Why did some feminists side with Pinochet during Chile's CIA coup?

[☭World Views]

It doesn't make much sense to me.

The only thing I can think of is that reactionary groups in Chile told merchants to deliberately hoard items such as cotton, alcoholic beverages, etc. and the right wing military blocked Allende's economic measures and that may have demoralized the women that weren't class conscious and they blamed it on Allende's policies.

But machismo and discrimination were much greater during Pinochet's rule, so wtf?

[gorillafuck]

Can you provide a link to anything about feminists siding with Pinochet? I've never heard that.

[What Would Durruti Do?]

I think you answered your own question. Upper class women who provided for themselves and their families weren't able to live the comfortable lives they were used to thanks to the hoarding of goods by reactionary forces which they interpreted as being the fault of the socialist government.

[RadioRaheem84]

I believe you're talking about the March of Pots in Vina and Santiago. Well that movement was really about how the Allende Administration was under siege by forces outside of the own nation (blockades, etc.). This made inflation rise to new heights unseen in Chile's history and many were out of work. There were hundreds of protests against the Allende administration during this time. Allende just did too much with so many enemies by his side in the Chilean Congress. Chileans (my family is from there) just aren't that left wing, never were and never will be. They were not for the collectivization of lands, stuffing the administration with known Stalinists, and other things that Allende did too soon in office. Women especially did not like what was going on and marched out on the streets banging on pots and pans wanting work, food and other opportunities.

This turbulent time gave Pinochet the opportunity to launch a coup and take over Chile. Allende messed up the opportunity to turn Chile around and did too many things that compromised his position in a very conservative traditional country.

[blake 3:17]

The Pots and Pans movement was taken up by right wing anti-socialist women protesting economic deprivation from the almost revolution in Chile. In the 80s this same kind of protest was taken up by anti-fascist women protesting against the Pinochet regime.

I think very few saw themselves as feminist. Right wing women's groups (as well as some left or feminist ones) often present very conservative pictures of what womanhood means -- in this case feeding the family.

Many of the participants in the anti-Pinochet women's movements didn't know that the orginal pots and pans were anti-socialist. It had become part of a national mythology as a symbol of women's resistance.

I learnt most of this stuff from Taking Back the Streets: Women, Youth, and Direct Democracy by anarchist historian Temma Kaplan. Poetic descriptions of social memory/amnesia have been abused by many folks in academia, but this one is pretty interesting.

[gorillafuck]

Chileans (my family is from there) just aren't that left wing, never were and never will be.
Honestly, what kind of thing to say is that?

Also, if they're incapable of being that left wing, why did they elect a Marxist?

[RadioRaheem84]

Allende won with a broad coalition. He wasn't openly Marxist I don't believe til later in office. The Chilean Congress repeatedly charged him with shredding the Chilean constitution with his reforms.

Most of my family is spread out between working class to upper middle and all of them are either right ir centre-left. Bachelet's Socialism is akin to Tony Blair's New Labour. I just don't think the majority of the Chilean people were ever open to Marxism.

From non-partisan Chileans you will get a mixed reaction about Allende and Pinochet. On the one hand they'll complain of having to wait in long lines for bread during the Allende days, while Pinochet forced the stores to stay open and sell their goods at gunpoint (during coup). On the other hand they'll complain that Pinochet sold some Chilean owned companies to foreigners who booted the workers out. It's a mixed bag; Pinochet was a tyrant but he kept the streets safe, type of stuff. Most complain now of the rising deliquency and low job stability.