A Military Coup Overthrows Salvador Allende

On 11 September 1973, Chilean military forces launched a coordinated assault against the government of Salvador Allende, culminating in an attack on the presidential palace, La Moneda, in Santiago. Allende, who had been democratically elected in 1970 as the head of the left-wing Popular Unity coalition, refused offers of safe passage into exile. During the fighting, he delivered a final radio address declaring his intention to stay in the palace. He died inside the building later that day, an event generally accepted as suicide though the circumstances have remained disputed. The violent takeover brought an abrupt end to Chile's long-standing presidential republic, which had preserved constitutional continuity and regular elections since 1932.

The coup concluded months of escalating political deadlock and severe economic distress. Allende had initially taken office after winning a narrow 36.6 percent plurality in the 1970 election, requiring ratification by the National Congress. The United States feared the emergence of a functioning socialist administration in the hemisphere. Through the Central Intelligence Agency's Track I operation, American officials had tried to sway the 1970 congressional vote against Allende, and the CIA later funneled millions of dollars to opposition parties. Simultaneously, Allende faced severe domestic friction. By 1973, the government was covering a large budget deficit by printing money, and annual inflation had climbed into the hundreds of percent, eroding real wages. A truckers strike in October 1972, soon joined by shopkeepers and professional associations, paralyzed much of the economy for weeks, and a second truckers strike began in July 1973.