113-556: Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer who was the dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990 . From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader of the military junta , which in 1974 declared him President of the Republic and thus the dictator of Chile ; in 1980, a referendum approved a new constitution confirming him in the office, after which he served as de jure president from 1981 to 1990. His time in office remains
226-526: A cult of personality around themselves and they have also come to grant themselves increasingly grandiloquent titles and honours. For instance, Idi Amin Dada , who had been a British army lieutenant prior to Uganda 's independence from Britain in October 1962, subsequently styled himself " His Excellency , President for Life , Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO , MC , Conqueror of
339-498: A cult of personality centered on the leader. Dictatorships are often one-party or dominant-party states. A wide variety of leaders coming to power in different kinds of regimes, such as one-party or dominant-party states and civilian governments under a personal rule, have been described as dictators. The word dictator comes from the Latin word dictātor , agent noun from dictare (say repeatedly, assert, order). A dictator
452-586: A resolution asserting that the government was not respecting the Constitution. Less than a month later, the Chilean military deposed Allende. On 11 September 1973, the combined Chilean Armed Forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Carabineros ) overthrew Allende's government in a coup, during which the presidential palace, La Moneda , was shelled. That is where Allende was said to have committed suicide. While
565-643: A 21-year-old member of the FPMR (the armed wing of the PCC, created in 1983, which had attempted to assassinate Pinochet on 7 September 1986), was murdered by a group of military personnel who were supposed to arrest him on orders of Valparaíso's public prosecutor. This case was included in the Rettig Report. Among the killed and disappeared during the military junta were 440 MIR guerrillas. In December 2015, three former DINA agents were sentenced to ten years in prison for
678-433: A UN resolution condemning Pinochet's government). He was replaced by General Fernando Matthei . Pinochet organized a plebiscite on 11 September 1980 to ratify a new constitution , replacing the 1925 Constitution drafted during Arturo Alessandri 's presidency. The new Constitution, partly drafted by Jaime Guzmán , a close adviser to Pinochet who later founded the right-wing party Independent Democratic Union (UDI), gave
791-467: A United States CIA communication base in Panama. Pinochet believed these operations were necessary in order to "save the country from communism". In 2011, the commission identified an additional 9,800 victims of political repression during Pinochet's rule, increasing the total number of victims to approximately 40,018, including 3,065 killed. Some political scientists have ascribed the relative bloodiness of
904-550: A century (during which the office was ostensibly abolished) as well as de facto eliminating the time limit and need of senatorial acclamation. He avoided a major constitutional crisis by resigning the office after about one year, dying a few years later. Julius Caesar followed Sulla's example in 49 BC and in February 44 BC was proclaimed Dictator perpetuo , "Dictator in perpetuity", officially doing away with any limitations on his power, which he kept until his assassination
1017-463: A deficit equal to 25% of GDP. While some authors like Peter Kornbluh also argue that economic sanctions by the Nixon administration helped to create the economic crisis, others like Paul Sigmund and Mark Falcoff argue there was no blockade because aid and credit still existed (albeit in smaller quantities), and no formal trade embargo had been declared. By mid-1975, after two years of Keynesianism ,
1130-558: A dictator and the military is a common one. Many dictators take great pains to emphasize their connections with the military and they often wear military uniforms. In some cases, this is perfectly legitimate; for instance, Francisco Franco was a general in the Spanish Army before he became Chief of State of Spain, and Manuel Noriega was officially commander of the Panamanian Defense Forces . In other cases,
1243-559: A historic legitimacy either. However, in the case of Franco, the title "Caudillo" did have a longer history for political-military figures in both Latin America and Spain. Franco also used the phrase " By the Grace of God " on coinage or other material displaying him as Caudillo , whereas Hitler and Mussolini rarely used such language or imagery. Over time, dictators have been known to use tactics that violate human rights. For example, under
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#17327803659311356-588: A large amount of debt which made Chile the most affected nation by the Latin American debt crisis . In sharp contrast to the privatization done in other areas, Chile's nationalized main copper mines remained in government hands, with the 1980 Constitution later declaring the mines "inalienable". In 1976 the State-owned enterprise Codelco was established to exploit them; a new law in 1982 opened new mineral deposits to private investment. In November 1980,
1469-411: A little-used interpretation of the 1978 auto-amnesty law. He argued that since many of the bodies of the military squads' victims were still missing, it could be argued legally that these people are still kidnapped. Therefore, Guzmán argued, the crime is continuing and neither the auto-amnesty law nor the statute of limitations can be applied until the bodies are found: the crime of permanent sequestration
1582-657: A lot of power to the President of the Republic—Pinochet. It created some new institutions, such as the Constitutional Tribunal and the controversial National Security Council (COSENA). It also prescribed an 8-year presidential period, and a single-candidate presidential referendum in 1988, where a candidate nominated by the Junta would be approved or rejected for another 8-year period. The new constitution
1695-575: A new constitution drafted by a government-appointed commission. In a 1988 plebiscite , 56% voted against Pinochet's continuing as president, which led to democratic elections for the presidency and Congress. After stepping down in 1990, Pinochet continued to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until 10 March 1998, when he retired and became a senator-for-life in accordance with his 1980 Constitution . However, while in London in 1998 Pinochet
