Cordón Industrial
Encyclopedia
Cordón Industrial is an organ of popular power
or of workers democracy. Cordones were established in Chile
by the working class during the Salvador Allende
Popular Unity
government (1970-1973).
people and were initially established to pressure the government to socialize a number of companies that refused to accept workers rights. Their formation were extended and their creation-pace accelerated in response to sabotage and strikes organized by employers' organization
s and the capitalist
class that aimed to destabilize the Salvador Allende
democratically elected socialist government and derail the implementation of a socialist programme. Initially created as organs to exert social pressure on the ruling government they ultimately became a base for working class political power itself. The first cordón was established on June 19, 1972 when workers from 30 different factories join to formulate the Cordon Cerrillos.
and companies, which coordinated the tasks of workers in the same zone. By the time the Salvador Allende
government was overthrown on September 11, 1973 military coup 31 cordones had been established and were operational. Of the 31 cordones 8 of them were within the Chilean capital of Santiago.
from the bureaucracies
of the official trade union
body (C.U.T.
), the state (the National Congress of Chile
) and the leadership of the parties forming the governing Popular Unity
coalition (viz. Socilaist Party
, Communist Party
, etc.) created a complex situations for those attempting to implement socialism within the framework of existing democratic institutions. Some political organisations such as the Revolutionary Left Movement
(which was not part of the popular unity coalition) and the Marxist-Leninist faction of Popular Unitary Action Movement
saw these organs of popular power
as embryonic social organs for a new more democratic form of (worker) state.
Poder Popular (Chile)
Poder popular is a form of workers or direct democracy. In Chilean history poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class people, which is in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and...
or of workers democracy. Cordones were established in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
by the working class during the Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
Popular Unity
Popular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
government (1970-1973).
Historical context
The cordones were established by the independent activity of working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
people and were initially established to pressure the government to socialize a number of companies that refused to accept workers rights. Their formation were extended and their creation-pace accelerated in response to sabotage and strikes organized by employers' organization
Employers' organization
An employers' organization, employers' association or employers' federation is an association of employers. A trade union, which organizes employees is the opposite of an employers' organization...
s and the capitalist
Ruling class
The term ruling class refers to the social class of a given society that decides upon and sets that society's political policy - assuming there is one such particular class in the given society....
class that aimed to destabilize the Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
democratically elected socialist government and derail the implementation of a socialist programme. Initially created as organs to exert social pressure on the ruling government they ultimately became a base for working class political power itself. The first cordón was established on June 19, 1972 when workers from 30 different factories join to formulate the Cordon Cerrillos.
Structure
Each Cordón was a group of factoriesFactory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
and companies, which coordinated the tasks of workers in the same zone. By the time the Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
government was overthrown on September 11, 1973 military coup 31 cordones had been established and were operational. Of the 31 cordones 8 of them were within the Chilean capital of Santiago.
Cordones and the State
The independent nature of these organs of poder popularPoder Popular (Chile)
Poder popular is a form of workers or direct democracy. In Chilean history poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class people, which is in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and...
from the bureaucracies
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
of the official trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
body (C.U.T.
Workers' United Center of Chile
The Workers' United Center of Chile is a union federation in Chile. The CUT was founded in 1953, but it was suppressed after the Chilean coup of 1973. It was refounded in September 1988 near the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship....
), the state (the National Congress of Chile
National Congress of Chile
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile.The National Congress of Chile was founded on July 4, 1811...
) and the leadership of the parties forming the governing Popular Unity
Popular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
coalition (viz. Socilaist Party
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
, Communist Party
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
, etc.) created a complex situations for those attempting to implement socialism within the framework of existing democratic institutions. Some political organisations such as the Revolutionary Left Movement
Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile)
Revolutionary Left Movement is a Chilean political party and former left-wing guerrilla organization founded on October 12, 1965...
(which was not part of the popular unity coalition) and the Marxist-Leninist faction of Popular Unitary Action Movement
Popular Unitary Action Movement
The Popular Unitary Action Movement or MAPU was a small leftist political party in Chile. It was part of the Popular Unity coalition during the government of Salvador Allende. MAPU was repressed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet...
saw these organs of popular power
Poder Popular (Chile)
Poder popular is a form of workers or direct democracy. In Chilean history poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class people, which is in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and...
as embryonic social organs for a new more democratic form of (worker) state.
See also
- Poder Popular (Chile)Poder Popular (Chile)Poder popular is a form of workers or direct democracy. In Chilean history poder popular has referred to a form of political power that is derived from the independent activity of working class people, which is in its formulation and constitution, highly collective, flexible, representative and...
- Inclusive DemocracyInclusive DemocracyInclusive Democracy is a political theory and political project that aims for direct democracy, economic democracy in a stateless, moneyless and marketless economy, self-management and ecological democracy...
- Workers' councils
- Participatory democracyParticipatory democracyParticipatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
- Workers' controlWorkers' controlWorkers' control is a term meaning participation in the management of factories and other commercial enterprises by the people who work there. It has been variously advocated by anarchists, socialists, Communists, Social Democrats and Christian Democrats, and has been combined with various...
- Workplace democracyWorkplace democracyWorkplace democracy is the application of democracy in all its forms to the workplace....