Augusto Pinochet Steps Down (Chile)
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte served as the military dictator of Chile from 1973 until he stepped down on March 11, 1990. His rise to power followed a coup against the democratically elected President Salvador Allende, during a time of economic upheaval and political polarization in the country. Pinochet's regime was marked by severe human rights abuses, including the torture and disappearance of thousands of political opponents, which drew widespread domestic and international condemnation. While his economic policies initially spurred growth and reduced inflation, the oppressive nature of his governance led to mounting protests throughout the 1980s. A pivotal moment came in 1988 when he lost a national referendum regarding his continuation in power, followed by a presidential election defeat in December 1989. Despite stepping down, Pinochet retained military control, and his legacy has continued to influence Chilean politics and society. After retiring from the army in 1998, efforts to prosecute him for human rights violations began, but legal proceedings faced challenges and were ultimately halted due to his declining health. The complexities surrounding his rule and the aftermath remain subjects of ongoing discussion within Chile and beyond.
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Augusto Pinochet Steps Down (Chile)
Augusto Pinochet Steps Down (Chile)
On March 11, 1990, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet Ugarte stepped down from office. He had ruled Chile for nearly two decades, but domestic and international pressure forced him to accept democratic reforms that led first to his ouster and then eventually to his prosecution for kidnappings and murders committed by government forces during his years in office.
Pinochet was born on November 26, 1915, in the city of Valparaiso, Chile. He entered the Chilean military academy in 1933, graduating as an officer in 1936. Pinochet rose in rank over the decades, and by the early 1970s he was a general. Traditionally the Chilean military had stayed out of politics, but on September 11, 1973, Pinochet participated in a coup against the newly elected leftist regime of President Salvador Allende. It was a time of economic crisis for Chile, with rampant inflation, and Allende had a radical socialist agenda that included the nationalization of many large businesses, most significantly the massive copper mining industry. These plans alarmed conservative upper-class Chileans, Chilean businessmen, American investors, and the U.S. government, which feared the spread of Castro-style communism. With their support, Pinochet was able to take power, and he imposed a strict regime in which little dissent was tolerated. His economic policies met with a fair degree of success, promoting private-sector growth while curbing inflation and reducing public spending. However, the extreme methods that he used to silence critics of his regime, which included the torture and disappearance of thousands of his opponents, drew an increasing amount of domestic protest as well as international criticism.
By the mid-1980s, mass demonstrations against Pinochet's rule had become commonplace at home, criticism was increasing abroad, and there had even been an attempt on the dictator's life. In 1988 Pinochet lost a national referendum on whether he should stay in power, and on December 15, 1989, he also lost a presidential election to Patricio Aylwin Azócar. There was some risk that Pinochet would simply refuse to step down, but after a carefully negotiated deal he left office on March 11, 1990, while still retaining command of the Chilean army.
Chilean democracy flowered despite Pinochet's ominous presence on the sidelines, and in 1998 he retired from the army, taking advantage of the legal immunity that he had secured for himself for the atrocities committed during his regime. Efforts to prosecute Pinochet outside of Chile were begun later in 1998 when he went to Great Britain for medical treatment, but after years of legal maneuverings in Great Britain, Spain and Chile criminal proceedings were halted in 2002 on account of his advanced age and increasingly fragile mental and physical condition. As of the writing of this book, the outcome of these proceedings is unresolved.