Augusto Pinochet he was known for having imposed a dictatorship in Chile after carrying out a military coup against the president of that period, Salvador Allende, in September 1973. Pinochet's dictatorship lasted until 1990 and resulted in the death of over 3,000 people and the torture of over 40,000 people. In the last days of his life, Pinochet faced a series of charges in court for crimes committed during the dictatorship, however, due to health problems, his trial was postponed.
Life of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte he was born in Valparaíso, Chile, on November 25, 1915, and was the son of Augusto Pinochet Vera and Avelina Ugarte Martínez. Augusto Pinochet joined the Military Academy of Santiago at the age of 17. After completing his studies at that academy, Pinochet assumed the post of second lieutenant and was assigned to a regiment in the city of Concepción.
In 1943, Augusto Pinochet married Lucía Hiriart Rodríguez, with whom he had five children. After marrying, he devoted himself fully to a military career, in which he enjoyed great success, managing to rise in rank several times and be appointed to important posts in the Chilean army. In 1973 – the last year of the Allende government – Pinochet was named commander-in-chief of the Chilean army. In the exercise of this function, Augusto Pinochet joined the coup that overthrew the government of socialist Salvador Allende.
coup against Allende
Augusto Pinochet was one of the last members of the Chilean army to join the conspiracy against the presidency of Salvador Allende. Socialist president Allende faced great challenges, mainly because of the workers' strikes that had paralyzed the nation.
Pinochet used his position as commander-in-chief of the Chilean army to coordinate the action of the different military forces that promoted the president's overthrow. the coup happened on the day September 11, 1973, and, for three hours, the presidential palace La Moneda was bombed by army forces.
With the attack on the government palace, the president Salvador Allende committed suicide. For years, the hypothesis of Allende's murder was raised, however, exhumations carried out in recent years have proven his suicide. The Pinochet-led coup received broad support from the United States.
US support for the coup followed the trend of supporting the development of military and conservative dictatorships in Latin America as a way to neutralize the growth of left-wing politicians and parties (as was the case of Allende). With the coup led by Pinochet, began a period of almost 17 years of one of the most violent military dictatorships in South America.
Pinochet's dictatorship
Right after the coup against Allende, a Military Board he graduated and appointed Pinochet head of government. So he imposed a dictatorship during his years in power and persecuted thousands of people who opposed his government. One of Pinochet's first actions was the strong persecution of Popular Unity, a union of left-wing parties that supported Allende's government.
The political persecution carried out by Pinochet government officials resulted in the death or disappearance of 3,065 people and in some kind of physical abuse (torture) against 40,018 people|1|. In addition, many Chileans were forced into exile from the country so that they would not become victims of repression.
In the economic aspect, Pinochet promoted neoliberal reforms in Chile based on studies by Chilean economists who became known as “Chicago Boys”. Many historians claim that the economic development experienced by the country years later was due to this economic project. However, Pinochet's economic policy is also criticized, as it promoted social inequality in Chile and mainly impacted the purchasing power of the lower classes.
In 1988, Pinochet held a referendum in Chile in which the population had to choose whether or not to continue their government. About 56% of the Chilean population voted to end the dictatorship of Pinochet, and, the following year, elections were held in the country they elected Patricio Aylwin and ended a period of nearly two decades of dictatorship.
Pinochet, even though he was ousted from the presidency, remained commander-in-chief of the Chilean army and the country's senator for life until 1998, when he resigned both positions for health reasons. In the last years of life, Pinochet was accused of crimes against human rights and corruption. In relation to accusations of corruption, the former dictator was reported to have kept secret accounts abroad with money embezzled from the Chilean government (it was claimed that Pinochet held $27 million in accounts secrets).
Pinochet was arrested in 1998, however, he was released after delivering, in 2001, a certificate of mental weakness. He was later accused of getting rich from the production of cocaine in clandestine laboratories in Chile. However, investigations into this accusation have not progressed. Pinochet died on December 10, 2006, as a result of a heart attack, and received no honors from the Chilean state at his funeral.
|1| Chile: those who still defend Pinochet. To access, click on here.
*Image credits: commons and Emilio Kopaitic
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historia-da-america/augusto-pinochet-ditadura-chilena.htm