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date: 16 February 2025

The United States and Chile, 1973–1990locked

The United States and Chile, 1973–1990locked

  • Pablo Rubio ApiolazaPablo Rubio ApiolazaLibrary of National Congress of Chile

Summary

The Chilean military government(1973-1990) was the last of the Latin American conservative and anticommunist military regimes of the second half of the 20th century. Characterized by drastic political and constitutional change, neoliberal economic modernization, and massive human rights violations, General Augusto Pinochet received strong initial support from the United States as he repressed Marxist parties and movements that had dominated the government of President Salvador Allende (1970–1973). The administration of Richard Nixon (1969–1974) authorized covert Central Intelligence Agency operations that encouraged the 1973 military coup, and Gerald Ford (1974–1977) generally continued Nixon’s economic and military support for the Junta de Gobierno militar.

However, as a result of domestic and international factors, the Ronald Reagan presidency (1981–1989)—particularly in this second term after 1985—changed the US traditional foreign policy toward anticommunist dictatorships. In Chile, President Reagan supported the transition to an elected government and the removal of Pinochet as head of state. During the final and crucial stage of the Cold War, the United States viewed the continuation of the Pinochet government as inimical to its national and international interests and supported the political opposition that brought an end to the military regime.

Subjects

  • History of Southern Spanish America
  • History of Latin America and the Oceanic World
  • 1945–1991
  • Diplomatic History
  • International History

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