Augusto Pinochet, whose biography will be considered later, was born in Valparaiso in 1915, November 26. He was a prominent military and statesman, captain-general. In 1973, Augusto Pinochet and the Chilean junta came to power. This happened as a result of a coup, President Salvador Allende and his socialist government were overthrown.
Biography of Augusto Pinochet
The future statesman was born in the large port city of Valparaiso. Pinochet’s father served in port customs, his mother was a housewife. The family had six children, Augusto is the oldest of them.
Since Pinochet was from the middle class, he could secure a decent life only by serving in the Armed Forces. At 17, Augusto entered the infantry school. Prior to this, he attended school at the seminary of St. Raphael and the Institute of Quillot and Colechio St. Hearts of French fathers in his hometown.
Augusto Pinochet studied at the Infantry School for four years and received a junior officer rank. After completing his studies, he was sent first to Concepcion in the regiment "Chacabuco", and then to Valparaiso in the regiment "Maipo".
In 1948, Pinochet entered the Higher Military Academy, which he successfully completed after 3 years. After graduation, service in the Armed Forces alternated with teaching activities in educational institutions.
In 1953, Augusto Pinochet’s first book, The Geography of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, was published. At the same time, he receives the title of Bachelor. After defending his thesis, Pinochet enters the School of Law at the University of Chile. However, he did not succeed in ending it, since in 1956 he was sent to Quito to help with the organization of the Military Academy.
In Chile, Pinochet returned only in 1959. Here he was appointed commander of a regiment, then a brigade and division. In addition, he is engaged in staff work and teaches at the Military Academy. In the same period, the next works of Geopolitics and Essays on the Study of the Geopolitics of Chile were published.
Conflicting information
It is believed that in 1967 a unit commanded by Pinochet shot a rally of unarmed miners. As a result, not only workers were killed, but also several children, as well as a pregnant woman. Information about this event, however, is found in Soviet sources, but not in foreign publications.
In addition, from 1964 to 1968, Augusto Pinochet was not the commander of combat units. During this period, he was deputy head of the Military Academy and lectured there on geopolitics.
In 1969, he received the rank of brigade, and in 1971, the division general.
Augusto Pinochet was first appointed to the post of Allende government in 1971. He became commander of the garrison of Santiago.
In November 1972, Pinochet was Deputy Minister of the Interior. In the same year he received the post of acting commander in chief of the ground forces.
Coup d'etat
It all started with a provocation against Prats, a general loyal to the government. Unable to withstand the pressure, he resigned. In his place, Allende appoints Pinochet. There is an entry in Prats's diary in which he says that his resignation is only a prelude to a coup d'etat and the greatest betrayal.
Armed rebellion began in 1973, September 11th. The operation was well planned. During the coup, an attack on the presidential palace was carried out using infantry, aircraft, artillery. The military occupied all government and other state institutions. In addition, Pinochet took measures to prevent the appearance of units in defense of the current government. Officers who refused to support the coup were shot.
After the overthrow of the government of Allende, a Chilean junta was formed. It included: from the army - Pinochet, from the Navy - Jose Merino, from the Air Force - Gustavo Guzman, from the Carabinieri - Cesar Mendoza.
Establishment of authority
As President of the Republic of Chile, Augusto Pinochet was able to concentrate all power in his hands and eliminate all competitors. Soon after the coup, Gustavo Lee was dismissed, Merino formally remained in the junta, but was deprived of authority. Bonilla, who was the Minister of the Interior, died in a plane crash under strange circumstances.
In 1974, a law was passed proclaiming Pinochet the supreme bearer of power.
After the coup, a statement was made that the troops should remain faithful to their duty. Augusto Pinochet’s quote is noteworthy: “Marxists and the situation in the state forced them to take power into their own hands ... As soon as calm is restored and the economy is out of collapse, the military will return to the barracks.”
It was anticipated that changes would occur over the next 20 years. After that, democracy will be established in the state.
According to the law adopted in 1974, Pinochet received broad powers: he could single-handedly decide to declare a state of siege, cancel or approve any normative acts, dismiss and appoint judges. The power of the dictator Pinochet was not limited to either political associations or parliament. Restrictions could be established by members of the junta, but their power, in fact, was formal.
Features of the board of Augusto Pinochet
In the very first days after the coup, a state of internal war was declared. Pinochet considered the Communist Party the most dangerous enemy. He declared the need to destroy it, preventing its spread throughout the country. Pinochet said: "If you fail to destroy the Communists, they will destroy us."
To implement his plans, the dictator created military tribunals, which replaced the civil courts, as well as concentration camps for political prisoners. The most dangerous opponents of the Augusto Pinochet regime were exponentially executed at the Santiago stadium.
Of particular importance during the first years of repression were military intelligence agencies. But after a while it turned out that there are very few existing bodies to implement all the tasks.
Destruction of opponents
In January 1974, a single national intelligence agency began to form. By the summer, the National Intelligence Agency was formed. It carried out the collection and analysis of information, the physical destruction of opponents of the regime.
