Which event toppled Allende's government in Chile in 1973?

• A. US-backed coup led by Augusto Pinochet
• B. Civil war
• C. Impeachment by Congress
• D. Democratic election

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing a military coup as the means by which a government is overthrown. In 1973, Chile’s president Salvador Allende, who was democratically elected, was toppled not by a legal removal or a new election, but by a forceful seizure of power by the armed forces. General Augusto Pinochet led the coup, and the move had substantial external backing from the United States, making it a foreign-supported military overthrow. This is why the correct description is that a US-backed coup led by Pinochet toppled Allende’s government. The other scenarios—civil war, impeachment by Congress, or a democratic election—do not fit what happened, since there was no internal legislative removal, no renewed election that ended Allende’s presidency, and no full-scale civil war that decided the outcome.