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The Socialist Republic of Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Extract

By Latin-American standards, Chile has enjoyed a remarkably stable government. Yet, there have been significant intervals of political unrest marked by violence and internal disorder. At both the beginning and the end of the nineteenth century, Liberals and Conservatives clashed in bloody battles, opening wounds that festered for many years. In the early decades of the twentieth century, the military revolted three times in the space of eight years (1924-1932) in order to promote social reform. Marmaduke Grove Vallejo figured prominently in these events, first as a participant in the January uprising of 1925, later as an opponent of the dictatorship of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, and finally as a leader of the military forces that overthrew the government of Juan Esteban Montero Rodríguez and established the Socialist Republic of Chile.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1964

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References

2 In the nineteenth century, the Conservatives differed from the Liberals mainly in religious matters. The Conservatives supported the Roman Catholic Church in politics while the Liberals were anti-clerical. For further discussion of these parties see: Vives, Alberto Edwards, La fronda aristocrática (5th ed.; Santiago: Editorial del Pacífico, S. A., 1959)Google Scholar; Amunátegui, Domingo, El progreso intelectual y político de Chile (Santiago: Editorial Nascimento, 1936)Google Scholar; Donoso, Ricardo, Desarrollo político y social de Chile desde la Constitución de 1833 (Santiago: Imprenta Universitaria, 1942)Google Scholar; and Echaiz, René León, Evolución de los partidos políticos (Santiago: Editorial Ercilla, 1939).Google Scholar

3 Chile has no elected vice-president. When the president dies, leaves the country, or is deposed in an insurrection, a minister, designated by a law of succession, becomes vice-president and rules in that capacity until elections can be held. For a discussion of this practice see: Guerra, José Guillermo, La constitución de 1925 (Santiago: Establecimientos Gráficos “Balcells and Co.,” 1929).Google Scholar

4 Vives, Alberto Edwards and Frei, Eduardo, Historia de los partidos chilenos (Santiago: Editorial del Pacífico, S. A., 1949), p. 212.Google Scholar

5 Ellsworth, P. T., Chile: An Economy in Transition (New York: Macmillan, 1945), pp. 68.Google Scholar

6 Edwards, and Frei, , Historia de los partidos chilenos, pp. 215-16.Google Scholar

7 Bravo, Alfredo Guillermo: 4 de junio; El festín de los audaces (Santiago: Empresa Letras, 1932), p. 52.Google Scholar

8 Vallejo, Marmaduke Grove, “Nuevamente en el país,” Claridad, April 7, 1938 Google Scholar; and Grove, Marmaduke, “Comandante en jefe de la Escuela Aviación,” Claridad, April 8, 1938.Google Scholar These are two of some seventy autobiographical articles which appeared in the Socialist newspaper, Claridad, in preparation for Grove's presidential candidacy in the 1938 election.

9 For a varying view on Grove's character and his reputation as a military officer see: Montero, Ramón Vergara, Por rutas extraviadas (Santiago: Imprenta Universitaria, 1933), pp. 141-43.Google Scholar Señor Vergara was Undersecretary of Aviation in the Montero government and as such, Grove's superior. Carlos Sáez M., Chief of the General Staff in 1932, evaluates Grove's personality, after a long acquaintanceship, in his three-volume work, Recuerdos de un soldado: El ejército y la política (Santiago: Biblioteca Ercilla, 1934), III, 60f. Further information was compiled in a series of interviews with three of Grove's children, Hiram, Rebecca, and Blanca Elena, all now residing in Santiago. The Chilean journalist, Mario Planet, described Grove as members of the Socialist Party knew him in the thirties and forties.

10 Cámara de Senadores, Boletín de las sesiones ordinarias, I, May 23, 1934, p. 93 and June 11, 1934, p. 283. The meetings are also discussed in Donoso, Ricardo, Akssandri, agitador y demoledor (Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1954) II, 78.Google Scholar One of the important events to come out of these early gatherings was the refusal of the University of Chile's Federation of Students to participate. They declined on the grounds that they had no confidence in professional politicians.

