Augusto Pinochet
A general who seized power in a violent coup, ruling Chile for 17 years under a regime marked by systematic repression and disappearances.
1915–2006 (age 91)·President of Chile from 1973 to 1990·Birthday: November 25·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Augusto Pinochet rose through the ranks of the Chilean army, a career soldier who was appointed army chief just weeks before he led the military coup that shattered the country's democracy. On September 11, 1973, his forces bombed the presidential palace, leading to the death of elected socialist president Salvador Allende. Pinochet swiftly consolidated power, dissolving congress, banning political parties, and governing through fear. His regime's secret police, the DINA, were responsible for the torture, execution, and forced disappearance of thousands of leftists, intellectuals, and perceived opponents. While his free-market economic policies, crafted by US-educated advisors, were credited with curbing inflation, they came at a severe social cost. After losing a 1988 plebiscite, he ceded the presidency but remained army commander and later a senator-for-life, enjoying immunity from prosecution for years. His eventual arrest in London in 1998 on human rights charges, though he was never convicted, symbolized a long-delayed reckoning for his brutal rule.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Augusto was born in 1915, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Augusto Was Born
The biggest hits of 1915
#1 Movie
The Birth of a Nation
Augusto's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1915Born
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Started school
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1928Became a teenager
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1931Could drive
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1933Could vote
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Turned 21
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1945Turned 30
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 40
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 50
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 60
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 70
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 80
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2006Died at 91
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Led the military junta that overthrew Chile's democratically elected government in a violent coup on September 11, 1973.
- Ruled Chile as head of state for 17 years, the longest continuous rule in the country's history.
- Implemented radical free-market economic reforms, known as the 'Chicago Boys' policies, that reshaped Chile's economy.
- Was arrested in London in 1998 under an international warrant for human rights violations, a landmark case for universal jurisdiction.
Did You Know?
He published a geopolitical book titled 'Geopolítica' in 1968, outlining his nationalist views.
Pinochet was the first former head of state arrested under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
He claimed to have a collection of over 55,000 documents, many related to Operation Condor, which were seized after his death.
In 2004, a US Senate investigation revealed he held secret accounts at Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C., totaling millions of dollars.
“Not a leaf moves in this country if I'm not the one moving it.”
