Allende’s Workshop: Technological Diplomacy and the Stakes of Solidarity

In the wake of mid-century decolonisation, many newly independent states sought ways to structure their economic relations so as to avoid new forms of exploitation. At the same time, the complex interrelationship between technology and society made it essential for these states to avoid replicating the technological patterns of their former colonisers. Although efforts to address the technological question were necessarily joint ones, perhaps no single government did more to centre the question of technological cooperation on the international stage than the democratic socialist government of Salvador Allende (1970–1973).