The Popular Socialist Party ( es, Partido Socialista Popular, or PSP) was a Chilean
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
political party that existed between 1948 and 1957. It was the result of the division of the
Socialist Party of Chile in 1948 by voting and promulgation of
Law No. 8,987 of Defense of Democracy in which the PS was divided in its vote and support among pro-communist and
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
.
The anti-communist faction (which were in
Bernardo Ibáñez
Bernardo Ibáñez Águila (July 12, 1902 in Antuco, Chile – August 19, 1983 in Santiago, Chile) was a Chilean schoolteacher and political figure. He was the Socialist candidate in Chile's 1946 presidential election.
Ibáñez was union leader ...
, Oscar Schnake and Juan Bautista Rossetti) supported the law, and the pro-communist (headed by Eugenio González and Raúl Ampuero) refused. The anticommunist group is expelled but makes the Conservative Electoral Registration assign them the name of the Socialist Party of Chile. So the faction led by Ampuero adopted the name ''Popular Socialist Party''.
The party supported the
presidential candidacy of
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo in 1952. The argument used to support Ibáñez was that it was a popular candidate and needed to drag him from within a truly progressive orientation. When the new government in November 1952, the PSP got the Ministry of Labour with
Clodomiro Almeyda
Clodomiro Almeyda Medina (February 11, 1923 – August 25, 1997) was a Chilean politician. A leading member of the Socialist Party, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile from 1970 to 1973 during the Presidency of Salvador Allende.
Biog ...
. From there, he supported the founding of the Central Workers Union in February 1953. In April 1953, Ibanez reshuffled his cabinet PSP occupying the Ministry of Finance (Felipe Herrera), Labour (Enrique Monti Forno) and Mining (Almeyda). PSP participation in government ends in October 1953.
In 1956, along with other leftist parties, formed the
FRAP, which allowed for a rapprochement with the PS. Which led to the 1957 Unity Conference, which reunites the two major factions of Chilean socialism in the Socialist Party of Chile.
Presidential candidates
The following is a list of the presidential candidates supported by the Socialist Party. (Information gathered from th
Archive of Chilean Elections.
*
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
:
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (won)
See also
*
Socialist Party of Chile
Bibliography
* Cruz-Coke, Ricardo. 1984. ''Historia electoral de Chile. 1925-1973''. Editorial Jurídica de Chile. Santiago
* Fernández Abara, Joaquín. 2007. El Ibañismo (1937-1952). Un Caso de Populismo en la Política Chilena. Instituto de Historia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago.
* Fernández Abara, Joaquín . 2009. “Nacionalistas, antiliberales y reformistas. Las identidades de la militancia ibañista y su trayectoria hacia el populismo (1937-1952)”, en
Ulianova, Olga (Editora): Redes políticas y militancias. La historia política está de vuelta. IDEA-USACH/ Ariadna Editores. Santiago.
* Fuentes, Jordi y Lia Cortes. 1967. ''Diccionario político de Chile''. Editorial Orbe. Santiago.
* Jobet, Julio César. 1971. ''El Partido Socialista de Chile'' Ediciones Prensa Latinoamericana. Santiago.
Political parties established in 1948
Political parties disestablished in 1957
Defunct political parties in Chile
Socialist parties in Chile
Socialist Party of Chile
1948 establishments in Chile
1957 disestablishments in Chile
{{Chile-poli-stub