Sweezy on Chile; Reply

Abstract

In the January 1972 issue of Monthly Review Paul Sweezy has a piece, "Chile: Advance or Retreat?" He begins by quoting over two pages from an article, "The Masses Begin to Take the Initiative," by Hector Benavides. Benavides warns against the strategy of "consolidation" which is gaining increasing currency among the ranks of the Unidad Popular(UP). The "changes effected to date are changes within the capitalist system," so "consolidation" at this point means consolidating capitalism and, hence, closing the door on socialism. The conclusion drawn by Benavides is that the government must step up the pace of structural reform or "be left behind by the organized masses as they advance." Sweezy says this analysis was "fully confirmed by what I was able to observe in Chile during the second half of October," and goes one step further: "Allende has already made his decision…for consolidation" (i.e., reformism). This conclusion seems to me to be hasty and incorrect. I would like to discuss what appear to me to be the central weaknesses in Sweezy's and Benavides's argument.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.