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| Pinochetism | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pinochetism |
| Founder | Augusto Pinochet |
| Foundation | 1973 |
| Region | Chile |
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right |
| Related | Neoliberalism, Authoritarianism, Anticommunism |
Pinochetism is a political current associated with the rule and ideas promoted by Augusto Pinochet after the 1973 coup d'état in Chile. It combines elements of neoliberalism, authoritarian anticommunism, and corporatist tendencies, shaped by actors from the Libertad y Desarrollo circle and the Chicago Boys. Pinochetism influenced policy, security structures, and party alignments in late 20th-century Latin America.
Pinochetism emerged from the 11 September 1973 coup that overthrew Salvador Allende and dissolved the Popular Unity coalition, drawing on military doctrines from the United States School of the Americas, strategic advisers linked to the Central Intelligence Agency, and economic ideas propagated by scholars associated with the University of Chicago such as Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger. Intellectual antecedents include José Antonio Primo de Rivera-inspired corporatism, conservative legalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and anti-Marxist thought found in journals like Trabajo y economía. Military figures such as Gustavo Leigh and civilian technocrats including Hernán Büchi and Jorge Cauas shaped the blend of ideological elements that informed the junta.
The junta imposed structural reforms via decrees and the 1980 Constitution, concentrating authority in the Armed Forces and establishing institutions like the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) successors. The regime suspended the Chilean Congress and political parties including Socialist Party of Chile and Communist Party of Chile, while promoting conservative organizations such as the National Renewal and Independent Democratic Union. Institutional changes involved reforms to the Constitution of Chile and creation of patrimonial mechanisms that benefited business groups like Compañía de Teléfonos de Chile and banking actors such as Banco de Chile executives aligned with technocratic cabinets.
Pinochetism implemented sweeping market-oriented reforms modeled by the Chicago Boys and institutionalized through entities like the Central Bank of Chile and pension reform that created individual capitalization under private administrators (AFP). Policies emphasized trade liberalization with partners in OECD frameworks, privatization of state enterprises such as ENTEL and utility concessions, deregulation of capital markets influenced by Chicago School teachings, and fiscal austerity supervised by ministers including José Piñera. These reforms altered relations with corporate actors like Cencosud and Compañía de Petróleos de Chile (COPEC) and attracted attention from institutions like the International Monetary Fund.
Pinochetist security policy relied on repression carried out by agencies including Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA), Central Nacional de Informaciones (CNI), and units of the Carabineros de Chile, leading to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and torture documented by organizations such as the Vicariate of Solidarity and the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture (Rettig Commission). High-profile cases involved Orlando Letelier and sites like Villa Grimaldi and Cuartel Simón Bolívar. Judicial processes in later decades, including trials before the Supreme Court of Chile and extradition requests involving countries such as United Kingdom and United States courts, investigated crimes linked to Pinochet-era directives and figures like Manuel Contreras.
After the transition to democracy, Pinochetism persisted through constitutional mechanisms such as appointed senators and the Binominal electoral system, and via parties like Union Democrata Independiente and Renovación Nacional. Prominent politicians including Sebastián Piñera, Andrés Allamand, and Joaquín Lavín navigated the legacy in policy debates over Constitution of Chile reform, pension privatization, and security law. Movements for amnesty and memorialization, and litigations by groups like Agrupación de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos influenced party platforms and electoral coalitions across presidential contests and Parliament of Chile campaigns.
Pinochetist foreign policy aligned with anti-communist initiatives during the Cold War, cooperating with United States Department of State programs such as Operation Condor alongside dictatorships in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Diplomatic relations involved tensions with Cuba and Soviet Union embassies, while engagement with transnational networks of conservative think tanks like Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute bolstered international support. Trade and investment ties expanded with United States–Chile relations, regional counterparts in Mercosur and bilateral agreements negotiated in the 1980s and 1990s.
Debate over Pinochetist legacy involves historians, jurists, and cultural producers such as Gabriel Salazar, Manuel Vicuña, and filmmakers documenting the era, while truth commissions including the Rettig Commission and the Valech Report informed public memory. Contested spaces like Paseo Bulnes monuments, legal action in courts such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and partisan debates in institutions like the Supreme Court of Chile and Universidad de Chile shape historiography. Scholarly disputes touch on economic assessments by Ricardo Ffrench-Davis and proponents like José Piñera, the role of military doctrine from the School of the Americas, and reconciliation initiatives promoted by presidents such as Patricio Aylwin and Michelle Bachelet.
Category:Political ideologies Category:History of Chile Category:Right-wing politics in South America