11 Cámara de Senadores, Boletín de las sesiones ordinarias, I, May 23, 1934, 93.

12 Bravo, 4 de junio: El festín de los audaces, pp. 71-82.

13 Cámara de Senadores, Boletín de las sesiones ordinarias, I, May 23, 1934, p. 95.

14 Bravo, 4 de junio: El festín de hs audaces, pp. 25-30.

15 Grove, Marmaduke, “Los días que precedieron al 4 de junio,” Claridad, April 10, 1938.Google Scholar

16 Donoso, , Alessandri, agitador y demoledor, II, 82.Google Scholar

17 Vallejo, Jorge Grove, Descorriendo el velo (Valparaíso: Imprenta “Aurora de Chile,” 1934), pp. 910 Google Scholar; and Grove, Marmaduke, “Los días que precedieron al 4 de junio,” Claridad, April 12, 1938.Google Scholar

18 Latorre, Manuel Aranguiz, El 4 de junio (Santiago: Empresa Zig-Zig, 1933), pp. 1112. Señor Aranguiz was the private secretary to President Juan Esteban Montero.Google Scholar

19 Sáez, , Recuerdos de un soldado, III, 131-43.Google Scholar

20 Vergara, Ramón, Por rutas extraviadas, pp. 102-04.Google Scholar

21 Grove, Marmaduke, Claridad, April 12, 1938 and “El 4 de junio,” Claridad, April 13, 1938.Google Scholar

22 Vergara, Ramón, Por rutas extraviadas, pp. 100-02.Google Scholar

23 Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 13, 1938.

24 Vergara, Ramón, Por rutas extraviadas, pp. 113-15.Google Scholar

25 Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 13, 1938.

26 Marmaduke Grove, “Alessandri y el 4 de junio,” Claridad, April 14, 1938.

27 Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 14, 1938; and Sáez, Recuerdos de un soldado, III, 152.

28 Latorre, Aranguiz, El 4 de junio, p. 24.Google Scholar

29 Sáez, , Recuerdos de un soldado, III, 166.Google Scholar

30 Latorre, Aranguiz, El 4 de junio, pp. 2741 Google Scholar; and El Mercurio, June 5, 1932.

31 This meeting is discussed in Donoso, Ricardo, Alessandri, agitador y demoledor; Aranguiz Latorre, El 4 de junio, pp. 45-7Google Scholar; Sáez, , Recuerdos de un soldado, III, 168 Google Scholar; and Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 14, 1938.

32 Grove, Jorge, Descorriendo el velo, p. 19 Google Scholar; Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 14, 1938; and Latorre, Aranguiz, El 4 de junio, pp. 4650.Google Scholar

33 Marmaduke Grove, “La República Socialista,” Claridad, April 15, 1938.

34 El Mercurio, June 5, 1932.

35 de Chile, Banco Central, Boletín Mensual, 1932, Boletín No. 52, June 30, 1932, p. 120.Google Scholar

36 Marmaduke Grove, Claridad, April 15, 1938 and El Mercurio, June 6, 1932.

37 Contrataría General de la República, Secretaría General, Recopilación de Decretos Leyes, 1932.

38 Cámara de Senadores. Boletín de las sesiones ordinarias, I, June 11, 1934, 281.

39 Ibid.; and El Mercurio, June 6, 1932. The law was revoked after Grove's junta fell.

40 El Mercurio, June 6, 1932.

41 Ibid.

42 El Mercurio, June 7, 1932.

43 El Mercurio, June 17, 1932.

44 Marmaduke Grove, “La República Socialista de Chile,” Claridad, April 17, 1938; and El Mercurio, June 17, 1932.

45 El Mercurio, June 17, 1932; and Marmaduke Grove, “La República Socialista,” Claridad, April 18, 1938.

46 Marmaduke Grove, “16 de junio de 1932,” Claridad, April 19, 1938; El Mercurio, June 17, 1932; and Anónimo, ¿Por Qué Cayó Grove? (Santiago: Talleres gráficos La Nación, n.d.), pp. 6-7.

47 Alberto Cabero, “16 de junio de 1932,” El Mercurio, June 16, 1934.

48 Contraloría General de la República, Recopilación de Decretos Leyes, 1932.

49 El Mercurio, June 18, 1932.