Augusto Pinochet, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Augusto Pinochet

general, politician and dictator of Chile

Date of Birth: 25-Nov-1915

Place of Birth: Valparaíso, Valparaíso Region, Chile

Date of Death: 10-Dec-2006

Profession: politician, military officer

Nationality: Chile

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius


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About Augusto Pinochet

  • Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, also US: , UK: , Spanish: [au'?usto pino'(t)?e(t)]; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general and politician who ruled as dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the President of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, before being declared President of the Republic by the junta in 1974.Pinochet assumed power in Chile following a United States-backed coup d'état on 11 September 1973 that overthrew the democratically elected socialist Unidad Popular government of President Salvador Allende and ended civilian rule.
  • The support of the United States was crucial to the coup and the consolidation of power afterward.
  • Pinochet had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army by Allende on 23 August 1973, having been its General Chief of Staff since early 1972.
  • In December 1974, the ruling military junta appointed Pinochet Supreme Head of the nation by joint decree, although without the support of one of the coup's instigators, Air Force General Gustavo Leigh.
  • Following his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of from 1,200 to 3,200 people, the internment of as many as 80,000 people and the torture of tens of thousands.
  • According to the Chilean government, the number of executions and forced disappearances was 3,095.Under the influence of the free market-oriented "Chicago Boys", Pinochet's military government implemented economic liberalization, including currency stabilization, removed tariff protections for local industry, banned trade unions and privatized social security and hundreds of state-owned enterprises.
  • These policies produced high economic growth, but critics state that economic inequality dramatically increased and attribute the devastating effects of the 1982 monetary crisis on the Chilean economy to these policies.
  • For most of the 1990s, Chile was the best-performing economy in Latin America, though the legacy of Pinochet's reforms continues to be in dispute.
  • His fortune grew considerably during his years in power through dozens of bank accounts secretly held abroad and a fortune in real estate.
  • He was later prosecuted for embezzlement, tax fraud and for possible commissions levied on arms deals.Pinochet's 17-year rule was given a legal framework through a controversial 1980 plebiscite, which approved a new constitution drafted by a government-appointed commission.
  • In a 1988 plebiscite, 56% voted against Pinochet's continuing as president, which led to democratic elections for the presidency and Congress.
  • After stepping down in 1990, Pinochet continued to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until 10 March 1998, when he retired and became a senator-for-life in accordance with his 1980 Constitution.
  • However, Pinochet was arrested under an international arrest warrant on a visit to London on 10 October 1998 in connection with numerous human rights violations.
  • Following a legal battle, he was released on grounds of ill-health and returned to Chile on 3 March 2000.
  • In 2004, Chilean Judge Juan Guzmán Tapia ruled that Pinochet was medically fit to stand trial and placed him under house arrest.
  • By the time of his death on 10 December 2006, about 300 criminal charges were still pending against him in Chile for numerous human rights violations during his 17-year rule and tax evasion and embezzlement during and after his rule.
  • He was also accused of having corruptly amassed at least US$28 million.

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