The Rettig Report , officially The National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation Report , is a 1991 report by a commission designated by Chilean President Patricio Aylwin (from the Concertación ) detailing human rights abuses resulting in deaths or disappearances that occurred in Chile during the years of military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet , which began on September 11, 1973 and ended on March 11, 1990. The report found that over 2,000 people had been killed for political reasons, and dozens of military personnel have been convicted of human rights abuses. In addition, many reforms have been made based on the recommendations of the report including an official reparations department.
115-511: The National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, the eight-member committee that later wrote the Rettig Report, was set up shortly after Patricio Aylwin, Chile's first democratically elected president since Salvador Allende , took office following the 1989 election . In addition to the eight members, the committee was chaired by Raúl Rettig , a former Chilean senator and ambassador to Brazil under Allende. In order to show impartiality,
230-579: A "Revolution in Liberty", a middle-class revolution that was funded by the United States government's Alliance for Progress . Frei carried out a series of progressive reforms, including land reform , an issue that had not been touched since Chile's independence in the early 19th century. According to historian Marian Schlotterbeck, this was "[John F.] Kennedy's vision –?stave off the threat of communist revolution by improving standards of living across
345-456: A 5.6% negative growth, and the government's fiscal deficit soared while foreign reserves declined. Unemployment rates had dropped from 6.3% in 1970 to 3.5% in 1972 before dropping again in 1973 to the lowest ever recorded. The combination of inflation and price controls, together with the disappearance of basic commodities from supermarket shelves, led to the rise of black markets in rice, beans, sugar, and flour. The Chilean economic situation
460-658: A Latin American organisation for the development of science and technology appropriate to the region." He began negotiations with Bolivia over the historical dispute between the two countries (Bolivia had lost access to the sea since the War of the Pacific between 1879 and 1884) and welcomed Bolivia's maritime request. Nevertheless, relations became tense again following a coup d'état by Bolivian General Hugo Banzer in August 1971. At
575-660: A civilian government, and Chile was later ruled by the Government Junta , ending more than four decades of uninterrupted democratic governance, a period known as the Presidential Republic . The military junta that took over dissolved Congress, suspended the Constitution of 1925 , and initiated a program of persecuting alleged dissidents, in which at least 3,095 civilians disappeared or were killed. Pinochet's military dictatorship only ended after
690-496: A coup. Valech Report The Valech Report , officially known as The National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture Report , documents instances of abuses committed in Chile between 1973 and 1990 by agents of Augusto Pinochet 's military regime . Published on November 29, 2004, the report presents the findings of a six-month investigation. A revised version was subsequently released on June 1, 2005. In February 2010,
805-463: A day. Culture came into the reach of the masses for the first time, who responded enthusiastically. "Editorial Quimantu" encouraged the establishment of libraries in community organizations and trade unions. Through the supply of cheap textbooks, it enabled the Left to progress through the ideological content of the literature made available to workers. To improve social and economic conditions for women,
920-639: A former president, with 27.8% going to a third candidate, Radomiro Tomic of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC). According to the Chilean constitution of the time, if no presidential candidate obtained a majority of the popular vote, Congress would choose one of the two candidates with the highest number of votes as the winner. Tradition was for Congress to vote for the candidate with the highest popular vote, regardless of margin. Former president Jorge Alessandri had been elected in 1958 with
1035-426: A free milk program for schoolchildren and in shanty towns of Chile, and an expansion of the land seizure and redistribution already begun under his predecessor Eduardo Frei Montalva , who had nationalized between one-fifth and one-quarter of all the properties listed for takeover. Allende also intended to improve the socio-economic welfare of Chile's poorest citizens; a key element was to provide employment, either in
1150-408: A further 166 cases which were not considered the first time around. The updated report added 1,204 new cases, bringing the total number of victims to 28,459. The total number of arrests was 34,690; some people were detained multiple times. The commission found that approximately 69% of arrests occurred between September 11 and December 31 of 1973, and 19% between January 1973 and August 1977. Under
1265-552: A life-long committed member of the Socialist Party of Chile , whose foundation he had actively contributed to, he unsuccessfully ran for the national presidency in the 1952 , 1958 , and 1964 elections. In 1970 , he won the presidency as the candidate of the Popular Unity coalition in a close three-way race. He was elected in a run-off by Congress , as no candidate had gained a majority. In office, Allende pursued
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#17327654029251380-435: A peak of $ 66 per ton in 1970 to only $ 48–49 in 1971 and 1972. Chile was already dependent on food imports, and the decline in export earnings coincided with declines in domestic food production following Allende's agrarian reforms. In 1971, Chile re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba, joining Mexico and Canada in rejecting a previously established Organization of American States convention prohibiting governments in
1495-692: A physician and anatomo-pathologist in the morgue of the Van Buren Hospital. He became the union leader of the Valparaíso doctors, becoming 1st Regional Secretary in Valparaíso. In 1935, at age 27, he was relegated to the city of Caldera for the second time and, in 1936, he was imprisoned in the Popular Front in Valparaíso. In 1937, he was elected Deputy of Valparaíso and Aconcagua and, in 1938, he served as Undersecretary General of