In the mid-1970s, the intelligence agency consisted of about 15 thousand people. The department was engaged in the search and elimination of opposition leaders who criticized the authorities from abroad. The first target was Prats. He lived at that time in Argentina. He was blown up in his car with his wife on September 30, 1974. After that, surveillance began on the socialist Letelliere (he was the Minister of Defense during the years of Allende). In 1976, September 11, he was declared the enemy of the nation and deprived of Chilean citizenship. 10 days later, he was killed by Chilean special agents in Washington.
In the summer of 1977, the Office was dissolved. Instead, a National Information Center was formed, which reported directly to Pinochet.
Economy
In the economic sphere, Pinochet took the most radical path of "pure transnationalization." The dictator always repeated: "Chile is a land of proprietors, but not proletarians."
A group of economists was formed around the president, some of whom were trained under the guidance of professors Friedman and. Harberger in Chicago. They developed a program for the country's transition to a market economy. Friedman closely followed the Chilean experiment and came to the country several times.
Adoption of the constitution
In early 1978, a referendum was held on confidence in the president. Pinochet supported 75% of the population. Analysts called the results of the referendum the political victory of the dictator, whose propaganda was based on the anti-American sentiment of the people of Chile, commitment to sovereignty, national dignity. However, some observers have expressed doubts about the reliability of the results.
In the summer of 1980, a referendum was held on the draft constitution. It 67% of the population voted for its adoption, 30% against. In March 1981, the new constitution came into force, but the implementation of its main articles relating to elections, parties and Congress was postponed for eight years. Without an election, Pinochet was proclaimed constitutional president for an eight-year term with the right to re-election.
Worse situation
After a short economic recovery in 1981-1982. recession began. At the same time, Pinochet refused to consider the Agreement on the transition to a democratic system. In July 1986, a general strike began in Chile.
In early September 1986, an attempt was made on Pinochet. The organizer was the Patriotic Front. M. Rodriguez. However, it was not possible to kill the dictator - the assailants failed their weapons. Motorcyclists rode in front of the presidential motorcade. Their partisans missed and blocked the road to Pinochet's limousine. It was supposed to kill the president from a grenade launcher, but he misfired. The grenade, released a second time, broke through the car window, but did not explode. During the attack, five Pinochet guards were destroyed, but he himself survived. By order of the president, the charred cars were put on public display.
In the summer of 1987, the party law came into force. This event negatively affected the image of the regime abroad.
Intermediate plebiscite
It was held in 1988, October 5. This plebiscite was provided for in the constitution.
After the announcement of the referendum, Pinochet assured voters that all associations, including the opposition, will be able to control the process. The state of emergency was lifted, some former deputies and senators, as well as leaders of a number of left-wing parties, were given the opportunity to return to Chile.
In late August, after a short debate, members of the junta named Pinochet the only candidate for the presidency. However, this caused outrage among the people. Clashes broke out, in which three people died, 25 were injured, and 1,150 were arrested.
The opposition consolidated its forces and acted in a more organized and decisive manner by the start of the referendum. About one million people came to the final rally. This manifestation is considered the most massive in the history of Chile.
After receiving the results of a population survey, Pinochet became worried - many predicted the victory of the opposition. To attract voters, he began to make promises: to increase pensions, salaries to employees, to assign 100% subsidy to sewers and water supply, to distribute state land to peasants.
Referendum results
In the 1988 plebiscite, about 55% of voters voted against Pinochet, and 43% voted in favor. The president could not help but recognize the victory of the opposition. Two weeks later, Pinochet’s ally and close friend S. Fernandez was removed. At the same time, he was declared almost the main culprit of the loss. Together with Fernandez, eight more ministers lost their posts.
In his speech after the referendum, Pinochet regarded the results as a mistake of citizens. But he said that he recognizes them and respects the decision of the population.
Criminal case
In the fall of 1998, Pinochet was in one of the private London clinics and was preparing for the operation. In this medical facility, he was arrested on suspicion of murder. The order was issued by a Spanish court. Pinochet's criminal prosecution began on allegations of the disappearance and murder of hundreds of Spaniards during his reign.
In Spain, they demanded the extradition of the former president. However, the London court recognized that Pinochet is a lifelong senator, and therefore has immunity. This decision was reversed by the House of Lords, which recognized the legality of the arrest. Meanwhile, Chile insisted on the unlawfulness of the arrest and extradition of Pinochet of Spain.
At the end of October, the lawyers' request for the release of the former president on bail was granted. At the same time, several restrictions were imposed on him. In accordance with one of them, Pinochet was to be under constant police protection in a hospital in London.
At the end of March 1999, the House of Lords made a decision releasing the dictator from responsibility for acts that took place before 1988. However, he was deprived of his immunity for crimes that he later committed. The ruling thus eliminated about 27 episodes in which Spain sought to extradite Pinochet.
Conclusion
From 2000 to 2006, numerous trials took place, during which the former Chilean leader completely lost all immunity. At the end of October 2006, he was charged with kidnapping (36 people), torture (23 cases) and one murder. In addition, Pinochet was accused of arms and drug trafficking, tax evasion.
Pinochet had a severe heart attack on December 3, 2006. On the same day, due to his grave condition and danger of life, communion and unction were performed over him. The famous dictator died on December 10, 2006 at the Santiago Hospital.