Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet was a Chilean soldier who overthrew the democratically elected government of Chile. Pinochet, at one time the right hand in the military of Salvador Allende, believed Chile was in danger , and decided to take action. After the coup, Pinochet saw support from America.
Pinochet was responsible for the death of at least 3,197 of his opponents. [1]
Pinochet moved Chile into a market economy, privatizing many inefficient government businesses, and opening the country to foreign investment. The stability that his government gave encouraged foreign investors to come to Chile. He also started one of the first private pension accounts pension systems in the world, which has been highly successful.
Once out of power he was indicted for human right violations. However, atrial was ruled out in 2002 due to Pinochet's deteriorating health. Pinochet died of a heart attach on December 10, 2006.[2]