Communist Party of Chile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Communist Party of Chile
Partido Comunista de Chile
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|---|---|
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| President | Lautaro Carmona Soto |
| Secretary-General | Bárbara Figueroa |
| Chief of Deputies | Boris Barrera |
| Founded | 4 June 1912 |
| Headquarters | Vicuña Mackenna 31 Santiago |
| Newspaper | El Siglo |
| Youth wing | Communist Youth of Chile |
| Membership (2023) | 46,031 |
| Ideology |
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| Political position | Left-wing to far-left |
| National affiliation | Chile Digno (since 2020) Apruebo Dignidad (since 2021) Formerly:
Revolutionary Convention (1912–1921)
Revolutionary Movement (1921–1924) Socialist-Republican Covenant (1925–1930) Popular Front (1937–1941) Democratic Alliance (1942–1947) People's National Front (1951–1956) Popular Action Front (1956–1969) Popular Unity (1969–1981) People's Democratic Movement (1983–1987) Juntos Podemos Más (2003–2011) New Majority (2013–2018) Unity for Change (2019–2020) |
| Regional affiliation | São Paulo Forum |
| International affiliation |
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| Colours | |
| Chamber of Deputies |
12 / 155
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| Senate |
2 / 50
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| Party flag | |
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The Communist Party of Chile (called Partido Comunista de Chile in Spanish, or PCCh for short) is a communist party in Chile. It was started on June 4, 1912, as the Socialist Workers' Party. It changed its name to the Communist Party of Chile in 1922. The party also has a special group for young people called the Communist Youth of Chile, which began in 1932.
Contents
History of the Communist Party of Chile
The PCCh was founded by Luis Emilio Recabarren in 1912. He started the party after leaving another group, the Democrat Party. It was first known as the Socialist Workers' Party. Then, in 1922, it officially became the Communist Party of Chile.
Soon after, the party gained seats in the Chilean Congress. It played a big part in helping workers organize and fight for their rights. The PCCh was closely connected to the Soviet Union and the Third International. In 1938, it joined the Popular Front government. During the 1940s, the party grew quickly among workers in unions. It also joined the Democratic Alliance, which followed the Popular Front.
Because the PCCh was becoming very popular, and due to the start of the Cold War, it was made illegal in 1948. This ban lasted for almost ten years until 1958, when it became legal again. By the 1960s, the party had its own symbols and groups. Many famous artists and thinkers supported it. These included Pablo Neruda, a Nobel Prize-winning poet, and Violeta Parra, a well-known songwriter.
In 1970, the Communist Party joined with the Socialist Party in a group called Unidad Popular. This group came to power. Within this alliance, the communists supported Salvador Allende, who was a more moderate leader. They wanted gradual changes and tried to find common ground with other political groups. This was different from some more radical groups in the alliance.
After a military takeover in 1973, which removed President Salvador Allende from power, the party was again made illegal. Many of the party's leaders had to go into hiding. Around 1977, the party changed its approach. It created a guerrilla group called the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front. When democracy returned and a new president was elected in 1990, the Communist Party of Chile became legal once more.
After democracy was restored, the PCCh began to act more independently. From 2013 to 2018, the PCCh was part of the New Majority (Nueva Mayoría). This was a group of left-leaning parties led by Michelle Bachelet.
Leaders of the Communist Party
The Communist Party of Chile has had different leaders over the years. Here is a list of the main leaders and when they served:
| General Secretary | Period | President | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramón Sepúlveda Leal | 1922–1924 | Position did not exist | |
| Luis A. González | ?–? | ||
| Galvarino Gil | ?–? | ||
| Maclovio Galdames | ?–? | ||
| José Santos Zavala | ?–? | ||
| Isaias Iriarte | ?–1929 | ||
| Carlos Contreras Labarca | 1931–1946 | ||
| Ricardo Fonseca | 1946–1948 | ||
| Oyarzun Galo González | 1948–1958 | ||
| Elías Lafertte | 1956–1961 | ||
| Luis Corvalán | 1958–1990 | ||
| Position did not exist | |||
| Volodia Teitelboim | 1990–1994 | ||
| Gladys Marín | 1994–2002 | ||
| Guillermo Teillier | 2002–2005 | Gladys Marín | 2002–2005 |
| Lautaro Carmona Soto | 2005–2023 | Guillermo Teillier | 2005–2023 |
| Bárbara Figueroa | 2023–present | Lautaro Carmona Soto | 2023–present |
Electoral Results
This table shows how the Communist Party of Chile has performed in elections over the years. It lists their votes and seats in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, as well as their support in presidential elections.
