Augusto Pinochet: Chile’s reluctant dictator

Ronald Kitching
BrookesNews.Com
Monday 8 January 2007

I recently had the privilege of studying a great book on the history of Chile. The book is the culmination of 13 years of study and research by English author James R. Whelan. After 30 years of living in Chile, Whelan is obviously a great lover of Chile and its people. Out of the Ashes — Life, Death and Transfiguration of Democracy in Chile, 1833-1988, (Regenery Gateway, Washington D.C.  U.S.A.),  is a masterpiece of devotion to truth, and scholarship. Over 1,100 pages of riveting facts, the book reveals the roots of much of what has been tragedy for a potentially great nation and its people.

Not one, but three great inflations have wiped out the assets of generations of the middle class and poor, not to mention some of the rich and privileged. And many fled to Europe and elsewhere to escape the ravages of inflation and the confiscatory policies of perhaps well intentioned, but nevertheless bad and finally corrupt administrations.

The authoritarian Pinochet administration condemned and slandered practically all over the world by ignorant apathetic and biased intellectuals in the press, on radio and T.V., stood alone — but like Horatius on the bridge, with only a few stalwarts, almost single handedly defending Rome, stood resolutely, and again, like Horatius and his few comrades in arms, against all odds of success, saved the nation from the rape and ultimate pillage of an intellectually discredited and bankrupt ideology and its agents.

The Pinochet administration was denigrated first of all because it was, an authoritarian regime — the inevitable consequence of the policies of the previous communist administration. But there were dozens of authoritarian regimes all over South America and many other places in the world, which were the darlings of the biased press, because they were socialist. However, Pinochet was condemned most of all, because he allowed market forces to dominate in rebuilding Chile. He was blamed by the above mentioned ‘intellectuals’ for the results of the excesses of the previous administration. And the previous administration was the culmination of decades of destruction brought about by the rivalry between special interest groups, intent on privilege.  

The Communist take-over was the personification, the ultimate and inevitable result of several generations of struggle between special interest groups, for the reins of power with which to grant even more privilege to this, that, or the other special interest.

This is the result of intellectual error. Ignorance of nature’s laws however, as has been pointed out in previous essays is, in this day and age, the usual state of affairs. Science has, in the case of economic theory, been ignored, and also, discredited by pied pipers like Marx, Engels, Keynes and their countless thousands of ‘intellectual’  followers. After the implementation of Marxism and Keynesian, the tragedy of real totalitarian government must follow.

The regimes of Lenin, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Pol pot, Castro and many others are simply the personification of the teaching of intellectuals who have been captured by erroneous ideas. The dictators are merely the inevitable product of ideas which are at odds with natural economic laws. (See Chapter X Why The Worst Get To The Top of F. A. Hayek’s famous book The Road To Serfdom). It is the people who ultimately suffer from the serious errors of the intellectuals.

A careful study of James R. Whelan’s book reveals that General Pinochet and his administration were possibly the most reluctant authoritarian regime in all of history. The Communists backed by armed Cuban advisers were ravaging the countryside, taking over property and farms. Anybody who resisted this egalitarian ‘take-over’, was simply murdered. Industries were simply ‘taken over’ by the communist regime. People who resisted were shot. Such was the ‘compassion’ of the new rulers.

It was the women of Santiago who precipitated the revolution. In protest at this lawlessness, and the 1,000 per cent inflation, they marched in the streets of the city and were fired upon by the communists — however, they continued to demonstrate. It was then, that the Admiral, of the navy Merino, contacted and advised Pinochet, Leigh, the Air Force Commander, and Mendoza the Commander of the Caribineros, (the internal police force), that he was going to revolt and invited them to join him. Pinochet and his colleagues decided to do this, as they realised that if Merino alone revolted, ultimately it would lead to a prolonged and bloody civil war.  

But once having seized power, at the point at which the nation had tumbled into anarchy, they were perceptive enough to see that it was a pointless effort to hand the reins of administration back to any one of a number of special interest groups and interventionists, who would merely indulge in giving the nation more of the same.

The world’s ‘intellectuals’  led by the Kremlin and its sympathisers denigrated the Pinochet regime for years. Even films and documentaries were made, showing Pinochet and his regime to be a disaster for Chile and its people, and distributed world wide. Determined efforts were made by Socialist International, well established in all nations, to topple Pinochet and revert to the chaos of socialism. Even war was narrowly averted with Argentina over a border dispute, which was finally settled with great diplomacy and understanding by the Pinochet government.

The delicate question of Bolivia’s access to a Pacific port was also almost settled. This problem will one day be settled, with adequate good will shown by both countries. The reason that the administration of the Pinochet government was as successful as it was, in economic terms, was because of its adherence to correct economic policy. No matter how devastated, nor for whatever reason, correct economic policy will ultimately bring success and security out of the ashes of any unfortunate circumstances which may befall a nation.

Whelan points out in this great book, that after 8 years Pinochet called a referendum asking the people of Chile whether they wanted the military rule to continue or not. The result was an overwhelming vote for the continuance of military rule. Again after a further 7 years another referendum, initiated by Pinochet, decided upon a civil administration, 55 per cent to 45 per cent. Pinochet called an immediate election, and handed over power to a civil administration. Only the second dictator in 2,000 years to do so. The previous one was Sulla, the Roman General known as the last of the great republicans.

But again Pinochet was, and to this day still, is denigrated by the socialists and their sympathisers — ‘because’, they said, the social cost  of reform was too high.  This is utter rubbish. The social cost  if such a thing existed, must be laid at the feet of previous mal-administration.  The administrations in many countries, have been unfortunately confounded by this weasel word  phrase, and have paid an even greater social cost by persisting with mal-administration — as we do in Australia today.  (See F. A. Hayek’s The Mirage of Social Justice and his The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism.)

Without the sincere patriots, both military and civil, of the Pinochet administration, Chile would not now be the most desirable place it is today, in which to live and work. This historical masterpiece Out of the Ashes, already vindicates the necessary action taken by a few great patriots to save their country and its people from further destruction.

Let us hope that Chile’s intellectuals, policy makers and statesmen have the wisdom and courage to build upon the sound foundation which will ensure stability, peace, freedom and prosperity for future generations. Out of the Ashes is a must  book not only  for all Chileans interested in their past and concerned about their future, but also for all people everywhere, interested in being able to be free to choose.