1610-757: A plurality of 31.6% over Allende's 28.85%. One month after the election, on 20 October, while the Senate had still to reach a decision and negotiations were actively in place between the Christian Democrats and the Popular Unity, General René Schneider , Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army, was shot resisting a kidnap attempt by a group led by General Roberto Viaux . Hospitalized, he died of his wounds three days later on 23 October. Schneider
1725-562: A policy he called " The Chilean Path to Socialism ". The coalition government was far from unanimous. Allende said that he was committed to democracy and represented the more moderate faction of the Socialist Party, while the radical wing sought a more radical course. Instead, the Communist Party of Chile favored a gradual and cautious approach that sought cooperation with Christian democrats , which proved influential for
1840-444: A proposed increase in electricity prices, restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, and granted amnesty to various political prisoners. In December 1970, the administration fixed bread prices; sent 55,000 volunteers to the south of the country to teach writing and reading skills and provide medical attention to an underserved sector of the population; established a central commission to oversee a tripartite payment plan in which equal place
1955-428: A socialist regime is the only way available to modern nations who want to build rationally in freedom, independence and dignity. We are moving towards socialism because the people, through their vote, have freely rejected capitalism as a system which has resulted in a crudely unequal society, a society deformed by social injustice and degraded by the deterioration of the very foundations of human solidarity. Upon assuming
2070-573: A sophisticated operations room ( Opsroom ) would provide a space where managers could see relevant economic data, formulate feasible responses to emergencies, and transmit advice and directives to enterprises and factories in alarm situations by using the telex network. In conjunction with the system, the Cybersyn development team also planned the Cyberfolk device system, a closed television circuit connected to an interactive apparatus that would enable
2185-487: A stroke the benefits that the Generalised System of Preferences brings to developing countries". Allende's Popular Unity government tried to maintain normal relations with the United States. When Chile nationalized its copper industry , the United States government cut off support and increased its support to the opposition. Forced to seek alternative sources of trade and finance, Chile gained commitments from
2300-624: A success if a left-wing successor to Allende was going to be elected. In the first year of Allende's term, the short-term economic results of the economy minister Pedro Vuskovic 's expansive monetary policy were highly favorable: 12% industrial growth and an 8.6% increase in GDP, accompanied by major declines in inflation (down from 34.9% to 22.1%) and unemployment (down to 3.8%). By 1972, the Chilean escudo had an inflation rate of 140%. The average real GDP contracted between 1971 and 1973 at an annual rate of
2415-608: A system of clinics in working-class neighborhoods on the peripheries of the major cities, providing a health center for every 40,000 inhabitants. Statistics for construction in general, and housebuilding in particular, reached some of the highest levels in the history of Chile. Four million square metres were completed in 1971–72, compared to an annual average of 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 million between 1965 and 1970. Workers were able to acquire goods which had previously been beyond their reach, such as heaters, refrigerators, and television sets. As further noted by Ricardo Israel Zipper, "By now meat
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#17327654029252530-724: A total of $ 2.6 million to finance the presidential campaign of Eduardo Frei . The possibility of Allende winning Chile's 1970 election was deemed a disaster by the Nixon administration that wanted to protect American geopolitical interests by preventing the spread of Communism during the Cold War . In September 1970, then United States president Richard Nixon informed the CIA that an Allende government in Chile would not be acceptable and authorized $ 10 million to stop Allende from coming to power or unseat him. A CIA document declared, "It
2645-419: A total of 550%. The incomes of 300,000 retirement pensioners were increased by the government from one-third of the minimum salary to the full amount. Labor insurance cover was extended to 200,000 market traders, 130,000 small shop proprietors, 30,000 small industrialists, small owners, transport workers, clergy, professional sportsmen, and artisans. The public health service was improved, with the establishment of
2760-399: Is a revolution of production", whereas "Allende's was a revolution of consumption." In October 1972, the first of what were to be a wave of strikes was led first by truckers, and later by small businessmen, some (mostly professional) unions and some student groups. Other than the inevitable damage to the economy, the chief effect of the 24-day strike was to induce Allende to bring the head of
2875-549: Is also a special bonus of four million Chilean pesos for victim's children who were born in captivity or who were detained with their parents while they were minors. Critics of the Valech Report said that families were falsely claiming that their relatives went missing during the 1973–1990 military regime. There had been reports since 2008 that four people, listed as killed or missing, were alive or had died in unrelated circumstances. These cases have raised questions about
2990-489: Is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup." Henry Kissinger 's 40 Committee and the CIA planned to impede Allende's investiture as President of Chile with covert efforts known as "Track I" and "Track II"; Track I sought to prevent Allende from assuming power via so-called "parliamentary trickery", while under the Track II initiative, the CIA tried to convince key Chilean military officers to carry out
3105-515: Is only sixty to sixty-five years. Switzerland and Argentina have recently refused to extradite two ex-political prisoner to Chile, on the grounds that they might be subject to "mistreatment" in Chile. Until May 2012, seventy-six agents had been condemned for human rights violations and sixty-seven were convicted: thirty-six from the Army , twenty-seven Carabineros , two from the Air Force , one from