1808-399: A part of the investigations, he uncovered mass graves and secret prisons. He was often admonished by senior judges for the tactics used including taking journalists along on these missions to document the discoveries. Pinochet had issued a blanket amnesty to his military and security officials for any crimes committed before 1978. However, Guzmán secured the arrests of the accused by applying
1921-476: A population of 7 million) during his four-year dictatorship. As a result, Pol Pot is sometimes described as "the Hitler of Cambodia" and "a genocidal tyrant". Because of its negative and pejorative connotations, modern authoritarian leaders very rarely (if ever) use the term dictator in their formal titles, instead they most often simply have title of president . In the 19th century, however, its official usage
2034-505: A regional magistrate in the early 1970s and went on to become an appeals court judge in Santiago and Talca by the time Augusto Pinochet gave up power in the early 1990s. Speaking of his early years as a sheltered conservative, Guzmán said that he and his family initially cheered as Pinochet overthrew democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende in a military coup. However, this changed many years later when he learnt of
2147-798: A return to a Popular Unity government in case of a defeat of Pinochet. The Opposition, gathered into the Concertación de Partidos por el NO ("Coalition of Parties for NO"), organized a colorful and cheerful campaign under the slogan La alegría ya viene ("Joy is coming"). It was formed by the Christian Democracy , the Socialist Party and the Radical Party , gathered in the Alianza Democrática (Democratic Alliance). In 1988, several more parties, including
2260-539: A special prosecutor, he used novel legal strategies to hold Pinochet and members of his military regime accountable for the killings and human rights violations during this period. Guzmán was born on 22 April 1939 into a Chilean diplomatic family of Basque descent in San Salvador , El Salvador . His father Juan Guzmán Cruchaga was a diplomat and a poet, while his mother was involved in the arts, having been trained in theater and sculpture. However, his godfather
2373-467: Is a political leader who possesses absolute power . A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity . The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times of emergency . Like the terms " tyrant " and " autocrat ", dictator came to be used almost exclusively as a non-titular term for oppressive rule. In modern usage
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#17327803659312486-617: Is what we leave to our children and here they are going to be able to say, 'Look, here a dictator was judged.'" Guzmán retired in 2005. In a memoir, The Edge of the World , published later that year, he revealed that he had come under political pressure to drop the case against Pinochet. After his retirement, he served as the director of the Center for Human Rights at the Universidad Central de Chile . In 2008, Guzmán called for
2599-730: The Desaparecidos , the Caravan of Death , and the institutionalized torture that took place in the Villa Grimaldi complex. Almost immediately after the military's seizure of power, the junta banned all the leftist parties that had constituted Allende's UP coalition. All other parties were placed in "indefinite recess" and were later banned outright. The government's violence was directed not only against dissidents but also against their families and other civilians. The Rettig Report concluded that 2,279 people who disappeared during
2712-437: The 1982 monetary crisis , and thus produced its devastating effects on the Chilean economy. Pinochet's wealth grew considerably during his years in power through dozens of bank accounts secretly held abroad and holdings in real estate. He was later prosecuted for embezzlement , tax fraud , and kickbacks on arms deals. Pinochet's 17-year rule was given a legal framework through a controversial 1980 plebiscite , which approved
2825-633: The British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular ". In the movie The Great Dictator (1940), Charlie Chaplin satirized not only Adolf Hitler but the institution of dictatorship itself. A benevolent dictatorship refers to a government in which an authoritarian leader exercises absolute political power over the state but is perceived to do so with regard for the benefit of
2938-687: The CEPAL , assassinated in July 1976; and Orlando Letelier , a former Chilean ambassador to the United States and minister in Allende's cabinet, assassinated after his release from internment and exile in Washington, D.C. by a car bomb on 21 September 1976. Documents which were released in 2015 which alleged Pinochet ordered Letelier's assassination, though Michael Townley, who directly carried out
3051-636: The Humanist Party , the Ecologist Party , the Social Democrats, and several Socialist Party splinter groups added their support. On 5 October 1988, the "NO" option won with 55.99% of the votes, against 44.01% of "YES" votes. In the wake of his electoral defeat, Pinochet attempted to implement a plan for an auto-coup. He attempted to implement efforts to orchestrate chaos and violence in the streets to justify his power grab, however,
3164-847: The People's Republic of China during China's Cultural Revolution , where Mao set out to purge dissidents, primarily through the use of youth groups strongly committed to his cult of personality , and during Augusto Pinochet 's junta in Chile . Some dictators have been associated with genocide on certain races or groups; the most notable and wide-reaching example is the Holocaust , Adolf Hitler 's genocide of eleven million people, of whom six million were Jews. Later on in Democratic Kampuchea , General Secretary Pol Pot and his policies killed an estimated 1.7 million people (out of
3277-541: The Socialist Party , and many others, in 1973. British priest Michael Woodward, who vanished within 10 days of the coup, was tortured and beaten to death aboard the Chilean naval ship, Esmeralda . Many other important officials of Allende's government were tracked down by the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) under the auspices of Operation Condor. General Carlos Prats , Pinochet's predecessor and army commander under Allende, who had resigned rather than support
