Clotario Blest
| Clotario Blest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
17 November 1899 Santiago, Chile |
| Died |
31 May 1990 (aged 90) Santiago, Chile |
| Movement |
Partido Popular (1920s) Revolutionary Left Movement (1965–1967) Iglesia Joven (1960s) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Clotario Leopoldo Blest Riffo (1899–1990) was a Chilean social activist and labor union leader. Blest was one of the founders of Agrupación Nacional de Empleados Fiscales (ANEF), Central Única de Trabajadores (CUT), Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), and Comité de Defensa de Derechos Humanos y Sindicales (CODEHS).
Early life
Clotario Blest was bornon November 17 of 1899 in Santiago. His father was Ricardo Blest Ugarte, a military. His mother was Leopoldina Riffo Bustos who was a primary school teacher. Clotario had two brothers, Fernando and Leopoldina. The paternal grandfather of Clorario blest was the Irish immigrant William Blest. The writers Guillermo and Alberto Blest Gana were born out of Guillermo Blest's first marrieage. The Blest Gana famili did not had major contact with the Blest Ugarte family, this last family lived in rather austere manner.[1]
Blest coursed primary school at a public school. Later he joined Seminario Pontificio de Santiago thanks to soe relatives who hepted him obtaine a scholarship. He was interned nine years in the seminary. There he had teacher like José María Caro and Fernando Vives Solar, who influenced his thought.[2] Fernando Vives in particular was an advocate of the Catholic social teachings in Chile.[3] After this he graduated from school by doing exams at the University of Chile obtaining his diploma in 1918.[4] Blest then enrolled in the Seminario de Concepción to study theology, where he was supervised by Alfredo Cifuentes Gómez. After two years in Concepción Blest travelled then to the seminary of La Serena to complete his studies but by then he had decided he did not had a religious vocation so he dropped out and returned to Santiago.[5] According to his own words: "There must be rebel within me. I do not easily accept orders with which I disagree".[6]
From divinity school dropout to union leader (1921–1938)
In 1921 when Blest returns his mother was school director, his sister Leopoldina studied in Escuela Normalista, and his brother Fernando continued a military career. Given his family's economic problems, Blest decided to study instead of studying at university.[7] It was in this period that Blest learned about Luis Emilio Recabarren whose talks and conferences he followed. Blest was influenced by the ideas of Recabarren whom he referred to as “the greatest and most genuine representative of the Chilean working class and of the people of Chile”.[8]
Blest begun to be engaged in social causes in the 1920s. During this time he joined the study circle called El Surco which was directed by the priest Guillermo Viviani Contreras. The objective of El Surco was to fight for legislation that was favourable to the the working class, promoting in the way the formation of labour unions.[9] Blest did also join the political party Partido Popular that was created by Bartolomé Palacios Silva. It was in El Sindicalista, the newspaper of Partido Popular, that Blest wrote his first articles. Another organization in which Blest participated was "La casa del pueblo" directed by Viviani which sought to advocate syndicalism and some social Christian teachings. After years of work in "La casa del pueblo" Blest entered in conflict with the directive of the organization and left for good "La casa del pueblo". The conflict had been about Blest's naming of the organization's chapel "Jesús obrero" (lit. "labourer Jesus") and the directive rejecting the name.[10] Blest worked as salesman of castor oil, lawyer assistant and in a drug store before entering to work in in Servicio de Tesorerías (Government Treasury). During his first years as civil servant he did also found time time to study law, philosophy and chemistry.[11][12]
Union movement (1938–1961)
Beyond the unions (1961–1973)
In the 1960s Blest established relationships with groups inspired in the Cuban Revolution. In the same decade Blest came to identify with liberation theology. He held no official role in the UP government of Salvador Allende limiting himself to express concern about the need of unity among the workers.[13]
References
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 34–41
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 43, 45–49
- ↑ "Fernando Vives Solar (1871-1935)". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish) (Biblioteca Nacional de Chile). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ↑ Echeverría, p. 50.
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 53–54.
- ↑ Echeverría, p. 59.
- ↑ Echeverría, p. 61.
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 62–63.
- ↑ Echeverría, p. 70.
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 72–74.
- ↑ Salinas, p. 7.
- ↑ Echeverría, pp. 66–67.
- ↑ "Clotario Blest Riffo (1899- 1990)". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish) (Biblioteca Nacional de Chile). Retrieved December 30, 2015.
Bibliography
- Echeverría, Mónica (1993). Anitihistoria de un luchador: Clotario Blest 1823-1990 (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: LOM Ediciones. ISBN 956-7369-01-1.
- Salinas, Maximiliano (1991). Clotario Blest: Testigo de la justicia de Cristo para los pobres (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Editorial Salesiana. Retrieved January 7, 2012.