- Keys
- RP = supported a candidate from the Radical Party
- SP = supported a candidate from the Socialist Party
- PU–SP = member of the Popular Unity group, supported the candidate from the Socialist Party
- PDC = supported a candidate from the Christian Democratic Party
- Ind = supported an independent candidate
- HP = supported a candidate from the Humanist Party
- NM–SP = member of the New Majority group, supported the candidate from the Socialist Party
- NM–Ind = member of the New Majority group, supported an independent candidate
- AD-SC = member of the Apruebo Dignidad group, supported the candidate from Social Convergence
| Election | Chamber of Deputies | Senate | Presidential | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of votes | % of votes | Seats | No. of votes | % of votes | Seats | Year | Nominee | No. of votes | % of votes | |
| 1918 | 1,548 | 0.64% | 0 | — | — | — | 1920 | Luis Emilio Recabarren | 681 | 0.41% |
| 1921 | 4,814 | 2.16% | 2 | — | — | — | 1925 | José Santos Salas | 74,091 | 28.4% |
| 1924 | 1,212 | 0.49% | 0 | — | — | — | 1927 | None | — | — |
| 1925 | 19,446 | 6.72% | 9 | — | — | — | 1931 | Elías Lafertte | 2,434 | 0.9% |
| 1932 | 3,350 | 1.0% | 1 | — | — | — | 1932 | Elías Lafertte | 4,128 | 1.2% |
| 1937 | 7,543 | 5.1% | 1 | 7,543 | 7.1% | 1 | 1938 | Pedro Aguirre Cerda (RP) | 222,720 | 50.5% |
| 1941 | 65,671 | 14.4% | 17 | 28,449 | 12.2% | 3 | 1942 | Juan Antonio Ríos (RP) | 260,034 | 56.0% |
| 1945 | 46,133 | 10.3% | 15 | 25,708 | 12.8% | 3 | 1946 | Gabriel González Videla (RP) | 192,207 | 40.2% |
| 1961 | 157,572 | 11.8% | 16 | 75,123 | 12.2% | 3 | 1952 | Salvador Allende (SP) | 51,975 | 5.5% |
| 1965 | 290,635 | 12.7% | 18 | — | — | 5 | 1958 | Salvador Allende (SP) | 356,493 | 28.9% |
| 1969 | 383,049 | 16.6% | 22 | 181,488 | 18.0% | 9 | 1964 | Salvador Allende (SP) | 977,902 | 38.9% |
| 1973 | 578,695 | 16.2% | 24 | — | — | 5 | 1970 | Salvador Allende (PU–SP) | 1,070,334 | 36.61% |
| 1993 | 336,034 | 5.0% | 0 | 65,073 | 3.5% | 0 | 1989 | Patricio Aylwin (PDC) | 3,850,571 | 55.17% |
| 1997 | 398,588 | 6.9% | 0 | 357,825 | 8.4% | 0 | 1993 | Eugenio Pizarro (Ind) | 327,402 | 4.70% |
| 2001 | 320,668 | 5.2% | 0 | 45,735 | 2.6% | 0 | 1999 | Gladys Marín | 225,224 | 3.19% |
| 2005 | 339,547 | 5.14% | 0 | 104,687 | 2.19% | 0 | 2005 | Tomás Hirsch (HP) | 375,048 | 5.40% |
| 2009 | 133,718 | 2.02% | 3 | — | — | — | 2009 | Jorge Arrate | 433,195 | 6.21% |
| 2013 | 255,242 | 4.11% | 6 | 6,467 | 0.145% | 0 | 2013 | Michelle Bachelet (NM–SP) | 3,466,358 | 62.15% |
| 2017 | 275,096 | 4.59% | 8 | 20,209 | 1.21% | 0 | 2017 | Alejandro Guillier (NM–Ind) | 3,157,750 | 45.42% |
| 2021 | 464,885 | 7.35% | 12 | 335,709 | 7.21% | 2 | 2021 | Gabriel Boric (AD–SC) | 4,620,890 | 55.87% |
See also
In Spanish: Partido Comunista de Chile para niños
- Communist Youth of Chile
- Luis Emilio Recabarren
- Popular Unity
- Co-ordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain
- Juntos PODEMOS Más
- Norte Grande insurrection
