Difference between Pinochet in Chile and Peron in Argentina? (country, people, move)
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I just finished a three week experience traveling through Chile and a little of Argentina. Spent 5 days in Santiago and surrounding areas taking Spanish lessons in the evening to speak better, then spent 10 days exploring the rest of the country from a couple days in Valparaiso, La Serena and the Valle de Elqui, A day in Antofagasta to see a bit of the Atacama desert before flying to Puerto Montt to experience the Lake region and rainforests for two days.
I then went to Argentina for 5 days, a day in Buenos Aires, and four days in Patagonia (El Calafate and El Chalten).
I have one question, as I always seek to understand a country's recent history.
Both Chile and Argentina experience autocratic/authoritarian/fascist dictators during the cold war era: Pinochet in Chile, and Peron in Argentina.
However it seems like Pinochet has essentially become "de-personed" in Chile, they of course have built a whole museum dedicated to the human rights abuses of his regime. Whereas in Argentina, the feelings of Juan Peron are more mixed. There are still statues of him, and obviously his wife was well-loved - she seemed like she did care about the people.
Any thoughts as to why despite both being dictators who were repressive and authoritarian military dictators, while the feelings in Argentina regarding Peron seem more mixed than the feelings of Pinochet in Chile seem more universal that they want to forget him entirely.
Was it because Eva was well loved in Argentina? Thoughts?
Peronism was more of a "big tent" political movement that actually attracted support from both the Left and the Right. Evita shored up the working class, populist aspects of Perón´s administration by at least appearing to be a loving humanitarian who devoted everything she had to the poor-- true or not.
Perón and Che Guevara were actually close and met with each other several times, and Che wished to put Juan Perón back into power during the period when he was deposed in the 1960´s.
Pinochet killed more people who went against him, whereas Perón often "only" jailed or pressured them to the point of self-deportation, growing a community of exiled opposition but nevertheless eliminating his critics and potential threats to power.
I´m sure there´s more to it, but that´s the difference I see.
As bad as Pinochet was, there was decades later a feeling that he saved Chile from economic collapse, setting the course for the Americanization of the country. Which was his goal, having been installed as a puppet by the Americans.
Peron, OTOH, was a family that was a fixture in Argentine politics, which rose to power on its own wings, and led only to decades if economic disorder, which is still felt today.
Peron was Argentina being Argentina. Pinochet was America modeling Chile after itself.
I just finished a three week experience traveling through Chile and a little of Argentina. Spent 5 days in Santiago and surrounding areas taking Spanish lessons in the evening to speak better, then spent 10 days exploring the rest of the country from a couple days in Valparaiso, La Serena and the Valle de Elqui, A day in Antofagasta to see a bit of the Atacama desert before flying to Puerto Montt to experience the Lake region and rainforests for two days.
I then went to Argentina for 5 days, a day in Buenos Aires, and four days in Patagonia (El Calafate and El Chalten).
I have one question, as I always seek to understand a country's recent history.
Both Chile and Argentina experience autocratic/authoritarian/fascist dictators during the cold war era: Pinochet in Chile, and Peron in Argentina.
However it seems like Pinochet has essentially become "de-personed" in Chile, they of course have built a whole museum dedicated to the human rights abuses of his regime. Whereas in Argentina, the feelings of Juan Peron are more mixed. There are still statues of him, and obviously his wife was well-loved - she seemed like she did care about the people.
Any thoughts as to why despite both being dictators who were repressive and authoritarian military dictators, while the feelings in Argentina regarding Peron seem more mixed than the feelings of Pinochet in Chile seem more universal that they want to forget him entirely.
Was it because Eva was well loved in Argentina? Thoughts?
Peron was not a dictator, he was elected democratically three times, he suffered a military coup and was exiled for 18 years. Nothing to do with Pinochet.
As bad as Pinochet was, there was decades later a feeling that he saved Chile from economic collapse, setting the course for the Americanization of the country. Which was his goal, having been installed as a puppet by the Americans.
Many on the left see him as a criminal, but history shows Pinochet did save Chile from that Marxist fool Allende. Unlike Allende, Pinochet eventually relinquished his dictatorial powers, allowed a new constitution (read it sometime, it’s an interesting document), and brought in the Chicago Boys to help set up a market economy that had some legs. Was he perfect? Heck no, but IMO he was far closer to George Washington than Joseph Stalin.
As bad as Pinochet was, there was decades later a feeling that he saved Chile from economic collapse, setting the course for the Americanization of the country. Which was his goal, having been installed as a puppet by the Americans.
Peron, OTOH, was a family that was a fixture in Argentine politics, which rose to power on its own wings, and led only to decades if economic disorder, which is still felt today.
Peron was Argentina being Argentina. Pinochet was America modeling Chile after itself.
I read that Peron came to public attention initially as a local leader who handled an earthquake crisis well in the Andes. May be wrong about that but don't think he rose from some dynastic family.
Pinochet is certainly preferable to the alternative of Marxism. While there are some interesting aspects of Peronism, it is responsible for Argentina going from a top 10 country in terms of economic success to where it is today economically.
As bad as Pinochet was, there was decades later a feeling that he saved Chile from economic collapse, setting the course for the Americanization of the country. Which was his goal, having been installed as a puppet by the Americans.
Pinochet was America modeling Chile after itself.
A couple of points of clarification since your view seems to be very common.
The US was clearly not happy with Allende by the time of the coup. The primary source of this ire was the expropriation by the Allende government of the Anaconda and Kennecott copper mines in the Chile without compensation.
It was not Pinochet who orchestrated or lead the coup. He was one of four military and police branches participating in what was termed the Junta. Pinochet mere took over leadership of the Junta after the coup.
You are very much correct that the feeling in Chile has long been that Pinochet did indeed save the country from economic collapse and a socialist takeover that did not have popular support. Allende did not receive anything close to a majority of the vote and yet instigated a number of very unpopular reforms. The economy was in horrible shape and Allende had lost control by the time the coup happened.
One other fact that dispels the notion that Pinochet was a mere American puppet was the fact that he never gave the copper mines back to their rightful American corporate owners. They remained nationalized.
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