3220-547: The Frente de Acción Popular (Popular Action Front, FRAP), he obtained only 5.4% of the votes, partly due to a division within socialist ranks over support for Carlos Ibáñez . In 1958, again as the FRAP candidate, Allende obtained 28.5% of the vote. This time, his defeat was attributed to votes lost to the populist Antonio Zamorano. This explanation has been questioned by modern research that suggest Zamorano's votes came from across
3335-599: The Army , 27 in the Carabineros , 2 in the Air Force , one of the Navy and one in the Police . Three condemned agents died and six agents got conditional sentences. 350 cases, pertaining to disappeared persons, illegal detainees and torture, remain open. There are 700 military and civilian persons involved in these cases. While some perpetrators have been convicted, prosecution has been difficult due to an amnesty law passed by
3450-535: The Chilean Senate in 1966. During the 1950s, Allende introduced legislation that established the Chilean national health service, the first program in the Americas to guarantee universal health care. His three unsuccessful bids for the presidency (in the 1952 , 1958 , and 1964 elections ) prompted Allende to joke that his epitaph would be "Here lies the next president of Chile." In 1952, as candidate for
3565-775: The Everton de Viña del Mar sports club (named after the more famous English football club of the same name ). In 1926, at the age of 18, he studied medicine at the University of Chile in Santiago and was elected President of the Student Center in 1927. In 1928, he entered the Grand Lodge of Chile and was elected vice president of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile in 1929. In 1930, he became
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3680-602: The Italian Communist Party and the Historic Compromise . As president, Allende sought to nationalize major industries, expand education, and improve the living standards of the working class. He clashed with the right-wing parties that controlled Congress and with the judiciary. On 11 September 1973, the military moved to oust Allende in a coup d'état supported by the CIA , which initially denied
3795-858: The Non-Aligned Movement , a position that was then almost unique in Latin America. Chile, which until then had been fussy about ideological boundaries, diversified its diplomatic and trade relations, regardless of the internal political regime of each country. The government established diplomatic relations with two Latin American countries (Cuba and Guyana ), seven African countries ( Congo , Equatorial Guinea , Libya , Madagascar , Nigeria , Tanzania , and Zaire ), three European countries (Albania, East Germany and Hungary) and seven Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, North Korea, China, Mongolia, South Vietnam and North Vietnam). It tried to promote Latin American integration. At
3910-562: The Socialist Party of Chile . In 1933, Allende co-founded with Marmaduque Grove and others a section of the Socialist Party of Chile in Valparaíso and became its chairman. He married Hortensia Bussi with whom he had three daughters. He was a Freemason , a member of the Lodge Progreso No. 4 in Valparaíso. In 1933, he published his doctoral thesis Higiene Mental y Delincuencia (Crime and Mental Hygiene) in which he criticized Cesare Lombroso 's proposals. In 1938, Allende
4025-560: The Soviet Union to invest some $ 400 million in Chile in the next six years. The United States Departement of State put it at $ 115 million from Eastern Europe and $ 65 million from China, while Soviet and Chilean Popular Unity sources put it at total of $ 620 million from socialist countries. Much of the credit was never utilized, and the Soviets were not willing to subsidize Chile the same way they did for Cuba. Allende's government
4140-478: The Statute was only a tactical move. In his speech to the Chilean legislature following his election, Allende made clear his intention to move Chile from a capitalist to a socialist society: We are moving towards socialism, not from an academic love for a doctrinaire system, but encouraged by the strength of our people, who know that it is an inescapable demand if we are to overcome backwardness and who feel that
4255-574: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which he considered to be more representative since it allowed economic and trade issues to be negotiated on an equal legal footing. In a speech to UNCTAD, he also warned of the policy of the United States, Japan and the European Economic Community to progressively eliminate obstacles to free trade . He said that "freeing up trade ... erases at
4370-480: The Western Hemisphere from establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. Shortly afterward, Cuban president Fidel Castro made a month-long visit to Chile . Originally, the visit was supposed to be one week; however, Castro enjoyed Chile and one week led to another. Despite his attitude of socialist solidarity, Castro was reportedly critical of Allende's policies. Castro was quoted as saying that "Marxism
4485-575: The experimental viable system model and the neural network approach to organizational design, the Project consisted of four modules: a network of telex machines ( Cybernet ) in all state-run enterprises that would transmit and receive information with the government in Santiago . Information from the field would be fed into statistical modeling software ( Cyberstride ) that would monitor production indicators, such as raw material supplies or high rates of worker absenteeism, in "almost" real time, alerting
4600-429: The " disappeared " detainees and there were no confirming witnesses. About two-thirds of the cases of abuse that were recognized by the commission took place during 1973. The associations say that testimony was accepted under the following conditions: Sixty percent of the ex-political prisoners were unemployed for at least two years according to studies made by ex-political prisoners' associations. Their life expectancy
4715-535: The 1971 Latin American Economic and Social Council, the Chilean representative Gonzalo Martner García formulated four major proposals, summarized by the historian Jorge Magasich: "1) to ask the United States for a moratorium on external debt for a decade in order to allocate these sums to development policies; 2) to create a Latin American central bank to "invest Latin America's reserves, 70% of which are in
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4830-592: The 1971–73 period. Additionally, Allende government had reduced inflation to 14% in the first nine months of 1971. Allende's first step in early 1971 was to raise minimum wages (in real terms) for blue-collar workers by 37–41% and by 8–10% for white-collar workers. Education, food, and housing assistance expanded significantly, with public housing starts going up twelvefold and eligibility for free milk extended from age 6 to age 15. A year later, blue-collar wages were raised by 27% in real terms and white-collar wages became fully indexed. Price controls were also set up, while
