Military coup of 1973 - CHILE
Salvador Allende (pronounced Ayen-they). He was then the President of Chile, a country in South America. Allende was the founder leader of the Socialist Party of Chile.
In 1970, after being elected the President, Allende had taken several policy decisions to help the poor and the workers. These included reform of the educational system, free milk for children and redistribution of land to the landless farmers. He was opposed to foreign companies taking away natural resources like copper from the country.
General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup On 11 September 1973, the combined Chilean Armed Forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Carabineros) overthrew Allende's government in , during which the presidential palace, La Moneda, was shelled/Bombed and Allende died. While the military later claimed that he'd committed suicide, controversy has surrounded Allende's death, with many claiming that he'd been assassinated.
The new government rounded up thousands of people and held them in the national stadium, where many were killed, setting the stage for decades of brutal repression that followed. As many as 3,000 people died during Pinochet's years in power, and more than 1,000 are still missing.
* Carabineros -> The uniformed Chilean national police force and gendarmerie (A military force charged with police duties among civilian populations)
Augusto Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled Chile for the next 17 years.
From a government that was elected by the people, the power shifted to the military officers.
Thus a military dictatorship was established in Chile.
U.S. backing of the coup
The government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported and funded activities that led to the coup. The U.S. provided material support to the military government after the