The depiction of the 1973 Military coup is better understood in “The Allende Years and the Pinochet Coup, 1969–1973” rather than in Paula by Isabel Allende. The article supplies a deeper understanding of the Allende families' tribulations during these problematic times, and how this historical moment shaped the decisions and lives of the Allendes. Isabel’s brother, Salvador Allende, would soon become the president of Chile. Allende was also considered to be a Marxist or communist even though he was elected in a democracy. Because of Allende’s communist ideologies people became wary of Allende's political beliefs, “Neither the Richard Nixon administration, nor the current Chilean Government, nor U.S. companies with businesses in Chile (Anaconda, …show more content…
Because of this, during his presidency, the military launched a coup against the Allende government. A coup is a violent seizure of power by a person or group, usually a government official. Unfortunately, Salvador Allende died protecting his people from the coup that then stole control of the Chilean government. Pinochet took power from 1973-1990. One of the first things Pinochet did as Chile's new president was he placed new policies that people were not pleased with, but because of the cruelty, everyone went along with it, “Pinochet was named President of Chile, whereupon he dismantled Congress and outlawed many Chilean leftist political parties. The takeover of the government ended a 46-year history of democratic rule in Chile”(The Allende Years and the Pinochet Coup 1). Due to the brutality, Isabel Allende and her family were forced to flee Chile to Venezuela in 1975. Her family consisted of her husband and three kids. In the text, Isabel tells her ill daughter stories of Isabel's life, including this event in history and how it affected the Allendes. The coup was aware of the close relations of Isabel and her family to Salvador