4945-410: The 28th president of Chile from 1970 until his death in 1973 . As a socialist committed to democracy, he has been described as the first Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America. Allende's involvement in Chilean politics spanned a period of nearly forty years, during which he held various positions including senator , deputy , and cabinet minister . As
5060-491: The Allende Government introduced a system of distribution networks through various agencies (including local committees on supply and prices) to ensure that shopkeepers adhered to the new rules. The new Minister of Agriculture, Jacques Chonchol , promised to expropriate all estates which were larger than eighty "basic" hectares (about 200 acres). That promise was kept, with no farm in Chile exceeding that limit by
5175-534: The Chilean Congress. Almost immediately after his election, Nixon directed CIA and US State Department officials to "put pressure" on the Allende government. His economic policies were used by economists Rudi Dornbusch and Sebastián Edwards to coin the term macroeconomic populism . In 1972, Chile's inflation stood at 150%. Salvador Allende took office in a difficult international context. Chile
5290-547: The Chilean Constitution and acting undemocratically. Allende's increasingly bold socialist policies (partly in response to pressure from some of the more radical members within his coalition), combined with his close contacts with Cuba, heightened fears in Washington. The Nixon administration continued exerting economic pressure on Chile via multilateral organizations and continued to back Allende's opponents in
5405-501: The Chilean appeals court and the government was ordered to return trucks to their owners. Throughout his presidency, racial tensions between the poor descendants of indigenous people, who supported Allende's reforms, and the white elite increased. Throughout his presidency, Allende remained at odds with the Chilean Congress, which was dominated by the Christian Democratic Party. In 1964, Eduardo Frei had promised
5520-624: The Congress who sent a telegram to Adolf Hitler denouncing the persecution of Jews . Following President Aguirre Cerda's death in 1941, he was again elected deputy while the Popular Front was renamed Democratic Alliance . In 1945, Allende became senator for the Valdivia , Llanquihue , Chiloé , Aisén , and Magallanes provinces; then for Tarapacá and Antofagasta in 1953; for Aconcagua and Valparaíso in 1961; and once more for Chiloé, Aisén, and Magallanes in 1969. He became president of
5635-581: The Liceo de Valdivia. In 1922, he entered the Eduardo de la Barra school at the age of 16, studying there until 1924. As a teenager, his main intellectual and political influence came from the shoe-maker Juan De Marchi , an Italian-born anarchist . In 1925, he attended the military service in the Cuirassier Regiment of Tacna . Allende was a talented athlete in his youth, being a member of
5750-612: The National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation with the following goals: The report determined that there were 2,115 victims of human rights violations and 164 victims of political violence between September 11, 1973 and the end of the Pinochet regime on March 11, 1990. This breaks down further to 1,068 victims confirmed to have been killed, 957 people who disappeared after their arrest, and an additional 90 killed by politically motivated private citizens. The report also
5865-463: The Soviet Union in late 1972 in search of more aid and additional lines of credit after three years, he was turned down. The United States opposition to Allende started several years before he was elected President of Chile. Declassified documents show that from 1962 to 1964, the CIA spent $ 3 million on anti-Allende propaganda "to scare voters away from Allende's FRAP coalition" and spent
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#17327654029255980-418: The United States", to receive "the region's deposits and assets" and to coordinate the operations of the central banks in order to protect the region from financial turbulence; 3) Promote the creation of a global technology fund for development, fed by compulsory contributions of licenses, industrial processes and other funds for research, so as to limit the abuses associated with technological property; 4) Create
6095-499: The Women's Secretariat was established in 1971, which took on issues such as public laundry facilities, public food programs, day-care centers, and women's health care (especially prenatal care). The duration of maternity leave was extended from 6 to 12 weeks, while the Allende Government steered the educational system towards poorer Chileans by expanding enrollments through government subsidies. A "democratisation" of university education
6210-402: The allegations. In 2000, the CIA admitted its role in the 1970 kidnapping of General René Schneider who had refused to use the army to stop Allende's inauguration. Declassified documents released in 2023 showed that US president Richard Nixon , his national security advisor Henry Kissinger , and the United States government, which had branded Allende as a dangerous communist, were aware of
6325-456: The armed forces community openly questioned the validity of the report. The Rettig Report's listing of a disappeared person as deceased and the victim of a human rights violation created a legal determination of the victim's situation. That would give the surviving family members certain benefits such as making it possible for them to resolve property and inheritance claims, apply for social security and any reparation benefits, as well as impacting
6440-416: The army to replace René Schneider. Allende assumed the presidency on 3 November 1970 after signing a Statute of Constitutional Guarantees proposed by the Christian Democrats in return for their support in Congress. In an extensive interview with Régis Debray in 1972, Allende explained his reasons for agreeing to the guarantees. Some critics have interpreted Allende's responses as an admission that signing
6555-407: The army, general Carlos Prats , into the government as Interior Minister. Allende also instructed the government to commandeer trucks to keep the nation from coming to a halt. Government supporters also helped to mobilize trucks and buses, but violence served as a deterrent to full mobilization, even with police protection for the strike-breakers. Allende's actions were eventually declared unlawful by