3390-472: The neoliberal economic policies of the Pinochet regime resulted in widening inequality and deepening poverty as they negatively impacted the wages, benefits and working conditions of Chile's working class. According to Chilean economist Alejandro Foxley , by the end of Pinochet's reign around 44% of Chilean families were living below the poverty line. According to The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein , by
3503-528: The 1863 January uprising in Poland, "Dictator" was also the official title of four leaders, the first being Ludwik Mierosławski . Past that time, however, the term dictator assumed an invariably negative connotation. In popular usage, a dictatorship is often associated with brutality and oppression. As a result, it is often also used as a term of abuse against political opponents. The term has also come to be associated with megalomania . Many dictators create
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3616-509: The 1980s, leading to several scandals. In March 1985, the murder of three Communist Party members led to the resignation of César Mendoza, head of the Carabineros and member of the junta since its formation. During a 1986 protest against Pinochet, 21-year-old American photographer Rodrigo Rojas DeNegri and 18-year-old student Carmen Gloria Quintana were burnt alive , with only Carmen surviving. In August 1989, Marcelo Barrios Andres,
3729-401: The Army to coordinate a far-reaching scheme with the other two branches of the military and the national police. In later years, however, high military officials from the time, such as Gustavo Leigh, commander-in-chief of the air force, have said that Pinochet reluctantly became involved only a few days before the coup was scheduled to occur, and followed the lead of the other branches (especially
3842-846: The CIA actively supported the military junta after the overthrow of Allende, and that it made many of Pinochet's officers into paid contacts of the CIA or U.S. military, even though some were known to be involved in human rights abuses. The CIA also maintained contacts in the Chilean DINA intelligence service. DINA led the multinational campaign known as Operation Condor , which amongst other activities carried out assassinations of prominent politicians in various Latin American countries, in Washington, D.C., and in Europe, and kidnapped, tortured and executed activists holding left-wing views, which culminated in
3955-492: The Carabinero police refused an order to lift the cordon against street demonstrations in the capital, according to a CIA informant. In his final move, Pinochet convened a meeting of his junta at La Moneda , in which he requested that they give him extraordinary powers to have the military seize the capital. Air Force General Fernando Matthei refused, saying that he would not agree to such a thing under any circumstances, and
4068-559: The Change of Government in Chile'), commonly known as El Libro Blanco , in which they said that they were in fact anticipating a self-coup (the alleged Plan Zeta , or Plan Z) that Allende's government or its associates were purportedly preparing. United States intelligence agencies believed the plan to be untrue propaganda. Although later discredited and officially recognized as the product of political propaganda, Gonzalo Vial Correa insists in
4181-656: The Chilean War Academy but had to postpone his studies because, being the youngest officer, he had to carry out a service mission in the coal zone of Lota . The following year, he returned to his studies in the academy. After obtaining the title of Officer Chief of Staff, in 1951, he returned to teach at the Military School. At the same time, he worked as a teachers' aide at the War Academy, assisting with military geography and geopolitics classes. He
4294-489: The Chilean constitutional clauses that MacLean attributes to Buchanan and discovered that they pre-dated his visit. He concludes that "evidence suggests that Buchanan's May 1980 visit did not particularly influence the subsequent drafting of the Chilean Constitution" and "there is no evidence to suggest that Buchanan had any kind of audience with Pinochet or corresponded with the Chilean dictator." According to
4407-620: The Chilean government, the number of executions and forced disappearances was at least 3,095. Operation Condor , a U.S.-supported terror operation focusing on South America, was founded at the behest of the Pinochet regime in late November 1975, his 60th birthday. Under the influence of the free market –oriented " Chicago Boys ", Pinochet's military government implemented economic liberalization following neoliberalism , including currency stabilization, removed tariff protections for local industry, banned trade unions, and privatized social security and hundreds of state-owned enterprises. Some of
4520-510: The Christian Democrat President of Chile from 1964 to 1970, may have been poisoned in 1982 with toxins produced by DINA biochemist Eugenio Berrios . Though this accusation would eventually result in convictions, it was determined by 2021 that Montalva was in fact not a homicide victim. Despite having Pinochet as its highest commander, a "confession" which Michael Townley made in 1978 described Gen. Manuel Contreras as
4633-466: The Court stripped Pinochet again of his immunity from prosecution over fresh charges concerning Operation Condor . In September 2005, the Court acceded to Guzmán's request to strip Pinochet of his immunity concerning Operation Colombo . Despite all of the efforts, Pinochet died in 2006, with charges and multiple cases continuing to remain pending. Speaking later, Guzmán would say, "The important thing
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4746-611: The Navy, under Admiral Merino) as they executed the coup. The new government rounded up thousands of people and held them in the national stadium , where many were killed. This was followed by brutal repression during Pinochet's rule, during which approximately 3,000 people were killed, while more than 1,000 are still missing. In the months that followed the coup, the junta published a book with text written by historian Gonzalo Vial and admiral Patricio Carvajal , titled El Libro Blanco del cambio de gobierno en Chile ('The White Book on
