Augusto Pinochet | |
|---|---|
(c).jpg) Official portrait, c. 1974 | |
| 29th President of Chile | |
| In office 17 December 1974 – 11 March 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Salvador Allende |
| Succeeded by | Patricio Aylwin |
| In office 11 September 1973 – 11 March 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | José Toribio Merino |
| Senator-for-life of Chile | |
| In office 11 March 1998 – 4 July 2002 | |
| In office 23 August 1973 – 11 March 1998 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Prats |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Izurieta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte 25 November 1915 Valparaíso, Chile |
| Died | 10 December 2006 (aged 91) Santiago, Chile |
| Resting place | Los Boldos, Santo Domingo Valparaíso, Chile |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, including Lucía Pinochet |
| Alma mater | Chilean War Academy |
| Signature |  |
| Nicknames |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Chile |
| Branch/service |  Chilean Army |
| Years of service | 1931–1998 |
| Rank | Captain General |
| Unit |
|
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Criminal charge |
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| Part of the politics series on |
| Neoliberalism |
|---|
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[A] (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;[4][5][6] 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.[7] His time in office remains the longest of any Chilean ruler.[8][B]
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.[7] On 11 September 1973, Pinochet seized power in Chile in a military coup, with the support of the United States,[9][10][11][C] that toppled Allende's democratically elected left-wing Unidad Popular government and ended civilian rule. In December 1974, 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.[12]
After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of 1,200 to 3,200 people,[13] the internment of as many as 80,000 people, and the torture of tens of thousands.[14][15][16] According to the Chilean government, the number of executions and forced disappearances was at least 3,095.[17] 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.[18]
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 the government properties were sold below market price to politically connected buyers, including Pinochet's son-in-law Julio Ponce Lerou.[19] The regime used censorship of entertainment as a way to reward supporters of the regime and punish opponents.[20] These policies produced high economic growth and dramatically increased economic inequality. Departing from these policies, Pinochet's government also caused the 1982 monetary crisis, and thus produced its devastating effects on the Chilean economy.[21][22] 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.[23][24]
Pinochet's 17-year rule was given a legal framework through a controversial 1980 plebiscite, which approved 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 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.[7] 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.[25] He was also accused of having corruptly amassed at least US$28 million.[26]
- ^ "Pinochet". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "Pinochet". Free Dictionary.
- ^ Daniel Engber (12 December 2006). "Augusto Pino-qué?". slate.com. Salonc.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Loveman, Brian (1986). "Military Dictatorship and Political Opposition in Chile, 1973–1986". Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. 28 (4): 1–38. doi:10.2307/165745. ISSN 0022-1937. JSTOR 165745.
- ^ Kornbluh, Peter. 2013. The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability. The New Press. ISBN 1-59558-912-0. p. ix Archived 28 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Reel, Monte, and J. Y. Smith. 11 December 2006. A Chilean Dictator's Dark Legacy Archived 17 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
CBSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Huneeus, Carlos (2007). Las consecuencias del caso Pinochet en la política chilena. Centro de. Estudios de la Realidad Contemporánea.
- ^ a b Winn, Peter. 2010. "Furies of the Andes Archived 7 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine." pp. 239–275 in A Century of Revolution, edited by G. M. Joseph and G. Grandin. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. doi:10.1215/9780822392859. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ a b Kornbluh, Peter. 2013. The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability. The New Press. ISBN 1-59558-912-0.
- ^ a b Qureshi, Lubna Z. 2009. Nixon, Kissinger, and Allende: U.S. Involvement in the 1973 Coup in Chile. Lexington Books. ISBN 0-7391-2656-3.
- ^ Cavallo, Ascanio, et al. 1997. La Historia Oculta del Régimen Militar, Grijalbo, Santiago.
- ^ "Chile under Pinochet – a chronology". The Guardian. London. 24 March 1999. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ "National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation Archived 16 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine" (aka the "Rettig Report"). 1 May 1990. – via United States Institute of Peace.
- ^ 2004 Commission on Torture Archived 5 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Chile to sue over false reports of Pinochet-era missing". Latin American Studies. 30 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ Former Chilean army chief charged over 1973 killing of activists Archived 5 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. 8 July 2016.
- ^ Plummer, Robert (8 June 2005). "Condor legacy haunts South America". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Esberg, Jane (2020). "Censorship as Reward: Evidence from Pop Culture Censorship in Chile". American Political Science Review. 114 (3): 821–836. doi:10.1017/S000305542000026X. ISSN 0003-0554. S2CID 219930591.
- ^ Angell, Alan (1991). The Cambridge History of Latin America, Vol. VI, 1930 to the Present. Ed. Leslie Bethell. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-521-26652-9. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Leight, Jessica (3 January 2005). "Chile: No todo es como parece". COHA. Archived from the original on 27 November 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ "Pinochet charged with corruption". Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Andrea Chaparro Solís, Consejo de Defensa del Estado se hace querellante en caso armas a Ecuador Archived 16 January 2013 at archive.today, La Nación, 5 June 2006 (in Spanish)
- ^ Chang, Jack; Yulkowski, Lisa (13 December 2006). "Vocal minority praises Pinochet at his funeral". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ Larry Rohter, Colonel's Death Gives Clues to Pinochet Arms Deals Archived 8 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 19 June 2006 (in English)
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