Chilean General Augusto Pinochet with Cuban premier Fidel Castro in Chile, 1972. (Photo by Romano Cagnoni)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1973
Santiago, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet, head of Chile's ruling military junta, holds a news conference at Santiago's War College on September 21, 1973.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1973
Portrait of General Augusto Pinochet.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1974
Buenos Aires, Argentina
General Augusto Pinochet, the President of Chile with Juan Peron, the Argentinian President in Buenos Aires.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1975
Buenos Aires, Argentina
General Augusto Pinochet, the President of Chile, with the Argentinian President, Maria Estela Martinez De Peron, at a dinner given in his honor in Buenos Aires.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1977
Chilean soldier and politician, Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. In 1973 he led a coup which ousted, and resulted in the death of, the Marxist President, Salvador Allende. Pinochet then took over the presidency.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1980
Santiago, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet casts his vote during a referendum in Chile in 1980. 67% of the Chilean population has voted for Pinochet's constitution, who will remain in office until 1989. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1980
Santiago, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet casts his vote during a referendum in Chile in 1980. 67% of the Chilean population have voted for Pinochet's constitution, who will remain in office until 1989. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1982
General Pinochet in ceremonial attire. (Photo by Christine Spengler)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1983
Santiago, Chile
10th anniversary of General Augusto Pinochet's 1973 coup in Chile on September 11, 1983, in Santiago, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1984
Augusto Pinochet
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1984
Santiago, Chile
State of emergency: riots in Santiago, Chile on November 27th,1984 - President Augusto Pinochet. (Photo by Rafael Wollmann)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1984
Santiago, Chile
Head of State Augusto Pinochet during a review of troops at the Chilean Army Headquarters on January 19, 1984, in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Jacob Sutton)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1984
Santiago, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet during the funeral of 4 of his bodyguards in Santiago on September 10, 1984, Chile. (Photo by Alexis Duclos)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1984
Santiago, Chile
Chilean President General Augusto Pinochet addresses supporters in a downtown Santiago theater.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1985
Chilean Leader, General Augusto Pinochet, a close-up in uniform and saluting. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1985
Plaza de Armas, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile
President Augusto Pinochet of Chile in full military uniform celebrating Independence Day at the Metropolitan Cathedral. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1985
Viña del Mar, Chile
On his birthday, while a wave of guerrilla violence swept the country, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet permitted journalists and photographers to view his morning exercise at a summer spa residence on the coast at Vina del Mar.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1985
Santiago, Chile
Chilean Leader, General Augusto Pinochet, in a close-up as he salutes. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
Santiago, Chile
Burial of four guards killed in a failed assassination attempt on Augusto Pinochet On September 10th, 1986 In Santiago, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
1986 file photo of the former military dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, during a military ceremony. (Photo by Greg Smith)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
Santiago, Chile
General Pinochet during a military ceremony on September 11, 1986, in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Alexis Duclos)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
Santiago, Chile
Burial of four guards killed in a failed assassination attempt on Augusto Pinochet On September 10, 1986, In Santiago, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
Santiago, Chile
Burial of 4 guards killed in a failed assassination attempt on Augusto Pinochet On September 10, 1986, In Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Alexis Duclos)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1986
Santiago, Chile
Burial of 4 guards killed in a failed assassination attempt on Augusto Pinochet On September 10, 1986, In Santiago, Chileю (Photo by Alexis Dгсдщы)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1987
Augusto Pinochet in Chile on May 1, 1987.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1987
London, United Kingdom
Augusto Pinochet in Chile on May 1, 1987. (Photo by Eric Brissaud)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Santiago, Chile
Augusto Pinochet and his junta during a demonstration in support of his party on September 10, 1988, in Santiago, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Argentina
Augusto Pinochet and wife with John-Paul II in Argentina on April 1, 1988. (Photo by Eric Brissaud)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Puerto Montt, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet during the inauguration of the Austral route in Puerto Montt on March 16, 1988, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Chile
Augusto Pinochet On February 14, 1988, In Chile. (Photo by Alexis Ducos)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Puerto Montt, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet during the inauguration of the Austral route in Puerto Montt on March 16, 1988, Chile. (Photo by Alexis Duclos)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Santiago, Chile
Augusto Pinochet before the referendum in Santiago, Chile on September 19, 1988.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1988
Puerto Montt, Chile
General Augusto Pinochet during the inauguration of the Austral route in Puerto Montt on March 16, 1988, Chile.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1989
Augusto Pinochet.