6670-461: The citizenry to actively participate in economic and political decision-making. Allende raised wages on a number of occasions throughout 1970 and 1971, but the wage hikes were negated by ongoing inflation of Chile's fiat currency . Although price rises had been high even under Frei (27% a year between 1967 and 1970), a basic basket of consumer goods rose by 120% from 190 to 421 escudos in one month alone, August 1972. From 1970 to 1972, while Allende
6785-517: The commission contained four members each from camps of supporters of the Pinochet regime, and opponents of it. The eight-members of the commission were Jaime Castillo Velasco , José Luis Cea Egaña , Mónica Jiménez , Laura Novoa Vásquez , José Zalaquett Daher , Ricardo Martin Díaz , and Gonzalo Vial Correa (minister of Education 1978-79). The commission was given large amounts of resources and access to official documents to ensure thoroughness, and
6900-460: The commission was reopened for a period of eighteen months, during which additional cases were examined. According to the commission's findings, a total of 38,254 individuals were imprisoned for political reasons, with a majority of them subjected to torture. In addition to the cases documented in the earlier Rettig Report , the commission also revealed that thirty individuals had either disappeared or been executed. The testimonies obtained during
7015-478: The construction of health infrastructure". Small programs targeted at women were also experimented with, such as cooperative laundries and communal food preparation, together with an expansion of child-care facilities. The National Supplementary Food Program was extended to all primary school pupils and to all pregnant women, regardless of their employment or income condition. Complementary nutritional schemes were applied to malnourished children, while antenatal care
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#17327654029257130-503: The construction of the Santiago subway so as to serve working class neighborhoods first. Workers benefited from increases in social security payments, an expanded public works program, and a modification of the wage and salary adjustment mechanism that had originally been introduced in the 1940s to cope with the country's chronic inflation. Middle class Chileans benefited from the elimination of taxes on modest incomes and property. In addition, state-sponsored programs distributed free food to
7245-508: The continent". The Christian Democrats had campaigned on a socialist platform in the 1970 elections but drifted away from those positions during Allende's presidency, and accused Allende of leading Chile toward a Cuban-style dictatorship and sought to overturn many of his more radical policies. They eventually formed a coalition with the National Party . Allende and his opponents in Congress repeatedly accused each other of undermining
7360-449: The continued influence of the military in politics. One area where Aylwin was unable to make change was a failure to repeal the 1978 amnesty law. In a speech announcing the report's findings, President Aylwin apologized on behalf of the Chilean government for the murders and disappearances detailed in the report, and asked the military to do the same. The Chilean military, still headed at the time by Pinochet, refused to apologize and much of
7475-459: The country's neediest citizens, and in the countryside, peasant councils were established to mobilize agrarian workers and small proprietors. In the government's first budget presented to Congress in November 1970, the minimum taxable income level was raised, removing from the tax pool 35% of those who had paid taxes on earnings in the previous year. In addition, the exemption from general taxation
7590-407: The effort to keep Durán in the race, the propaganda campaign to denigrate Allende – were 'indispensable ingredients of Frei's success'", and they thought that his chances of winning and the good progress of his campaign would have been doubtful without the covert support of the government of the United States . Thus, in 1964 Allende lost once more as the FRAP candidate, polling 38.6% of
7705-978: The end of 1972. Within eighteen months the Latifundia (extensive agricultural estates) had been abolished. The agrarian reform had involved the expropriation of 3,479 properties which, added to the 1,408 properties incorporated under the Frei government, made up some 40% of the total agricultural land area in the country. Particularly in rural areas, the Allende government launched a campaign against illiteracy, while adult education programs expanded, together with educational opportunities for workers. From 1971 to 1973, enrolments in kindergarten, primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools all increased. The Allende government encouraged more doctors to begin practising in rural and low-income urban areas, and built additional hospitals, maternity clinics, and especially neighborhood health-centers that remained open for longer hours to serve
7820-464: The factories, higher pensions for widows, maternity care, and free lunch programs for schoolchildren. Upon entering the government, Allende relinquished his congressional seat for Valparaíso, which he had won in 1937. Around that time, he wrote La Realidad Médico Social de Chile ( The Social and Medical Reality of Chile ). After Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany , Allende was one of 76 members of
7935-424: The first quarter of 1971, while in the same period real minimum wages for white-collar workers were increased by 23%, a development that decreased the differential ratio between blue- and white-collar workers' minimum wage from 49% (1970) to 35% (1971). Central government expenditures went up by 36% in real terms, raising the share of fiscal spending in GDP from 21% (1970) to 27% (1971), and as part of this expansion,
8050-413: The first year of the Allende Government. In addition, while the average annual increase in personal spending had been 4.8% in the period 1965–70, it reached 11.9% in 1971. During the first two years of Allende's presidency, state expenditure on health rose from around 2% to nearly 3.5% of GDP. According to Jennifer E. Pribble , the new spending "was reflected not only in public health campaigns, but also in
8165-483: The geographic distribution of inhabitants in both the capital city and the provinces. The initial report was based on testimony given to the commission by 35,865 people, of which 27,255 were regarded as "direct victims". Of these, 94% said they were tortured. Eleven people were born in prison, and ninety-one underage children were detained with their parents (including four unborn babies); these were not considered "direct victims". Another group of 978 people were minors at
