Evening star., 1932-06-26
BY GAsToN NERvAI.

~ URING the last two years Mr..
Newspaper Reader has seen
repeatedly on the front page
the news Of Latin American
revolutions. One after an
other the countries south OF the Rio
Grande have succumbed to the wave
of unrest and political renovation which
has accompanied the progress OF the
present economic depression in that
part of the world.
THUS. when he learned a few days
ago of "a new revolution" In Chile he
was not surprised. Nor did he take
seriously the reports of fundamental
changes in the political and economic
order of that South American republic.
the third in Importance below the
Panama Canal Too many revolutions
had already occurred In Latin America
In the last few months to cause con-
Germ over this one.
But If readers of American newspa-
pers were told that the Chilean revolu-
ton is the first one to take place in
Latin America in at least two decades
they would probably watch more care
fully the development Of events in
Chile. And, strange as 1t may sound,
this happens to be the truth.
All the other sudden changes Of gov
ernment by force which Latin America
has experienced lately cannot be prop
erly called revolutions. They have been,
rather, coups d'etat, reVolt, Guar
telazos."
They were usually directed against
the personal rule of a dictator or a
political clique which had lost popular
support. They made use of violence,
true enough, to regain individual hber-
ties and make the world safe for
democracy" And they resulted, true
enough, in the establishment of new
governments more in accordance with
the will of the people and more respect
full of the nations institutions. But
they did not affect the nature of these
institutions. They did not alter the
social or economic structure Of the
fundamental principles of government
nor the political system In existence.
They were, In word, movements
against persons, not against tnstitu-
tions.
Real Revolution In Chile.
But the Chilean socialistic uprising
is an entirely different thing. OF
rather should be so If the ambitions OF
military chieftainS and petty politicians
do not pervert 1t in the end. This Is a
real revolution. At least, it started out
to be real revolution.
This Is a revolution against a certain
system Of government. A revolution
which aims at the substitution of new
political and economic concepts. A rev.
olution which intends to set UP a dis
tinct economic order in the country and
accomplish a redistribution of wealth
in favor of the working man. A revo-
luton which seeks the elimination OF
class distinctions and the surrender OF
individual interests and rights to those
of the society and the State.
This is a revolution In which age
old institutions are at stake. Democ-
racy, capitalism, private enterprise, in
dividual profit, economic independence
etc., are loudly challenged by the
Chilean revolutionistS. This is a move
ment against institutions, not against
individual men.
leaders of the Chilean revolution vii
go in creating new order Of things
The situation Is still too uncertain anc
complex. In two weeks we have seer
three changes of government. And re-
ports of unrest, counter-revoltS anS
new disturbances have come daily from
Santiago.
But this, 1t seems to me, is the best
evidence of the seriousness Of the
! Chilean situation. A real revolution
cannot be completed overnight. Long
and bitter struggle is an essential factor
in the success Of any revolutionary
movement.
More Than a Disturbance.
criticized last week the attitude Of
editorialists in this country who inter-
preted the Chilean revolution as 'jus.
another periodical Latin American dis
turbance" and termed it "a tempest
in a teapot" I said that those who
had been observing the progress o!
radical tendencies In Latin America,
those who knew the effect of doctrines
of reform and violent change in the
psychology of the Latin masses in 9