How "Communist" was Salvador Allende?

Great Debates
1

I know President Salvador Allende of Chile (1970-1973) was a “democratically elected Marxist”, but his detractors point to close friendship and relations with Fidel Castro as evidence that he was creating “another Cuba”. But I always thought he was more like Sweden’s Olaf Palme in his politics, a neutral social democrat.

Anyway, had he not been violently deposed, would he have interfered with Chile’s next election? Would he have stepped down if he lost an an election? Or was he setting up a Castro-like “electoral” system.

And in all fairness, while we now know of all the murders and 'dissapearances" blamed on Pinochet, did anything remotely similar happen on Allende’s watch?

Did Chile militarily ally with the Warsaw Pact from 1970-1973?

And while he was connected to Castro, and earlier Che Guevara, did Allende have cordial relations to other Communist leaders? Also 1970-1973 were peak years in the Vietnam/Indochina conflict. Did Chile have role there at all? How about involvement in Central America?

Mainly, my questions have less to do with whether Allende was a faithful Marxist-Leninist in his economic policies than whether he was involved in the worldwide Communist bloc - or headed to such an alliance.

2

He was communist enough to run on a platform of nationalising Chiles then biggest export earner, the IT&T owned copper mines, and that is what led the head of that company to inform the US pres that Allende was a threat to US strategic resources, hence the US run coup.

Mind you, the US didn’t seem to mind at all when Sadat nationalised the Suez and the British, French with help from Israel decided to try stop him.

3

He was definitely a Marxist, from what I recall of my studies. However, he was also committed to a democratic government, and if voted out, I highly doubt he would have staged a coup-if he was going to do so, he would have done so before he was overthrown. He was urged to declare marshal law, IIRC, but refused, because that would not be in accordance with the will of the people.

It’s been awhile though, since my Latin American course, so I don’t remember that much. I’ll look it up.