Poder Popular (Chile)
Encyclopedia
Poder popular is a form of workers
or direct democracy. In Chilean history
poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class
people, which is (in theory) in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and direct. This is alleged to be fundamentally different from bourgeois parliamentary democratic power
, which is achieved via a democratic electoral process but once established is imposed upon a predominantly static and apolitical electorate via highly inflexible bureaucratic social institutions.
Throughout the 20th Century many forms of organs of poder popular were established in Chile
but the most developed and important ones where formed during the Popular Unity
government headed by Salvador Allende
(1970-1973). The most significant ones of these were the cordones industriales which at once stage incorporated and coordinated a considerable section of the labor force in the country and threatened the traditional ground occupied by the official workers federation CUT and the leadership of the traditional working class political organisations.
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
or direct democracy. In Chilean history
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
people, which is (in theory) in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and direct. This is alleged to be fundamentally different from bourgeois parliamentary democratic power
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, which is achieved via a democratic electoral process but once established is imposed upon a predominantly static and apolitical electorate via highly inflexible bureaucratic social institutions.
Throughout the 20th Century many forms of organs of poder popular were established in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
but the most developed and important ones where formed during the Popular Unity
Popular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
government headed by Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
(1970-1973). The most significant ones of these were the cordones industriales which at once stage incorporated and coordinated a considerable section of the labor force in the country and threatened the traditional ground occupied by the official workers federation CUT and the leadership of the traditional working class political organisations.