4859-729: The San Rafael Seminary of Valparaíso, the Rafael Ariztía Institute ( Marist Brothers ) in Quillota , the French Fathers' School of Valparaíso, and then to the Military School in Santiago, which he entered in 1931. His school records show him to have been an average student, excelling in some topics and only just passing others. In 1935, after four years studying military geography , he graduated with
4972-742: The Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, government policy was enforced by secret police and the Gulag system of prison labour camps. Most Gulag inmates were not political prisoners, although significant numbers of political prisoners could be found in the camps at any one time. Data collected from Soviet archives gives the death toll from Gulags as 1,053,829. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan 's military dictator Omar al-Bashir over alleged war crimes in Darfur . Similar crimes were committed during Chairman Mao Zedong 's rule over
5085-493: The US Catholic author George Weigel , he held a meeting with Pinochet during which they discussed a return to democracy. John Paul II allegedly pushed Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of his government, and even called for his resignation. Political advertising was legalized on 5 September 1987, as a necessary element for the campaign for the "NO" to the referendum, which countered the official campaign, which presaged
5198-646: The assassination, implied otherwise in letters. This led to strained relations with the US and to the extradition of Michael Townley , a US citizen who worked for the DINA and had organized Letelier's assassination. Other targeted victims, who escaped assassination, included Christian-Democrat Bernardo Leighton , who escaped an assassination attempt in Rome in 1975 by the Italian terrorist Stefano delle Chiaie ; Carlos Altamirano ,
5311-581: The association is mere pretense. Some dictators have been masters of crowd manipulation , such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Others were more prosaic speakers, such as Joseph Stalin and Francisco Franco . Typically, the dictator's people seize control of all media, censor or destroy the opposition, and give strong doses of propaganda daily, often built around a cult of personality . Mussolini and Hitler used similar, modest titles referring to them as "the Leader". Mussolini used "Il Duce " and Hitler
5424-444: The commission on truth and reconciliation had documented over 3,000 victims of executions and disappearances, and a different commission had estimated at least 80,000 survivors of human rights abuses. Guzmán got together a team of detectives and other forensic experts to lead the investigation. He traveled from city to city interviewing relatives of people who had been executed or had disappeared and survivors of human rights abuses. As
5537-432: The concentration of money in the hands of the very rich and the perversion of democracy through the privatization of government was always the goal. She contends this was the effective meaning of the theoretical model known as public choice , whose architect, James M. Buchanan , traveled to Chile and worked closely with the Pinochet regime. MacLean's account, however, has come under scrutiny. Economist Andrew Farrant examined
5650-687: The country by opponents of the government. In September 1986, weapons from the same source were used in an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Pinochet by the FPMR . His military bodyguard was taken by surprise, and five members were killed. Pinochet's bulletproof Mercedes Benz vehicle was struck by a rocket, but it failed to explode and Pinochet suffered only minor injuries. He shut down parliament, suffocated political life, banned trade unions, and made Chile his sultanate. His government disappeared 3,000 opponents, arrested 30,000 (torturing thousands of them) ... Pinochet's name will forever be linked to
5763-564: The country. Armed opposition to the Pinochet rule continued in remote parts of the country. In a massive operation spearheaded by Chilean Army para-commandos, some 2,000 security forces troops were deployed in the mountains of Neltume from June to November 1981, where they destroyed two MIR bases, seizing large caches of munitions and killing a number of guerrillas. According to author Ozren Agnic Krstulovic, weapons including C-4 plastic explosives , RPG-7 and M72 LAW rocket launchers, as well as more than 3,000 M-16 rifles, were smuggled into
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#17327803659315876-405: The coup to the stability of the existing democratic system, which required extreme action to overturn. Some of the worst cases of human rights violation occurred during the early period: in October 1973, at least 70 people were killed throughout the country by the Caravan of Death . Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi , both U.S. journalists, " disappeared ", as did Víctor Olea Alegría , a member of
5989-810: The coup, made up of General Pinochet representing the Army , Admiral José Toribio Merino representing the Navy , General Gustavo Leigh representing the Air Force , and General César Mendoza representing the Carabineros (national police). As established, the junta exercised both executive and legislative functions of the government, suspended the Constitution and the Congress , imposed strict censorship and curfew , banned all parties and halted all political and perceived subversive activities. This military junta held
6102-473: The coup. After Allende's final radio address, he shot himself rather than becoming a prisoner. The Church Report investigating the fallout of the Watergate scandal stated that while the U.S. tacitly supported the Pinochet government after the 1973 coup, there was "no evidence" that the US was directly involved in it. This view has been contradicted by several academics, such as Peter Winn , who writes that
6215-404: The coup. Devine stating, "I sent CIA headquarters a special type of top-secret cable known as a CRITIC, which ... goes directly to the highest levels of government." The US provided material support to the military government after the coup, although criticizing it in public. A document released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2000, titled "CIA Activities in Chile", revealed that
