Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis

Augusto Pinochet was a member of the military junto that overthrew Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973. The other members of the military junta expected power to rotate among themselves; they chose Pinochet as the first leader because he was the oldest member of the group, chief of staff of the army, and did not appear threatening. The US Central Intelligence Agency, prior to the coup, had described him as “quiet, mild-mannered, honest, harmless, friendly, hard-working, businesslike, [and] religious” (155). This description turned out to be incorrect. Pinochet became a ruthless leader who intimidated the other members of the junta and remained in power for 17 years, with the US’s support.

Pinochet presided over the mass murder of Chilean leftists. He “personally ordered a general to go around Chilean cities in what became known as the ‘Caravan of Death,’ killing political prisoners and Popular Unity politicians whom the army had been too slow at killing” (156). Founding a secret police force, Pinochet made thousands of Chileans “disappear” and by 1976 had arrested 130,000 people, or 1% of the population (157). Diamond argues that autocratic leaders, such as Pinochet, have more influence over a country’s response to crises than democratic ones. In this case, Diamond notes that “Pinochet, like Hitler, thus seems to be an example of an evil leader who did make a difference to the course of history” (158).