure on Chile: The United States exerted pressure on Chile to break its
relations with Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan). The process of Chile
breaking these relations was slow, partially due to strategic reasons and the
influence of the local German community.
Rupture of Relations: Chile eventually announced the rupture of relations
with the Axis powers in January 1943. This decision followed discussions with
neighboring countries, and it included promises of military assistance and
economic aid from the United States.
Criticism of Chile's Position: Chile's handling of its relationship with Axis
powers faced criticism, with many questioning the government's clarity and
decisiveness in its position regarding the war.