6328-754: The credit cycle, as debt obligations, such as resuming payment of principal and interest installments, were honored. International lending organizations such as the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund , and the Inter-American Development Bank lent vast sums anew. Many foreign multinational corporations such as International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), Dow Chemical , and Firestone , all expropriated by Allende, returned to Chile. Pinochet's policies eventually led to substantial GDP growth, in contrast to
6441-418: The deaths of roughly 60,000 people. The United States provided key organizational, financial and technical assistance to the operation. CIA contact with DINA head Manuel Contreras was established in 1974 soon after the coup, during the Junta period prior to official transfer of Presidential powers to Pinochet; in 1975, the CIA reviewed a warning that keeping Contreras as an asset might threaten human rights in
6554-452: The dispositions of the 1980 Constitution, mainly the call for general elections, while he would himself remain in power as president. If the "NO" won, Pinochet would remain President for another year, and a joint Presidential and legislative election would be held. Another reason for Pinochet's decision to call for elections was the April 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II to Chile. According to
6667-482: The economy under Allende, and contributed to the destabilization of the regime. Author Peter Kornbluh argues in The Pinochet File that the US was extensively involved and actively "fomented" the 1973 coup. Authors Tim Weiner ( Legacy of Ashes ) and Christopher Hitchens ( The Trial of Henry Kissinger ) similarly argue the case that US covert actions actively destabilized Allende's government and set
6780-405: The events of May 68 and met his wife, Inés Watine Dubrulle, the daughter of a World War II French Resistance fighter. A fluent French speaker, Guzmán played a minor, uncredited acting role in the 1972 Costa-Gavras film, State of Siege (set in Uruguay, but filmed in Chile), which explores American covert actions in South America preceding Operation Condor . Guzmán started his career as
6893-422: The executive role until 17 December 1974, after which it remained strictly as a legislative body, the executive powers being transferred to Pinochet with the title of President. The junta members originally planned that the presidency would be held for a year by the commanders-in-chief of each of the four military branches in turn. However, Pinochet soon consolidated his control, first retaining sole chairmanship of
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#17327803659317006-407: The following month. Following Caesar's assassination, his heir Augustus was offered the title of dictator, but he declined it. Later successors also declined the title of dictator, and usage of the title soon diminished among Roman rulers. As late as the second half of the 19th century, the term dictator had occasional positive implications. For example, during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 ,
7119-415: The government initiated a second round of privatization, revising previously introduced tariff increases and creating a greater supervisory role for the Central Bank. Pinochet's market liberalizations have continued after his death, led by Patricio Aylwin . According to a 2020 study in the Journal of Economic History , Pinochet sold firms at below-market prices to politically connected buyers. Critics argue
7232-410: The government properties were sold below market price to politically connected buyers, including Pinochet's son-in-law Julio Ponce Lerou . The regime used censorship of entertainment as a way to reward supporters of the regime and punish opponents. These policies produced high economic growth and dramatically increased economic inequality . Departing from these policies, Pinochet's government also caused
7345-440: The government set forth an economic policy of free-market reforms that attempted to stop inflation and collapse. Pinochet declared that he wanted "to make Chile not a nation of proletarians , but a nation of proprietors ". To formulate the economic rescue, the government relied on the so-called Chicago Boys and a text called El ladrillo , and although Chile grew very quickly between 1976 and 1981, at an average of 7,2%, it had
7458-433: The judicial system in force in Chile at the time, judges had both investigative and prosecutorial responsibilities in addition to presiding over the courts. When democracy returned to Chile in the early 1990s, the true extent of the human rights abuses by Pinochet and his military regime started to surface. On 12 January 1998, human rights lawyers in Chile submitted the first of more than 70 lawsuits against Pinochet. Guzmán
7571-403: The junta returned properties to original owners who had lost them during expropriations, and sold other industries expropriated by Allende's Popular Unity government to private buyers. This period saw the expansion of business and widespread speculation. Financial conglomerates became major beneficiaries of the liberalized economy and the flood of foreign bank loans. Large foreign banks reinstated
7684-420: The kidnapping and murder of 16 left-wing activists in 1974 and 1975. The first country in the world to make that momentous break with the past—away from socialism and extreme state capitalism toward more market-oriented structures and policies—was not Deng Xiaoping's China or Margaret Thatcher's Britain in the late 1970s, Ronald Reagan's United States in 1981, or any other country in Latin America or elsewhere. It
7797-442: The late 1980s, the economy had stabilized and was growing, but around 45% of the population had fallen into poverty while the wealthiest 10% saw their incomes rise by 83%. But others disagree, Chilean economist José Piñera argues that 2 years after Pinochet took power, poverty was still at 50% and the liberal reforms reduced it to 7.8% in 2013 as well as income per capita rising from US$ 4.000 in 1975 to US$ 25.000 in 2015, supporters of
7910-495: The leader of the Chilean Socialist Party, targeted for murder in 1975 by Pinochet, along with Volodia Teitelboim , member of the Communist Party; Pascal Allende , the nephew of Salvador Allende and president of the MIR, who escaped an assassination attempt in Costa Rica in March 1976; and US Congressman Edward Koch , who became aware in 2001 of relations between death threats and his denunciation of Operation Condor. Furthermore, according to later investigations, Eduardo Frei Montalva,