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1992
Chilean dictator, Army General (1973-1988) and President of the military junta from 1973 to 1981 Augusto Pinochet. (Photo by Miguel Sayago)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1992
Chilean dictator, Army General (1973-1988) and President of the military junta from 1973 to 1981 Augusto Pinochet. (Photo by Miguel Sayago)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1992
Chilean dictator, Army General (1973-1988) and President of the military junta from 1973 to 1981 Augusto Pinochet. (Photo by Miguel Sayago)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
1998
London, United Kingdom.
Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet poses for a portrait shoot in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
2004
London, United Kingdom
Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet poses for a portrait shoot in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
2004
London, United Kingdom
Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet poses for a portrait shoot in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
2004
London, United Kingdom
Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet poses for a portrait shoot in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Pyke)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet. (Photo by Julio Etchart)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
Santiago, Chile
Chile's General Augusto Pinochet greets compatriots in the streets of Santiago. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
Gallery of Augusto Pinochet
Santiago, Chile
Chile's General Augusto Pinochet greets compatriots in the streets of Santiago. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
General Augusto Pinochet, the President of Chile, with the Argentinian President, Maria Estela Martinez De Peron, at a dinner given in his honor in Buenos Aires.
Chilean soldier and politician, Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. In 1973 he led a coup which ousted, and resulted in the death of, the Marxist President, Salvador Allende. Pinochet then took over the presidency.
General Augusto Pinochet casts his vote during a referendum in Chile in 1980. 67% of the Chilean population has voted for Pinochet's constitution, who will remain in office until 1989. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
General Augusto Pinochet casts his vote during a referendum in Chile in 1980. 67% of the Chilean population have voted for Pinochet's constitution, who will remain in office until 1989. (Photo by Daniele Darolle)
Head of State Augusto Pinochet during a review of troops at the Chilean Army Headquarters on January 19, 1984, in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Jacob Sutton)
On his birthday, while a wave of guerrilla violence swept the country, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet permitted journalists and photographers to view his morning exercise at a summer spa residence on the coast at Vina del Mar.
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte was a Chilean general, politician, and the dictator of Chile between 1973 and 1990. He remained the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until 1998 and was also President of the Government Junta of Chile between 1973 and 1981.
Background
Ethnicity:
Augusto Pinochet was of French Breton and Basque descent.
Augusto Pinochet was born on November 25, 1915, in Valparaiso, Chile to descendants of French settlers who had come to Chile more than a century before, Augusto Pinochet Vera and Avelina Ugarte Martínez. His father was a middle-class government worker.
Education
From 1928 to 1932 Augusto Pinochet attended the Sagrados Corazones school, which was one of the most traditional buildings in town and, founded in 1837, one of the oldest private schools in South America. His school records show he was a middling student, neither the worst nor the best. Some of his subjects he barely passed with the minimum grade necessary, but at others he excelled, receiving some awards for his work in art.nOne year, he has also received an award for coming first in his maths class. Gen Pinochet said he enjoyed studying French and also speaking Latin, which he practiced when praying and in mass.
From his early years, he aspired to a military career. Because of his small stature Pinochet was rejected twice by the National Military Academy before he matriculated at the Escuela Militar's four-year officer training course in Santiago. He graduated in 1936 and was promoted to the second lieutenant in 1938.
