In 1970 Salvador Allende, the leader of the Chilean Socialist Party, was elected president. He therefore became the first Marxist
in the world to gain power in a free democratic election. The new
government faced serious economic problems. Inflation was running at 30
per cent and over 20 per cent of the male adult population were
unemployed. It was estimated that half of the children under 15 suffered
from malnutrition. Allende's decide to take action to redistribute wealth and land in chile.
Wage increases of around 40 per cent were introduced. At the same time
companies were not allowed to increase prices. The copper industry was
nationalized. So also were the banks. Allende also restored diplomatic
relations with Cuba, China and German Democratic Republic. In June 1973, Salvador Allende appointed Augusto Pinochet as commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. Allende was unaware that Pinochet was plotting with the CIA
to remove him from power. On 11th September 1973, Pinochet led a
military coup against Allende's government. Allende died in the fighting
in the presidential palace in Santiago. Pinochet immediately
closed down the Chilean Parliament, suspended the constitution, banned
all political and trade union activity and imposed strict controls over
the media. Pinochet, who had appointed himself president, ordered a
purge of the left in Chile. Over the next few years more than 3,000
supporters of the Allende regime were killed. People in positions
of authority who were suspected of holding liberal opinions were also
removed from power. It is estimated that around 10 per cent of the
Chilean judiciary were dismissed during this period. Pinochet was also
responsible for thousands of people being tortured and large numbers
were forced into exile. Over the next few years Pinochet, with
the help of 400 CIA advisers, privatized the social and welfare system
and destroyed the Chilean trade union movement. Pinochet also received
help from Margret Thatcher and her Conservative government. This included Britain supplying arms to the regime and blocking attempts by the United Nations to investigate human rights abuses in Chile. Augusto Pinochet thought he had completely removed the influence of the left and in 1980
was confident enough to introduce a new national constitution. This
established a timetable for the election of a president. In
October 1988 a referendum took place to decide if Pinochet should be the
only candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. Much to his
surprise and dismay, this proposal was rejected, and he won only 44 per
cent of the vote. In 1989 Patricio Alwin, a Christian Democrat,
won 55 per cent of the votes to become Chile's new president. Pinochet
did however remain as commander-in-chief of the army, a position he was
able to use to make sure there were no prosecutions against any members
of the security forces suspected of human rights abuses during his
period of power. In March 1998 Pinochet resigned as head of the
Chilean army but became a senator, therefore guaranteeing him
parliamentary immunity for life. However, later that year, while on a
visit to London, Pinochet was arrested by the British police, following a
request by judges investigating the torture and disappearance of
Spanish citizens during Pinochet's period in power. Five Law
Lords ruled in December 1998 that Pinochet was not immune from
prosecution. However, the ruling was set aside when it was discovered
that one of the judges had links with Amnesty International. In January
1999 seven Law Lords voted 6-1 that Pinochet must face extradition to
Spain but that he was also immune from prosecution for crimes committed
before 1988. In January 2000, the British home secretary, Jack Straw,
gave permission for Augusto Pinochet to fly home to Chile.
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