La relación de Latinoamérica y los Estados Unidos desde la visión de Salvador Allende Gossens

Abstract

There is little doubt that the United States have long had –and do still have– a large economic and political influence upon virtually any corner of the world. Such an influence is especially visible in the Latin American case due to this region’s geopolitical position. Therefore, the US influence on Latin America constitutes an interesting subject of study that is worth analysing from the perspective of different disciplines and approaches. Moreover, the interest of the Latin American case to understand the extent of the US influence beyond its borders can be appreciated if we take into account the latter’s present attitude to Third World countries, as well as the controversy generated by the recently-released news about the US intervention in Chile between 1970 and 1973. This article deals with the US influence on Chile (1970-73) as seen by Salvador Allende –i.e. the former President of Chile– in the speeches he made during his long and prolific life, some of which where delivered at the Chilean Senado. The interest of the President’s testimony stems from Allende’s centrality to Chilean history and how representative his words are of the time of conflict Allende’s Chile went through. These speeches state some of the causes and consequences of the interaction among the Latin American states and the Northern power –i.e. the US administration and US interests in the area–, which in most cases Latin American cannot escape.