“We are the legitimate heirs of the fathers of the Fatherland": the left and the con-struction of the republican and national discourse of the Chilean road to socialism (1936-1973)

Abstract

This paper addresses the historical development of the dis-courses and symbols that shaped the republican and national ideology around the political project known as the "Chilean road to socialism" promoted by the Popular Unity (UP) gov-ernment. The hypothesis argues that this ideology played a fundamental role in the process of ideological entrenchment and democratic legitimacy that contributed to the triumph of the left-wing parties in 1970. On the one hand, this ideology allowed the UP to fit in with the atmosphere of cultural na-tionalism of the period. On the other, it served to justify the democratic and institutional possibilities of the Chilean revo-lution. The analysis follows the development of these ideas in the Communist and Socialist parties between 1936 and 1973, paying attention to the particularities, common elements and divergences registered in the debate of both organisations. This period began with the formation of the Popular Front, as a milestone that prompted the left to adopt a republican and patriotic discourse, which was maintained over time until it was fully integrated into the political project of the UP. The study concludes that despite the Marxism and international-ism of the Chilean left, the appeal to republican and national history became constituent elements of their revolutionary project, which they outlined as a continuation of the inde-pendence process initiated in Chile in 1810.

Keywords

• popular unity
• chilean road to socialism
• nationalism
• so-cialist party
• communist party