Augusto Pinochet

Augusto Pinochet in 1974 coloredhttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Augusto_Pinochet_foto_oficial_coloreada.jpg This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Chile license.Augusto Pinochet (born in 1915 and died in 2006) was a Chilean soldier, president, commander-in-chief, intellectual, author, military theorist and leader of the Chilean Military Revolution, who fought against the establishment of a Marxist tyranny in his country. When the country was in a deep moral and economic crisis, he sacrificed himself to restore the order, the institutions, the private property, and prosperity in a deep Patriotic Act.

He saved millions of Chileans from starving to death under Communism, implemented a capitalist economic system made by the Chicago Boys, and made his country the most prosperous in Latin America, reducing poverty from 40% to 15%.

The 1980 Constitution, that gave stability to the country, was approved by the people in an election. In 1978 he made an election in which 78.7% (4.177.064) of the Chileans expressed their support of the Military Government.

Once he did his job of restoring the institutions and launching Chile to prosperity, he made a referendum in 1988 about his continuity in the power, in which he lost (3.119.110 votes for the Yes Option representing 44.01%, and 3.967.569 for the No, representing 55.99%), and he respected the results, giving the power to the elected president.

He left Chile with a model that has been extremely successful, and today Chile has the highest Human Development Index of the region, and also the most free economy of Latin America.

In 1978 when Argentina and Peru had plans to invade Chile, Pinochet prepared for war because of necessity, but he searched for peace without giving Chilean sovereignty over the Beagle Channel Islands. After failed attempts to get a peace deal, Pope John Paul II intervened and avoided the war the very day Argentina was going to invade.

His job was noble and hasn't been understood by many, but he has a special place in the world's history, being one of the first to rebel against Communism, and thus saving his nation from tyranny.