The coup: Between March and September 1973, the left and right clashed in the streets, factories, courts, and parliament. Allende tried to reach an agreement with the centrist forces—the Christian Democrats—but was unsuccessful. The military began planning the coup in Valparaíso. A large segment of the middle class supported the economic and political boycott, creating an atmosphere of civil war. A week before the coup, a million supporters bid farewell to Allende.