Who Is Pinochet? At What Cost?
At What Cost?
“Sometimes democracy must be bathed in blood” (Amnesty International). This is a quote from Augusto Pinochet, the ruthless dictator that ruled Chile from 1973-1990. Augusto Pinochet sought to take away power from the political left wing, and did so by killing around 3,000 people, sending 200,000 more into exile, and torturing thousands. To some, Pinochet was believed to have done what was necessary to strengthen the economy and political stability of Chile. To others, General Augusto Pinochet was a power hungry and corrupt individual who is responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of Chileans. Despite these interpretations, it is clear that Pinochet used fear and repression as a strategy designed to create radical socioeconomic …show more content…
Pinochet climbed the political rungs long before he became dictator. Pinochet was named commander in chief of the Chilean armed forces by Salvador Allende. While Allende was in office, political unrest and tensions among the working class greatly increased due to the lack of economic growth and stability that Allende promised. Pinochet capitalized on this unrest and created a violent military coup to overthrow Allende in 1973. The presidential palace in Santiago was bombed, and Allende, knowing his fate, shot himself with an AK-47 assault rifle. Salvador Allende was the first of the thousands to die during the Pinochet dictatorship. Since Pinochet began his reign with fear, he had to maintain that reputation in order to preserve order amongst his supporters and opposers. In the 19 days following the Coup of 1973, 320 people were executed, 1500 killed, and more than 13,500 arrested. As Professor Dorfman said in an interview with NPR: “When you begin with that level of violence, I think the fear that is generated inside people like Pinochet forces them to continue a reign of terror that will not stop, because it's the only way in which you can silence the voices.” It is clear that Pinochet’s dictatorship wouldn’t have succeeded if he did not continue his reign with the same level of terror and intensity that he began
“Sometimes democracy must be bathed in blood” (Amnesty International). This is a quote from Augusto Pinochet, the ruthless dictator that ruled Chile from 1973-1990. Augusto Pinochet sought to take away power from the political left wing, and did so by killing around 3,000 people, sending 200,000 more into exile, and torturing thousands. To some, Pinochet was believed to have done what was necessary to strengthen the economy and political stability of Chile. To others, General Augusto Pinochet was a power hungry and corrupt individual who is responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of Chileans. Despite these interpretations, it is clear that Pinochet used fear and repression as a strategy designed to create radical socioeconomic …show more content…
Pinochet climbed the political rungs long before he became dictator. Pinochet was named commander in chief of the Chilean armed forces by Salvador Allende. While Allende was in office, political unrest and tensions among the working class greatly increased due to the lack of economic growth and stability that Allende promised. Pinochet capitalized on this unrest and created a violent military coup to overthrow Allende in 1973. The presidential palace in Santiago was bombed, and Allende, knowing his fate, shot himself with an AK-47 assault rifle. Salvador Allende was the first of the thousands to die during the Pinochet dictatorship. Since Pinochet began his reign with fear, he had to maintain that reputation in order to preserve order amongst his supporters and opposers. In the 19 days following the Coup of 1973, 320 people were executed, 1500 killed, and more than 13,500 arrested. As Professor Dorfman said in an interview with NPR: “When you begin with that level of violence, I think the fear that is generated inside people like Pinochet forces them to continue a reign of terror that will not stop, because it's the only way in which you can silence the voices.” It is clear that Pinochet’s dictatorship wouldn’t have succeeded if he did not continue his reign with the same level of terror and intensity that he began