8280-459: The investigation have been classified and will remain confidential for the next fifty years, until 2054. Consequently, these records cannot be utilized in trials pertaining to human rights violations. This stands in contrast to the " Archives of Terror " in Paraguay and Operation Condor . Associations representing former political prisoners have been denied access to the testimonies. The report
8395-489: The left-wing of the socialists (led by Carlos Altamirano ) and several other far-left parties called for violent insurrection. Some argue, however, that this was reversed at the end of his period in office. Allende won the 1970 Chilean presidential election as leader of the Unidad Popular ("Popular Unity") coalition. On 4 September 1970, he obtained a narrow plurality of 36.6% to 35.z3% over Jorge Alessandri ,
8510-509: The marital status of spouses. This was made possible through the establishment of the "National Corporation for Reparation and Reconciliation". Other actions based on recommendations from the report that were eventually taken by later Chilean governments are: Pinochet was also stripped of his parliamentary immunity in 2000, and was indicted by the Chilean Supreme Court along with other officers for killings which occurred after
8625-464: The military regime in 1978 giving full legal protection to any individual implicated in human rights violations between 1973 and 1978. The report included the following recommendations to prevent future human rights violations in Chile: Over time, many of these recommendations were put into place in Chile, although progress was slow due to a lack of a legislative majority from Aylwin's party, and
8740-414: The military's plans to overthrow Allende's democratically elected government in the days before the coup d'état. As troops surrounded La Moneda Palace , Allende gave his last speech vowing not to resign. Later that day, Allende died by suicide in his office ; the exact circumstances of his death are still disputed. Following Allende's death, General Augusto Pinochet refused to return authority to
8855-456: The new nationalized enterprises or on public-work projects. In November 1970, 3,000 scholarships were allocated to Mapuche children in an effort to integrate the indigenous minority into the educational system. Furthermore, Allende's administration resumed payment of pensions and grants, launched an emergency plan providing for the construction of 120,000 residential buildings, granted rights to social security for all part-time workers, withdrew
8970-535: The original coup in 1973. He was put under house arrest with new charges in 2004, and died under house arrest in December 2006. The human rights violations in Chile were also looked at again in the Valech Report which was conducted between 2004 and 2005. Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as
9085-404: The period between 1974 and 1977 after being detained by the Chilean military and police. In October 1977, The New York Times reported that Amnesty International had documented the disappearance of approximately 1,500 Chileans since 1973. Most of those new cases of child victims had not been included in the first report because their parents were either executed political prisoners or among
9200-420: The political spectrum. Declassified documents show that from 1962 through 1964, the CIA spent a total of $ 2.6 million to finance the campaign of Eduardo Frei and $ 3 million in anti-Allende propaganda "to scare voters away from Allende's FRAP coalition". The CIA considered its role in the victory of Frei a great success. They argued that "the financial and organizational assistance given to Frei,
9315-412: The poor. Improved sanitation and housing facilities for low-income neighborhoods also equalized health-care benefits, while hospital councils and local health councils were established in neighborhood health-centers as a means of democratizing the administration of health policies. The councils gave central-government civil-servants, local-government officials, health-service employees, and community workers
9430-519: The presidency of Michelle Bachelet the commission was reopened. It reviewed about 32,000 new requests from February 2010 to August 2011. It was to be open for twelve months but due to the high number of requests it was extended for an additional six months. 9,795 cases of torture and thirty cases of disappearances or executions were certified. The new report was presented to President Sebastián Piñera on August 18, 2011 and released on August 26, 2011. The state provided lifelong monetary compensation to
9545-432: The presidency, Allende began to carry out his platform of implementing a socialist program called La vía chilena al socialismo ("the Chilean path to socialism"). That included nationalization of large-scale industries (notably copper mining and banking) and government administration of the healthcare system, educational system (with the help of a United States educator, Jane A. Hobson-Gonzalez from Kokomo, Indiana ),
9660-441: The public sector engaged in a huge housing program, starting to build 76,000 houses in 1971, compared to 24,000 for 1970. During a 1971 emergency program, over 89,000 houses were built, and during Allende's three years as president an average of 52,000 houses were constructed annually. Although the acceleration of inflation in 1972 and 1973 eroded part of the initial increase in wages, they still rose (on average) in real terms during
9775-445: The purchase of a private publishing house by the state gave rise to Editorial Quimantu , which became the center of the Allende Government's cultural activities. In the space of two years, 12 million copies of books, magazines, and documents (8 million of which were books) specializing in social analysis, were published. Cheap editions of great literary works were produced on a weekly basis, and in most cases were sold out within
9890-470: The report was finalized in February 1991. One criticism of the report is that it only focused on politically motivated murders and disappearances that occurred while Pinochet was dictator, and did not include other human rights violations. This issue was addressed in a second report commissioned in 2003 known as the Valech Report . On April 25, 1990, Aylwin issued Supreme Decree No. 355, officially creating
10005-494: The representative of the students of the School of Medicine. During his time at medical school, Allende was influenced by Professor Max Westenhofer , a German pathologist who emphasized the social determinants of disease and social medicine . In 1931, he was expelled from the university and relegated to the north. That same year, he retook his sixth year of medical school and graduated at age 23. In 1932, he began practicing as