During his early professional career Pinochet distinguished himself as a specialist in military geography and geopolitics. His 1968 book Geopolitica (Geopolitics) went through several editions. He held several staff and command posts during these years, posts which provided him with numerous contacts with other officers in the army, air force, navy, and carabineros (national police). Pinochet served on the Chilean military mission in Washington, District of Columbia, United States in 1956. He taught at the Military School, at the War Academy, and at Ecuador's national war college in the 1950s and 1960s. It was during these early military years that he developed the ideals that guided his military career: patriotism, public service, and respect for authority.
Early in his career, Pinochet was not interested in the political debates that dominated civilian society. A cousin said "his ideological orientation was an enigma. If he had any, he had not demonstrated publicly." By 1970, the year Salvador Allende Gossens was elected to the presidency, Pinochet had been promoted to division general - the highest rank in the Chilean army. In 1971 he became commandant of the Santiago garrison, one of the most sensitive and influential army assignments owing to the size of the garrison and to its location in the capital city.
The 1970 presidential election confirmed his deep suspicions, for it gave power to the Marxist Allende despite the fact that he was a minority candidate. As garrison commandant Pinochet was an eyewitness to the social, economic, and political turbulence accompanying the Allende administration's efforts to turn Chile toward socialism through the control of national institutions. Outwardly he seemed to remain loyal to the legitimately elected government. When the army commander-in-chief, General Carlos Prats Gonzalez, became interior minister during a serious trucking strike of late 1972, Pinochet became acting commander-in-chief. He held this position again on the eve of the September 11, 1973 putsch.
On that day the armed forces seized power. Allende was killed in the presidential palace. Pinochet claimed that Allende committed suicide. That was refuted by Allende's widow and others who claim that Allende was murdered by Pinochet's troops. Pinochet became president of the Junta of Government, a body composed of military commanders-in-chief. A year later he became president of the Republic of Chile. His term of office was formally extended later through the adoption of a constitution giving him an eight-year term (1981-1989). Allende's loyalists tried to maintain resistance, but it proved costly. Over 1500 lives were lost by the end of the day. Fearful of internal resistance, the junta declared itself in a state of internal war. The United States CIA was instrumental in providing the junta with The White Book, a manual for executing a successful coup and caused hundreds to be beaten and tortured by the army and police.
From late 1973 until late 1976 the country was in an economic depression, the aftermath of Allende's policies and the economic pressures that had been applied by both foreigners and Chileans between 1970 and 1973. This was also a period of harsh authoritarian rule. Inflation was gradually reduced in the mid-1970s, and by 1978 Chileans, especially those of the middle and upper sectors were talking of an "economic miracle" based on free enterprise, foreign loans, and "denationalization" of the economy. Pinochet's popularity peaked in 1978 when a plebiscite confirmed his leadership and policies - although a growing opposition denied the validity of the vote. In the early 1980s, Chile suffered from the world recession, and the government resorted to stricter controls of the press, the exile of some dissidents, curfews, and repression characteristic of the early years of Pinochet's rule. At the same time, he oversaw a shift in economic policy that revived the role of the state, which he and his supporters had blamed for Chile's misfortunes prior to 1973.
The supporters of Pinochet liked his role as Chile's strongman, the one figure capable of controlling the armed forces and the symbol of anti-Marxism. But he also became the figure toward whom a growing opposition (church leaders, labor, politicians, human rights advocates, leftists) directed its energies. The United States and other foreign governments were cautious in relation with his government. Through this period he maintained his resolute anti-Communism and showed an uncanny ability to survive politically in a country marked by unsolved economic and social problems. Pinochet was able to do this because of his own abilities, but also because of the strength of discipline in the military, the inability of opposition leaders to agree on policy, and the fear of many Chileans that alternatives would be worse than his authoritarianism.
These factors became subjects for increasing debate within the government, throughout Chile, and in the world press in 1983 when opposition leaders organized mass demonstrations against the regime's economic, political, and social programs. Beginning in May of that year miners, students, workers, and dissident political leaders took to the streets to register their discontent. Pinochet used armed force to quell the demonstrations, then began talks aimed at political compromise. When talks stalled he again used strong-arm tactics, claiming as usual that politicians and Marxists were to blame for Chile's problems.