8023-399: The lifting of the United States blockade of Cuba . He also voiced his support for the Cuban Five , whose arrest Guzmán deemed as unjust and arbitrary. The 2008 documentary The Judge and the General documented his efforts to bring Pinochet to justice for the crimes committed by his regime. The documentary was produced and directed by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco. The show
8136-547: The longest of any Chilean ruler. Augusto Pinochet rose through the ranks of the Chilean Army to become General Chief of Staff in early 1972 before being appointed its Commander-in-Chief on 23 August 1973 by President Salvador Allende . On 11 September 1973, Pinochet seized power in Chile in a military coup , with the support of the United States, that toppled Allende's democratically elected left-wing Unidad Popular government and ended civilian rule . In December 1974,
8249-488: The military claimed that he had committed suicide, controversy surrounded Allende's death , with many commentators claiming that he had been assassinated, a theory denied by the Chilean Supreme Court in 2014. In his book about the coup, The Decisive Day ( El día decisivo, 11 de septiembre de 1973 ), Pinochet said that he was the leading plotter of the coup and had used his position as commander-in-chief of
8362-430: The military government were killed for political reasons or as a result of political violence . According to the later Valech Report approximately 31,947 were tortured and 1,312 exiled. The exiles were pursued all over the world by the intelligence agencies. In Latin America, this was carried out under Operation Condor , a cooperation plan between the various intelligence agencies of South American countries, assisted by
8475-638: The military junta, and then was proclaimed "Supreme Chief of the Nation" ("Jefe Supremo de la Nación"), the de facto provisional president, on 17 June 1974 by Decree Law No. 527. He was officially titled "President of the Republic" on 17 December 1974. General Leigh, head of the Air Force, became increasingly opposed to Pinochet's policies and was forced into retirement on 24 July 1978, after contradicting Pinochet on that year's plebiscite (officially called Consulta Nacional, or National Consultation, in response to
8588-469: The moves against Allende's government, was assassinated in Buenos Aires , Argentina , in 1974. A year later, the murder of 119 opponents abroad was disguised as an internal conflict, the DINA setting up a propaganda campaign to support this idea ( Operation Colombo ), a campaign publicised by the leading newspaper in Chile, El Mercurio. Other victims included Carmelo Soria , a UN diplomat working for
8701-515: The murder of a 29-year-old theology student and activist, German Rodriguez Cortes, in 1978. The same month, 62-year-old Guillermo Reyes Rammsy, a former Chilean soldier during the Pinochet years, was arrested and charged with murder for boasting of participating in 18 executions during a live phone-in to the Chilean radio show "Chacotero Sentimental". On 2 June 2017, Chilean judge Hernan Cristoso sentenced 106 former Chilean intelligence officials to between 541 days and 20 years in prison for their role in
8814-594: The national leader Lajos Kossuth was often referred to as dictator, without any negative connotations, by his supporters and detractors alike, although his official title was that of regent-president. When creating a provisional executive in Sicily during the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi officially assumed the title of "dictator" (see Dictatorship of Garibaldi ). Shortly afterwards, during
8927-594: The negative growth seen in the early years of his administration, while public debt also was kept high mostly to finance public spending which even after the privatization of services was kept at high rates (though far less than before privatization), for example, in 1991 after one year of post-Pinochet democracy debt was still at 37.4% of the GDP. The Pinochet government implemented an economic model that had three main objectives: economic liberalization, privatization of state-owned companies, and stabilization of inflation. In 1985,
9040-628: The one who oversaw and ordered DINA's missions, even noting that he carried out numerous Operation Condor missions in Europe and the Letelier-Moffitt assassination "following orders from Gen. Contreas". In a letter which Townley personally sent to Contreas after he was implicated in the U.S. and Chilean press as the lead suspect in the Letelier-Montiff assassination, Townley, using the alias J. Andreas Wilson, indicated his belief that Contreras had not “let his Excellency [Pinochet] know
9153-569: The organization of the War Academy of Ecuador in Quito. He remained with the Quito mission for four-and-a-half years, during which time he studied geopolitics , military geography and military intelligence . At the end of 1959, he returned to Chile and was sent to General Headquarters of the 1st Army Division, based in Antofagasta . The following year, he was appointed commander of the "Esmeralda" Regiment. Due to his success in this position, he
9266-410: The pension system was restructured from a PAYGO -system to a fully funded capitalization system run by private sector pension funds. Healthcare and education were likewise privatized, and private hospitals and private schools existed alongside free State-run hospitals and schools. This "dual system" also extended to insurance and social security services, as State-owned FONASA (National Healthcare Fund)
9379-601: The population as a whole, standing in contrast to the decidedly malevolent stereotype of a dictator. A benevolent dictator may allow for some civil liberties or democratic decision-making to exist, such as through public referendums or elected representatives with limited power, and often makes preparations for a transition to genuine democracy during or after their term. The label has been applied to leaders such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk of Turkey (1923–38), Josip Broz Tito of SFR Yugoslavia (1953–80), and Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore (1959–90). The association between
9492-570: The rank of alférez ( Second Lieutenant ) in the infantry . In September 1937, Pinochet was assigned to the "Chacabuco" Regiment, in Concepción . Two years later, in 1939, then with the rank of Sub-lieutenant, he moved to the "Maipo" Regiment, garrisoned in Valparaíso. He returned to Infantry School in 1940. By late 1945, Pinochet had been assigned to the "Carampangue" Regiment in the northern city of Iquique . Three years later, he entered
