Augusto Pinochet
General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (1915–2006) was a Chilean soldier and politician who served as Chile's head of state from 1973 to 1990. He came to power as a member of a council of military leaders after the overthrew of the government of President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973. Allende, a radical Marxist, had gained power after getting a 36% plurality of the popular vote in 1970, but he had been accused of violating the Chilean constitution and condemned for his conduct by the Chilean legislature and by civil society organizations.
General Pinochet headed a military government for 16 years (1974-1990) as he fought and defeated communist opponents in Chile. Pinochet was at one time a military subordinate of Salvador Allende. After the coup, Pinochet saw support from America.
General Pinochet instituted free market reforms in Chile in the 1970s that resulted in lower inflation and an economic boom from 1976 to 1979. He held a plebiscite on his rule and 75% of the people affirmed their support for him. However, the plebiscite is widely regarded as fraudulent. The Pinochet government is alleged to be one of the most repressive in the Americas. During his time in power over 3,000 people were killed or vanished.[1] This includes treasonous Marxist revolutionaries and people who died in private disputes. In addition, over a quarter million Chileans were arrested. Universities were purged, books burned, and rival political parties banned. Thousands fled the country out of fear of the secret police, which routinely tortured citizens.[2]
A new constitution was adopted in Chile in 1981, which authorized General Pinochet to serve as president for another eight-year term, to be followed by a plebiscite on his presidency.
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.
As promised, President Pinochet held another plebiscite in October 1988 on the issue of whether he should continue as president. He was defeated by a vote of 55-43%, and subsequent free elections were won by the Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin, who was installed as president on March 11, 1990.
General Pinochet was a graduate of the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Pinochet died of a heart attack on December 10, 2006.[3]
In 1998, Pinochet was arrested in London pursuant to a warrant issued in Spain for human rights violations during his time as Chilean president. Pinochet was subsequently returned to Chile on grounds of ill health, where he was indicted and charged with kidnapping 19 supporters of Salvador Allende during the 1973 coup in which Pinochet took power. The Chilean Supreme Court suspended the prosecution in July 2002 due to Pinochet's continuing poor health. [1]
