Fifty years after the Chilean coup, the Department of International History at the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ is hosting a conference.
To reflect on British responses to events in Chile and more specifically the impact that the coup had on politics, society and culture in the UK.
On 11 September 1973, a military coup overthrew Chile’s democratically elected government and ushered forth a violent right-wing dictatorship. In the months and years that followed, Chile became a focus of worldwide mobilisation in solidarity with those resisting the dictatorship. In Britain, politicians, trade unionists, students, women’s rights movements, religious groups and journalists protested human rights abuses in Chile, often linking what was happening in Chile to politics and society at home.
They shaped a new global human rights movement and new forms of resistance. Exiled Chileans in the UK contributed to this mobilisation. They also contributed immensely to British political, cultural and economic life. Exiles in the UK built families, inspired activism and encouraged their British counterparts to fight for democratic freedoms at home and abroad.
Conference participants will also be encouraged to engage with the lessons that this relationship can offer for thinking through resistance, human rights and refuge in the present.
Keynote Lecture Abstract (Friday 20 October, 6pm):
The overthrow of Chile’s socialist president Salvador Allende, by General Augusto Pinochet in 1973, inspired a wave of solidarity action among British trade unionists, Labour party activists, students, academics, religious groups, human rights organisations and others. The Chile Solidarity movement was one of the most important internationalist movements in British history, and – in terms of changing British government policy – arguably the most successful. The Labour governments of 1974-79 implemented a series of measures that can be seen as an early example of ‘ethical’ foreign policy.
In this talk, considers the obstacles facing governments wanting to implement ‘ethical’ foreign policies. Using British archival documents, she shows that British diplomats and Foreign Office officials thought the Pinochet regime was beneficial for British businesses and were highly critical of human rights campaigners, trade unionists and elected Labour politicians who campaigned against the Chilean dictatorship. Foreign Office officials repeatedly tried to dissuade Labour ministers from taking any sanctions against the Pinochet regime. Advocating a critical approach to the study of foreign policy, she explores the multiple ways in which economic elites can influence foreign policy making and considers the circumstances in which human rights groups and solidarity movements can effect change.
Conference Programme
Download the conference programme here
How to attend the conference:
This is a public conference open to all. Though, registration is required for each event. .
Email ih.events@lse.ac.uk if you have any questions about the event.
Visit the Exhibition:
Resistance, rights and refuge: Britain and Chile 50 years after the Chilean coup
Exhibition open in the Gallery Friday 8 September to Wednesday 20 December.
Visit the Exhibition website:
resistancerightsandrefuge.uk