Editor’s spotlight — updated daily
Salvador Allende
Chile
Salvador Allende won Chile's presidency in 1970, becoming the first Marxist elected to lead a democratic state. His socialist policies drew fierce opposition from the right and the United States. On September 11, 1973, as a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet overtook La Moneda, Allende died by suicide. His brief presidency became a powerful symbol of leftist resistance.