Augusto Pinochet’s Brutal Rule: A Look Inside His Regime | TheCollector

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HomeHistoryLatin & South American<br>Augusto Pinochet’s Brutal Rule: A Look Inside His Regime<br>Rising to become the leader of Chile, Augusto Pinochet represented a brutal right-wing regime that dragged his country into darkness.<br>Published: Oct 12, 2024 written by Greg Beyer, BA History & Linguistics, Journalism Diploma

Published: Oct 12, 2024written by Greg Beyer, BA History & Linguistics, Journalism Diploma

For Chileans, September 11 is remembered as a date that plunged the country into many long years of brutal repression and human rights abuses. On that day in 1973, a military coup supported by the United States toppled the democratically elected government of left-wing president Salvador Allende.

What followed was 16 years of violent persecution that would see thousands murdered and tens of thousands displaced and tortured as Chile’s new leader, Augusto Pinochet, protected his position. The main target was leftists, but anyone suspected of having ideological sympathies for socialism or anyone standing in the way of the Pinochet junta was in grave danger as the country became ruled as a police state.

*Content Warning: This post contains graphic descriptions that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Background: Salvador Allende’s Rise to Power

Salvador Allende. Source: Wikimedia Commons

On September 4, 1970, Salvador Allende, leader of Chile’s Socialist Party, narrowly defeated his rivals in a bitterly contested election. Winning a plurality, it looked as if the Chilean National Congress would elect Allende as the new president.

Allende, a Marxist, was sympathetic to the communist cause and supported countries such as the Soviet Union and Cuba. This generated significant concern within the US government, which was actively trying to stem the spread of communism.

This was not, however, the beginning of CIA involvement in the country. Since 1963, the US had been actively influencing politics in Chile, supporting right-wing politicians, and funding the suppression of socialism. One reason for this was that there were US businesses in Chile, and they feared, as did their government, that they would get appropriated by a left-wing government intent on nationalization. Another reason is that the US feared the spread of communism in what they considered to be their own “backyard.”

With Allende’s victory in 1970, alarm bells rang very loud for the US government. The CIA, with the support of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, began looking for ways to reduce Allende’s power. In so doing, the CIA sought out military leaders in Chile and investigated the possibility of staging a coup.

Obstacles & CIA Involvement

Salvador Allende speaking at the United Nations, 1972. Source: Wikimedia Commons

A huge obstacle to staging a coup was Chile’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General René Schneider. He was not interested in politics and was completely against using the military to stage a coup.

General Roberto Viaux, however, was not opposed to leading a coup. In fact, he had tried before in 1969 against President Eduardo Frei Montalva. Viaux proceeded to attempt a kidnapping of Schneider. The resultant scuffle ended up with Schneider being shot and killed.

The extent of CIA involvement in this murder is unknown. Political scientist Mark Falcoff suggests Kissinger was not hopeful that Viaux would be able to pull off a successful coup. Kissinger reported to Nixon, “This looks hopeless. I turned it off. Nothing would be worse than an abortive coup,” to which Nixon responded, “Just tell him to do nothing.”

Journalist Christopher Hitchens, however, contends that Kissinger and Nixon simply wanted deniability, and if anything, they sought for Viaux to redouble his efforts to remove Schneider from the picture.

In any event, Schneider ended up dead. This actually had the opposite effect to what the US wanted, and the Chilean National Congress ended up ensuring that Allende was made president, in part to safeguard against anti-democratic reactionaries such as Viaux.

Economic Failure

Augusto Pinochet in 1971. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The years that followed were economically terrible for Chile. Whether this was due to Allende’s Marxist policies or American interference is an issue of debate. Allende raised salaries while keeping prices fixed, leading to shortages and an economic downturn. On the other hand, it is argued that the US actively restricted Chile’s economy in the same way it did in Cuba. It is plausible that the failure of the Chilean economy was a mixture of both factors.

Nevertheless, Allende lost popularity across the country, spurring sentiment for a change of government. By 1973, there was unrest in the streets, and on June 29, elements of the military attempted a coup. It failed miserably, and one of the biggest supporters of Allende during this time was an unremarkable...