10120-432: The right to review budgetary decisions. The Allende government sought to bring the arts to the mass of the Chilean population by funding a number of cultural endeavours. With eighteen-year-olds and illiterates now granted the right to vote, mass participation in decision-making was encouraged by the Allende government, with traditional hierarchical structures now challenged by socialist egalitarianism. The Allende Government
10235-532: The same time, Chile granted asylum to thousands of political exiles from Latin American countries. Salvador Allende openly rejected the influence of the Organization of American States (OAS), a body close to the United States government, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which favored the interests of more developed countries. On the other hand, he was a fervent defender of
10350-410: The successful internationally backed 1989 constitutional referendum led to the peaceful Chilean transition to democracy . Allende was born on 26 June 1908 in Santiago . He was the son of Salvador Allende Castro and Laura Gossens Uribe. Allende's family belonged to the Chilean upper middle class and had a long tradition of political involvement in progressive and liberal causes. His grandfather
10465-584: The system of verification of victims of dictatorships. The Age newspaper has reported that a total of 1,183 people were killed, or reported missing and presumed dead, and that their names appear on a special memorial at the General Cemetery of Santiago. Clive Foss, in The Tyrants: 2500 years of Absolute Power and Corruption , estimates that 1,500 Chileans were killed or disappeared during the Pinochet regime. Nearly 700 civilians disappeared during
10580-428: The time of their arrest. Four women were pregnant at the time of their arrest and were tortured; their children were considered "direct victims". A child who was the result of a rape while in prison was also considered a "direct victim". Victims were detained for six months, on average. Out of the more than 8,600 rejected cases, 7,290 people requested that their cases be revised. The commission also agreed to investigate
10695-448: The universities, which became accessible to peasants and workers. The illiteracy rate was reduced from 12% in 1970 to 10.8% in 1972, while the growth in primary school enrollment increased from an annual average of 3.4% in the period 1966–70 to 6.5% in 1971–1972. Secondary education grew at a rate of 18.2% in 1971–1972, and the average school enrollment of children between the ages of 6 and 14 rose from 91% (1966–70) to 99%. Social spending
10810-557: The victims as well as health and education benefits. These are detailed in Law 19,992 and include: a monthly payment of about 113,000 to 129,000 thousand Chilean pesos (in December 2004 prices, subsequently adjusted for inflation), depending on the victim's age; free public healthcare for victims and their parents, spouses or children under twenty-five, or incapacitated children of any age; free education (primary to tertiary) for victims whose studies were interrupted by their imprisonment. There
10925-657: The victims or members of the associations of ex-political prisoners. To ensure the inclusiveness of their work, the Commission coordinated closely with regional and national organizations of former political prisoners, as well as human rights organizations. Their collaboration aimed to establish contact with relevant individuals who could provide testimonies. To reach a wide audience, advertisements were broadcast on national and local radio and television stations, as well as published in national and local newspapers. The number of individuals who came forward to testify aligned with
11040-441: The votes against 55.6% for Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei . As it became clear that the election would be a race between Allende and Frei, the political right – which initially had backed Radical Julio Durán– settled for Frei as "the lesser evil". Allende was considered part of the moderate wing of the socialists, with support from the communists who favored taking power via parliamentary democracy; in contrast,
11155-432: The workers in the first case and, in abnormal situations, if those parameters fell outside acceptable ranges by a very large degree, also the central government. The information would also be input into an economic simulation software ( CHECO , for CHilean ECOnomic simulator ) which featured a Bayesian filtering and control setting that the government could use to forecast the possible outcome of economic decisions. Finally,
11270-445: Was a defender of the "constitutionalist" doctrine that the army's role is exclusively professional, its mission being to protect the country's sovereignty and not to interfere in politics. General Schneider's death was widely disapproved of and, for the time, ended military opposition to Allende, whom the Congress finally chose on 24 October. On 26 October, President Eduardo Frei named General Carlos Prats as commander in chief of
11385-545: Was a prominent physician and a social reformist who founded one of the first secular schools in Chile. Salvador Allende was of Basque and Belgian descent. In 1909, he moved with his family to the city of Tacna (then under Chilean administration ) until he returned to his country to live in Iquique in 1916. In 1918, he studied at the National Institute of Santiago, and from 1919 to 1921, he studied at
11500-440: Was able to draw upon the idealism of its supporters, with teams of "Allendistas" travelling into the countryside and shanty towns to perform volunteer work. The Allende government also worked to transform Chilean popular culture through formal changes to school curriculum and through broader cultural education initiatives, such as state-sponsored music festivals and tours of Chilean folklorists and nueva canción musicians. In 1971,
11615-494: Was accorded legal recognition, and its membership grew from 700,000 to almost 1 million. In enterprises in the Area of Social Ownership, an assembly of the workers elected half of the members of the management council for each company. Those bodies replaced the former board of directors. Minimum pensions were increased by amounts equal to two or three times the inflation rate, and between 1970 and 1972, such pensions increased by
11730-475: Was aligned with the United States in 1970. Elsewhere in Latin America, Brazil , Argentina and Bolivia were ruled by conservative military dictatorships (soon to be joined by Uruguay ). Colombia and Venezuela also had conservative, but democratically elected, governments. Only Cuba , Peru and Mexico viewed the Chilean socialist experiment with sympathy. Under Allende's presidency, Chile joined