In 1986 Pinochet survived an attempted assassination with only minor injuries. But the international outcry against his alleged violations of human rights continued to grow louder. The new constitution that had been seven years in the making was ratified by plebiscite in 1980. Even though it was approved, the election has declared a fraud. The constitution called for Pinochet to serve another eight years. This time actually permitted the opposition party to mount a successful campaign to remove him from office. The United States Congress financed $2 million worth of media consultants, poll judges, and a parallel vote count to ensure a somewhat fair election. On October 5, 1989, 55% of the Chilean people voted to remove Pinochet from office. He was able to retain power until free elections installed a new president, Patricio Alwyn on March 5, 1990. Although he abdicated his title as president, Pinochet remained on as commander in chief of the army. After stepping down as president, Pinochet devoted himself to modernizing and computerizing his beloved army. Even at 80, he still saw himself as a force within Chilean society, very much in charge of the armed forces until his constitutionally forced retirement in March 1998.
In 1998, he was arrested in London in regards to a Spanish extradition request. The government of Spain had issued a warrant for his arrest so that he might stand trial for human rights violations, many victims of which had been Spanish citizens. He was kept under house arrest for two years but finally returned to Chile on the grounds of ill health. For the next six years, his immunity from prosecution would be repeatedly challenged and reinstated.
Pinochet suffered a heart attack on the morning of 3 December 2006, and subsequently the same day he was given the last rites. On 4 December 2006, the Chilean Court of Appeals ordered the suspension of his house arrest. On 10 December 2006 at 13:30 local time he was taken to the intensive care unit. He died of congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, surrounded by family members, at the Military Hospital at 14:15 local time.
By 1971 Pinochet was firmly convinced that political demagoguery and Marxism were disruptive, hypocritical, and incompatible with, in his words, "the moral principles that should uphold society." He traced his hostility to Marxism to events of the late 1930s, when Marxists participated vociferously in government, and to the Cold War years when the Chilean Communist Party was briefly outlawed. He also became skeptical of the ability of Chile's democratic system to withstand Marxism.
Augusto was subsequently named President in 1974. General Pinochet has presided over the most oppressive regime which Chile has experienced in the twentieth century. It did away with Congress and outlawed all political parties. Hundreds of people were murdered by the regime, thousands "disappeared," and tens of thousands were driven into exile. Military men were named to run all of the universities. During the first years, freedom of the press was nonexistent. For two years, an official "state of war" and a curfew were kept in effect, and thereafter a modified form of martial law continued.
Proving himself a capable military politician. Pinochet was able to convert the regime from one of the leadership of the armed forces into a personal dictatorship, which relied on its support principally on the armed forces. A semblance of legality was given to this arrangement in 1981 when a new constitution was approved by a plebiscite which, among other things, confirmed Pinochet’s continuance in power at least until 1989.
The economic policies of the Pinochet government have been characterized by monetarist and extreme free trade policies. Faced with an inflation rate of over 1000 percent during its first year, the regime adopted a drastic "shock treatment" that provoked an economic depression almost as bad as that of the 1930s. This was accompanied by an almost complete dismantling of tariffs and other devices to protect the Chilean industry, as a consequence of which a major segment of the country’s manufacturing sector was destroyed. Although from 1978 to 1981 the economy showed evidence of modest recovery, thereafter the situation again reached crisis proportions. By 1984 an unemployment rate of about 30 percent was officially recognized to exist, and Chile had the fifth-largest foreign debt among the Latin American countries.
