Page "History of Chile" Paragraph 65

The Seguro Obrero Massacre took place on September 5, 1938, in the midst of a heated three-way election campaign between the ultraconservative Gustavo Ross Santa María, the radical Popular Front's Pedro Aguirre Cerda, and the newly-formed Popular Alliance candidate, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.

The National Socialist Movement of Chile supported Ibáñez's candidacy, which had been announced on September 4.

In order to preempt Ross's victory, the National Socialists mounted a coup d ' état that was intended to take down the rightwing government of Arturo Alessandri Palma and place Ibáñez in power.