The Cuban Revolution and the ideological challenge of the "Chilean Road to Socialism" (1959-1973)

Through a wide range of unpublished sources (diplomatic files from MINREX and inter-views conducted both in Cuba and Chile), this article reflects on the Cuban interpretation of the "Chilean Path to Socialism" embodied by Salvador Allende, who was president between 1970 and 1973. By examining commentary and reports, this paper shows that Cuban interest in the feasibility of Chile's non-armed route to power predated the UP electoral victory, stretching back to the early 1960s. The path taken by Allende and part of the Chilean left appeared to contradict the features of the Cuban revolutionary narrative, which was shaped by the island's insurrectional past. A certain pessimism about the chances of success of the "Chilean path" prevailed in Cuba, confirmed by Pinochet's 1973 coup d'etat.