WI: Soviets support Allende's Chile

So the Soviet Union mostly ignored Allende's Chile despite Allende seeking to establish strong relations between Chile and the Soviet Union. I've read a few off-hand remarks by commentators that if the Soviet Union had sent aid to Chile from the start of Allende's regime (he was elected in 1970), Chile's economy wouldn't have collapsed and Allende wouldn't have been murdered in '73.

So WI the Soviets had sent significant aid to Allende and established strong trade-links with the new friendly government of Chile? Would a stronger Chilean economy allow Allende to resist both internal rightists and the CIA? Would strong Soviet involvement provoke a stronger reaction from the USA? (And how could the USA react more strongly? From what I've read, they seem to have done everything bar send the Marines in OTL.) How might a strong Soviet reaction effect the rest of Latin America?

fasquardon
 
So the Soviet Union mostly ignored Allende's Chile despite Allende seeking to establish strong relations between Chile and the Soviet Union. I've read a few off-hand remarks by commentators that if the Soviet Union had sent aid to Chile from the start of Allende's regime (he was elected in 1970), Chile's economy wouldn't have collapsed and Allende wouldn't have been murdered in '73.

So WI the Soviets had sent significant aid to Allende and established strong trade-links with the new friendly government of Chile? Would a stronger Chilean economy allow Allende to resist both internal rightists and the CIA? Would strong Soviet involvement provoke a stronger reaction from the USA? (And how could the USA react more strongly? From what I've read, they seem to have done everything bar send the Marines in OTL.) How might a strong Soviet reaction effect the rest of Latin America?

fasquardon

It would have been worse, because now the US would be justified in overthrowing him...
 
It would have been worse, because now the US would be justified in overthrowing him...

How could it be worse ? Overthrowing someone because they are the friend of someone is not easier to justify than overthrowing someone because he in't your friend. If the Soviet were friendly maybe they would have been able to help in the intelligence department and Allende would have survived the coup.
 
It would have been worse, because now the US would be justified in overthrowing him...

A country getting economic aid from someone is justification for overthrowing the government?

That could lead us to a very interesting side-discussion!

But instead, let us please keep focused on how the world (and Chile) would have been different if the Soviets had actually aided Allende. Like what exactly would have been worse in Chile or South America if there had been real Soviet interest?

I would have thought it either strengthen Allende or strengthen the putschists in a way that would make this better for Chile (due to one or the other having greater legitimacy).

If the Soviet were friendly maybe they would have been able to help in the intelligence department and Allende would have survived the coup.

One of the reasons for the coup was the melt-down of the Chilean economy - it made Allende deeply unpopular (so unpopular that he was on course to lose the next election by a landslide). So I don't see the KGB (or Cuban intelligence) helping very much against CIA shenanigans. But I do think that CIA shenanigans would have been much less effective without a bad economy wrecking Allende.

fasquardon
 
I once read the USA had considered offering weapons (say, F-4 fighters) to Argentina at a discount as a way to put military pressure on Allende. If Allende remains in power, expect the Americans to instigate the Argentine military to attack Chile. Peron wouldn't bite, and I don't think such a plan would work before he returns to Argentina. But once Peron dies... think the Iran-Iraq war but without oil and with a mountain range in between.
 
How could it be worse ? Overthrowing someone because they are the friend of someone is not easier to justify than overthrowing someone because he in't your friend. If the Soviet were friendly maybe they would have been able to help in the intelligence department and Allende would have survived the coup.

I mean, the US would been seen as more justified than OTL due to Allende actually being assisted by the Soviets, and thus easier to portray as a Soviet stooge...
He wouldn't be seen as much as a victim of American imperialism as he was OTL...
 
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