11845-488: Was also somewhat exacerbated due to a US-backed campaign to fund worker strikes in certain sectors of the economy. The Allende government announced it would default on debts owed to international creditors and foreign governments. Allende also froze all prices while raising salaries. His implementation of the policies was strongly opposed by landowners, employers, businessmen and transporters associations, and some civil servants and professional unions. The rightist opposition
11960-472: Was carried out, making the system tuition-free, which led to an 89% rise in university enrollments between 1970 and 1973. The Allende Government also increased enrollment in secondary education from 38% in 1970 to 51% in 1974. Enrollment in education reached record levels, including 3.6 million young people, and 8 million school textbooks were distributed among 2.6 million pupils in primary education. An unprecedented 130,000 students were enrolled by
12075-514: Was disappointed that it received far less economic assistance from the Soviets than it hoped for. Trade between the two countries did not significantly increase and the credits were mainly linked to the purchase of Soviet equipment. Moreover, credits from the Soviet Union were much less than those provided to the People's Republic of China and countries of the Eastern Bloc . When Allende visited
12190-661: Was dramatically increased, particularly for housing, education, and health, and a major effort was made to redistribute wealth to poorer Chileans. As a result of new initiatives in nutrition and health, together with higher wages, many poorer Chileans were able to feed and clothe themselves better than ever before. Public access to the social security system was increased, and state benefits such as family allowances were raised significantly. The redistribution of income enabled wage and salary earners to increase their share of national income from 51.6% (the annual average between 1965 and 1970) to 65% while family consumption increased by 12.9% in
12305-632: Was emphasized. Under Allende, the proportion of children under the age of 6 with some form of malnutrition fell by 17%. Apart from the existing Supply and Prices councils (community-based bodies which controlled the distribution of essential groups in working-class districts, and were a popular, not government, initiative), community-based distribution centers and shops were developed, which sold directly in working-class neighborhoods. The Allende government felt obliged to increase its intervention in marketing activities, and state involvement in grocery distribution reached 33%. The CUT (central labor confederation)
12420-624: Was given to government, employees, and employers; and signed a protocol agreement with the United Center of Workers, granting workers representational rights on the funding board of the Social Planning Ministry. Allende established an obligatory minimum wage for workers of all ages (including apprentices), free milk for expectant and nursing mothers and for children between the ages of 7 and 14, and free meals at school. His administration also reduced rent and rescheduled
12535-653: Was in charge of the electoral campaign of the Popular Front headed by Pedro Aguirre Cerda . The Popular Front's slogan was "Bread, a Roof and Work!" After its electoral victory, he became Minister of Health in the Reformist Popular Front government which was dominated by the Radicals . While serving in that position, Allende was responsible for the passage of a wide range of progressive social reforms, including safety laws protecting workers in
12650-442: Was in government, exports fell 24% and imports rose 26%, with imports of food rising an estimated 149%. Export income fell due to a hard-hit copper industry; the price of copper on international markets fell by almost a third, and post-nationalization copper production fell as well. Copper is Chile's single most important export, as more than half of Chile's export receipts were from that sole commodity. The price of copper fell from
12765-619: Was led by the National Party , the Catholic Church (which in 1973 was displeased with the direction of educational policy), and eventually the Christian Democrats . There were growing tensions with foreign multinational corporations and the government of the United States. Allende undertook the pioneeristic Project Cybersyn , a distributed decision support system for decentralized economic planning , developed by British cybernetics expert Stafford Beer . Based on
12880-532: Was no longer a luxury, and the children of working people were adequately supplied with shoes and clothing. The popular living standards were improved in terms of the employment situation, social services, consumption levels, and income distribution." Chilean presidents were allowed a maximum term of six years, which may explain Allende's haste to restructure the economy. Not only was a major restructuring program organized (the Vuskovic plan ), he also had to make it
12995-627: Was prepared at the request of President Ricardo Lagos by the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture, which consisted of eight members. The commission was headed by Bishop Sergio Valech and made the report public through the Internet. The members of the commission included María Luisa Sepúlveda as the executive vice president, as well as lawyers Miguel Luis Amunátegui, Luciano Fouillioux, José Antonio Gómez ( PRSD president), Lucas Sierra, Álvaro Varela, and psychologist Elizabeth Lira. The commission did not include any representatives of
13110-532: Was raised to a level equivalent to twice the minimum wage. Exemptions from capital taxes were also extended, which benefitted 330,000 small proprietors. The extra increases that Frei had promised to the armed forces were also fully paid. According to one estimate, purchasing power went up by 28% between October 1970 and July 1971. The rate of inflation fell from 36.1% in 1970 to 22.1% in 1971, while average real wages rose by 22.3% during 1971. Minimum real wages for blue-collar workers were increased by 56% during
13225-678: Was unable to come to a decision for 614 cases, and there were an additional 508 cases in which the nature of the violation did not fit the commission's mandate. The commission found that the majority of the human rights violations were conducted in a sophisticated and systematic fashion in the years directly after Pinochet took power. The majority of the violations were perpetrated by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA), Chile's secret police force from 1973 to 1977. As of May 2012, 76 agents had been condemned for violations of human rights and 67 were convicted: 36 in
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