Han Qi and Sang Zirui, The Nature and Causes of Failure of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932

　　On 4 June 1932, Chile established a ‘socialist republic’ which existed for 102 days instead of 12 days as previously believed. It is one of results of changes in the world capitalist system, and also the result of the transformation of Chile's economic and social structure. The Socialist Republic of Chile was founded by a coup d'etat of soliders. Unlike previous coups, this is not a simple power contest, but a bourgeois democratic revolution against imperialism and oligarchy, and an experiment of democratic socialism. However, it is short-lived. The main reasons for its failure are as follows: the external pressure on Chile exerted by the capitalist countries like Britain and the United States; the internal strife of the leading group of the new government; the lack of the leadership of a strong and well-organised political party; the internal differentiation of the revolutionary team due to ‘bloodless revolution’. In addition, the social and political foundation of the revolution is not mature enongh due to the weakness of the bourgeois and the small strength of the proletariat. Although Chile's ‘socialist republic’ failed soon, it marks the beginning of Chile's political transformation and has a significant impact on the establishment of Chile's Socialist Party, the process of Chile's political democratisation and the subsequent re-experiment of Allende's socialism. It is a unique attempt in choosing Chile's own development path during the process of modernisation.