The case of Chile goes far beyond national and regional boundaries in terms of international significance. For one thing, it became (and still is, to a lesser degree) a cause celehre of the international Left, something to get worked up about, a suitable hate symbol, a worthy addition to a long line of emotive issues, of which the most celebrated was perhaps the Spanish Civil War, but which has also included McCarthyism, Vietnam, and (now) El Salvador.
About ten years ago, on September 11, 1973, a group of high-ranking officers, led by General Augusto Pinochet, ousted the civilian government of Salvador Allende. Such occurrences are commonplace in Latin America. However, this one has distinctive features.
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