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Chile 1971: A Revolutionary Government within a Welfare State*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

Extract

THE CHILEAN REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIENCE HAS MORE THAN enough characteristics to arouse admiration amongst those who support it and astonishment or scepticism among everyone else. A rapid glance backwards is enough to establish that their non-institutional legitimation is a factor common to practically all revolutions, ancient or modern. To such a point that political theory has devised the category of revolutionuy legitimation in order to compare it with other (religious, dynastic, historical, democratic etc.) categories. Revolutionary movements have always sought justification of their raison d'être in the causes or goals which have motivated them. Usually these goals have been in conflict with those forming the bases of the pre-existing system of political institutions. Hence revolution seems to be associated with conflict against institutionalism, and the triumph of the revolution seems to have involved the institutional collapse of the former regime.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Government and Opposition Ltd 1972

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References

1 ‘Primer mensaje al Congreso’ in Allende, Salvador: Nuestro Camino al Socialismo, La Via Chilena, Buenos Aires, Ed. Papiro, 1971, p. 36.Google Scholar

2 Declaration by the National Secretariat of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left, Santiago, 8 November 1971.

3 Allende, Salvador, Nuestro Camino al Socialismo, op. cit., pp. 87–8Google Scholar, Inaugural speech at the eighth International Fair at Talca, 6 March 1971.

4 Speech by R. Morales Adriasola in the Audax Club, 13 January 1971.

5 The National Party constitutionally impeached the Minister of Justice in January 1971; the Minister of Labour on 10 March; the Minister of Economy, on 7 September.

6 The draft law of the Three Areas and workers' participation was signed by President Allende, 19 October 1971.