9605-414: The reforms also argue that when Pinochet left power in 1990 poverty had fallen to 38% and some claim that since the consolidation of the neoliberal system inequality has been reducing. Others disagree, as protests erupted in late 2019 in response to growing inequality in the country which can be traced back to the neoliberal policies of the Pinochet dictatorship. American scholar Nancy MacLean wrote that
9718-481: The region. The CIA chose to keep him as an asset, and at one point even paid him. In addition to the CIA's maintaining of assets in DINA beginning soon after the coup, several CIA assets, such as CORU Cuban exile militants Orlando Bosch and Guillermo Novo, collaborated in DINA operations under the Condor Plan in the early years of Pinochet's presidency. A military junta was established immediately following
9831-425: The rest of the junta followed this stance, on grounds that Pinochet already had his turn and lost. Matthei would later become the first member of the junta to publicly admit that Pinochet had lost the plebiscite. Without any support from the junta, Pinochet was forced to accept the result. The ensuing Constitutional process led to presidential and legislative elections the following year. Dictator A dictator
9944-407: The role of the CIA was crucial to the consolidation of power after the coup; the CIA helped fabricate a conspiracy against the Allende government, which Pinochet was then portrayed as preventing. He stated that the coup itself was possible only through a three-year covert operation mounted by the United States. Winn also points out that the US imposed an "invisible blockade" that was designed to disrupt
10057-436: The ruling military junta appointed Pinochet Supreme Head of the nation by joint decree, although without the support of one of the coup's instigators, Air Force General Gustavo Leigh . After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists , and political critics, resulting in the executions of 1,200 to 3,200 people, the internment of as many as 80,000 people , and the torture of tens of thousands . According to
10170-583: The similarities between the alleged Plan Z and other existing paramilitary plans of the Popular Unity parties in support of its legitimacy. Pinochet was also trained by the School of the Americas (SOA) where it is likely he first encountered the ideals of the coup. Canadian reporter Jean Charpentier of Télévision de Radio-Canada was the first foreign journalist to interview General Pinochet following
10283-445: The size of the electorate and turnout in previous elections. Interviews after Pinochet's departure with people involved with the referendum confirmed that fraud had, indeed, been widespread. The Constitution was promulgated on 21 October 1980, taking effect on 11 March 1981. Pinochet was replaced as President of the Junta that day by Admiral Merino. During Pinochet's reign it is estimated that some one million people had been forced to flee
10396-445: The stage for the 1973 coup. Despite denial of countless American agencies, current declassified documentation has proven the American involvement. Nixon and Kissinger, along with both private and public intelligence agencies were "apprised of, and even enmeshed in, the planning and executing of the military takeover." Along with this, CIA operatives directly involved, such as Jack Devine, have also come out and declared their involvement in
10509-403: The term dictator is generally used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power. Dictatorships are often characterised by some of the following: suspension of elections and civil liberties ; proclamation of a state of emergency ; rule by decree ; repression of political opponents ; not abiding by the procedures of the rule of law ; and the existence of
10622-401: The term applied to them much more liberally. Juan Guzm%C3%A1n Tapia Juan Salvador Guzmán Tapia ( Spanish pronunciation: [xwaŋ ɡusˈman ˈtapja] ; 22 April 1939 – 22 January 2021) was a Chilean judge. He was the first Chilean judge to lead investigations and prosecute Augusto Pinochet for violations of human rights during his dictatorship between 1973 and 1990 . As
10735-418: The transitional provisions of the 1980 Constitution, a referendum was scheduled for 5 October 1988, to vote on a new eight-year presidential term for Pinochet. Confronted with increasing opposition, notably at the international level, Pinochet legalized political parties in 1987 and called for a vote to determine whether or not he would remain in power until 1997. If the "YES" won, Pinochet would have to implement
10848-444: The true extent of the actions undertaken by Pinochet and his secret police. Guzmán was amongst the first few judges to lead the investigation and prosecution of Pinochet for killings and other human rights violations undertaken by his regime between 1973 and 1990. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Guzmán led a risky legal campaign to fully investigate the crimes and drive redressals using a combination of novel legal strategies. Under
10961-469: The truth about this case.” Nevertheless, it was also acknowledged that the Pinochet regime made a major push cover up its role in the assassination. The extensive cover-up efforts were codenamed “Operación Mascarada.” It was also revealed that Townley, who was expelled from Chile to the United States in April 1978, believed that Contreas and Pedro Espinoza were actually more likely to make an attempt on his life than Pinochet. Protests continued, however, during
11074-459: Was Pinochet's Chile in 1975. In 1973, the Chilean economy was deeply depressed for several reasons. Allende's government had expropriated many Chilean and foreign businesses, including all copper mines, and had controlled prices. Inflation had reached 606%, income per capita had contracted by 7.14% in 1973 alone and 30% compared to 1970, GDP had contracted by 5% in 1973, and public spending rose from 22.6% to 44.9% of GDP between 1970 and 1973, creating
11187-583: Was a Roman magistrate given sole power for a limited duration. Originally an emergency legal appointment in the Roman Republic and the Etruscan culture , the term dictator did not have the negative meaning it has now. It started to get its modern negative meaning with Cornelius Sulla 's ascension to the dictatorship following Sulla's civil war , making himself the first Dictator in Rome in more than
