The Chilean revolution is a unique case study that exemplifies the reshaping of a society from below. When Allende was elected into power in September of 1970, he became a symbol of hope for the lower-class, blue-collar workers. To them, they finally had a people’s president. This rang especially true for the textile workers at the Yarur cotton mill. After Allende was elected, they took it as their moment to finally seize the factory for the people, and end the repressive reign of the Yarur family. In this paper, I will use Peter Winn’s Weavers of the Revolution: The Yarur Workers and Chile’s Road to Socialism as well as the film “The Battle of Chile.” Through the use of these sources, I will analyze how the revolution of the Yarur workers…show more content… The workers became infuriated and frustrated when after weeks of planning, they were asked to wait for action from above. Conditions started to become worse in the factory as there was a decline in employment and production and harassment by Yarur management and loyalists (163). The workers decided they were going to take matters into their own hands to speed along the process. Together, they created a petition, “Under the Chilean Labor Code, the rejection of such a ‘petition’ could serve as a legal justification for a strike—unless the government ruled otherwise” (164). The petition was comprised of all of their complaints and an ultimatum to agree to them or the workers will go on…show more content… The workers had struggled for years under the paternalistic rule of Allende to earn the right to unionize, safe and manageable working conditions and real wage increases and benefits; all things that are often taken advantage of in today’s world. Even though the workers faced multiple defeats since the opening of the factory, they held onto their dream and took their shot when Allende promised them a better future, one free from the oligarchs who ruled Chile’s economy. The workers knew Allende was the key to their salvation, so they started to organize, starting with one, they multiplied until it was a full-blown resistance. It was interesting to watch the leaders of the revolution from below inspire the workers during the film, “The Battle of Chile.” By watching the workers unionize versus reading about it though Peter Winn’s collection of oral history the viewer was able to see the expressions on their faces and hear the tone of their voice. It was truly moving. Through the use of La firme and El siglo, the workers were able to spread ideas and communicate with the masses of the company. The unionization of the empleados and obreros was crucial to their success. Through the workers networking,