It is clear to see why people may differ in their view on whether the Pinochet regime brought political stability and economic improvement to Chile. The Allende administration, while trying to enact revolutionary socialist reforms in a democratic way, caused the Chilean state many problems, although it did go about making these changes in a way respectful to and willing to work within the existing system. Following its capture of power, the Pinochet regime began its own program of reforms, which sought to undo the changes Allende implemented, and prevent them from happening again, whilst also managing to bring political stability and economic improvement, to at least some Chileans lives. However, the way the regime sought to change society through the employment of repressive and brutal means questions the importance of political stability over human life, while the way it sought economic improvement questions the benefit of falling inflation and an increase in GDP over the suffering of others in poverty. Overall, political and economic improvements were made by the Pinochet regime, but their social costs question whether they can really be described as improvements.
Views
While many characterize Pinochet's government as fascist, others describe the regime as ultra-nationalistic and Pinochet as a despot. His rule was characterized by widespread arrests and torture of liberal dissenters as well as the development of Chile’s free-market economy. While his privatization policies did provoke a revival of Chile’s floundering economy, they also are believed to have greatly increased economic inequality. After being voted out of office, he remained commander of the armed forces until he was given the office of senator-for-life. In this capacity, he was detained by the British government in response to a Spanish extradition request regarding his torture of Spanish citizens in Chile. This action was a legal landmark as it was the first time universal jurisdiction had been applied to the head of a government. While he was deemed unfit to stand trial, he was beset by allegations of human rights violations, tax evasion, and embezzlement for the rest of his life.
Quotations:
"Everything I did, all my actions, all of the problems I had I dedicate to God and Chile because I kept Chile from becoming Communist."
"Don't forget that in the history of the world, there was a plebiscite, in which Christ and Barabbas were being judged, and the people chose Barabbas."
"I have lived with my conscience and my own memories for over a quarter of a century since the events of 1973. These are not easy reflections for me. But I am at peace with myself, and with the Chilean people, about what happened. I am clear in my mind that the return to Chile of true democracy, and from that the true freedom to which all individual people are entitled, could not have been achieved without the removal of the Marxist government."
"Sometimes democracy must be bathed in blood."
"The rich people are those who create wealth, and you have to treat them well so they continue to give wealth."
"Rome cut off the heads of Christians and they continued to reappear one way or another. Something similar happens with Marxists."
"The only solution to the issue of human rights is oblivion."
"Today, near the end of my days, I want to say that I harbor no rancor against anybody, that I love my fatherland above all and that I take political responsibility for everything that was done which had no other goal than making Chile greater and avoiding its disintegration. I assume full political responsibility for what happened."
"I'm not someone who usually sends out threats. I warn only once. The day they touch one of my men, the rule of law is over."
"The nation is trying to make Chile a country of proprietors, not of proletarians."
"I will die. The person who succeeds me will also have to die. But elections, you won't have."
"I'm looking at them from above because God put me there."
"We have no political prisons. We have political internal exiles."
"The freedoms which had been so hard-won from colonial domination were being crushed by Soviet-inspired and funded military and political forces. Their clear intention was to deprive the people of their democratic freedoms. As history shows, this is what had happened in the Soviet Union and Cuba, and continues to be the case in other parts of the world."
"Not a leaf moves in this country if I'm not moving it."
Personality
Augusto's daughter Lucía had told that he was affable in private, and had a sense of humor.
When Pinochet was asked how he hoped to be remembered by history, and he said, "As a man who loved his Fatherland and served it all his life. I am eighty years old, and I know nothing else but service. I hope that they do justice to my memory. Each person will interpret it as he wishes."
Physical Characteristics:
Pinochet's pale-blue eyes were small and set in a wide, he had a bullish face with wide cheekbones, and his stare was coldly foxy. The many lines around his eyes came from his smile, which appeared suddenly but evaporated just as quickly.
Interests
history, reading
Politicians
Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis XIV
Writers
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna, Antonio Gramsci, Arturo Givovich
Connections
On 30 January 1943, Pinochet married Lucía Hiriart Rodríguez, with whom he had five children: Inés Lucía, María Verónica, Jacqueline Marie, Augusto Osvaldo, and Marco Antonio.