11300-565: Was aired on PBS in the United States. Guzmán was married to French-born Inés Watine Dubrulle. The couple had two daughters. He was an art collector who donated several of his Pre-Columbian South American art collection pieces to museums in Chile including the Museo del Carmen de Maipú [ es ] . Titled the Guzmán–Watine collection, it spanned Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. He lived in Santiago and suffered from dementia in
11413-471: Was also accused of having corruptly amassed at least US$ 28 million. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte was born in Valparaíso on 25 November 1915. He was the son and namesake of Augusto Pinochet Vera (1891–1944), a descendant of an 18th-century French Breton immigrant from Lamballe and Avelina Ugarte Martínez (1895–1986), a woman of Basque heritage. Pinochet went to primary and secondary school at
11526-458: Was also the editor of the institutional magazine Cien Águilas ('One Hundred Eagles'). At the beginning of 1953, with the rank of major, he was sent for two years to the "Rancagua" Regiment in Arica . While there, he was appointed professor of the Chilean War Academy, and returned to Santiago to take up his new position. In 1956, Pinochet and a group of young officers were chosen to collaborate in
11639-591: Was appointed sub-director of the War Academy in 1963. In 1968, he was named Chief of Staff of the 2nd Army Division, based in Santiago , and at the end of that year, he was promoted to brigadier general and Commander in Chief of the 6th Division, garrisoned in Iquique. In his new function, he was also appointed Intendent of the Tarapacá Province. In January 1971, Pinochet was promoted to division general and
11752-599: Was appointed to take charge of the investigation. During this time, Pinochet was arrested in London in October 1998 under orders of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón on charges of genocide and other crimes against Spanish citizens in Chile. However, Pinochet was finally deemed unfit for trial and returned home to Chile in March 2000 after 17 months of house arrest in London. Guzmán immediately applied to have Pinochet's legal immunity revoked and have him placed under house arrest in Santiago. Chilean investigation commissions including
11865-408: Was approved by a margin of 67.04% to 30.19% according to official figures; the opposition, headed by ex-president Eduardo Frei Montalva (who had supported Pinochet's coup), denounced extensive irregularities such as the lack of an electoral register , which facilitated multiple voting, and said that the total number of votes reported to have been cast was very much larger than would be expected from
11978-592: Was arrested under an international arrest warrant in connection with numerous human rights violations . Following a legal battle, he was released on grounds of ill-health and returned to Chile on 3 March 2000. In 2004, Chilean Judge Juan Guzmán Tapia ruled that Pinochet was medically fit to stand trial and placed him under house arrest . By the time of his death on 10 December 2006, about 300 criminal charges were still pending against him in Chile for numerous human rights violations during his 17-year rule, as well as tax evasion and embezzlement during and after his rule. He
12091-527: Was created by this jurisprudence , thus permitting prosecution for the forced disappearances . In December 2000, Guzmán formally charged Pinochet for kidnapping during his 1973–1990 dictatorship, and questioned him for two hours in January 2001 after doctors said he was fit to undergo interrogation. That same month, Guzmán placed the general under house arrest. In July 2001, the charges were suspended and later dropped on health grounds. In May 2004,
12204-482: Was created in 1979 and the private and paid ISAPRES (Institutions of Previsional Health) were created in 1981. Wages decreased by 8%. Family allowances in 1989 were 28% of what they had been in 1970 and the budgets for education, health and housing had dropped by over 20% on average. The junta relied on the middle class, the oligarchy, foreign corporations, and foreign loans to maintain itself. Businesses recovered most of their lost industrial and agricultural holdings, for
12317-499: Was generally referred to as "der Führer ", both meaning 'Leader' in Italian and German respectively. Franco used a similar title, "El Caudillo " ("the Head", 'the chieftain') and for Stalin his adopted name, meaning "Man of Steel", became synonymous with his role as the absolute leader. For Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco, the use of modest, non-traditional titles displayed their absolute power even stronger as they did not need any, not even
12430-558: Was more common: The usage of the term dictator in western media has been criticized by the left-leaning organization Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting as "Code for Government We Don't Like". According to them, leaders that would generally be considered authoritarian but are allied with the United States such as Paul Biya or Nursultan Nazarbayev are rarely referred to as "dictators", while leaders of countries opposed to U.S. policy such as Nicolás Maduro or Bashar al-Assad have
12543-481: Was named General Commander of the Santiago Army Garrison. On 8 June 1971, following the assassination of Edmundo Perez Zujovic by left-wing radicals, Allende appointed Pinochet a supreme authority of Santiago province, imposing a military curfew in the process, which was later lifted. However, on 2 December 1971, following a series of peaceful protests against economic policies of Allende, the curfew
12656-487: Was re-installed, all protests prohibited, with Pinochet leading the crackdown on anti-Allende protests. At the beginning of 1972, he was appointed General Chief of Staff of the Army. With rising domestic strife in Chile, after General Prats resigned his position, Pinochet was appointed commander-in-chief of the Army on 23 August 1973 by President Salvador Allende just one day after the Chamber of Deputies of Chile approved
12769-763: Was salvadoran dictator: general Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. Guzmán was exposed to US culture early in his life, having spent his early years between 4 and 12 in San Francisco and Washington. He also spent time in Venezuela and Colombia, before going on to studying law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and obtaining a postgraduate degree from the University of Paris in the late 1960s. During his stay in Paris, he witnessed
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