Political Developments in Latin America: Rise of a Military Dictatorship (Ch. 5.4)

Christian Democratic Party

moderate party which won election in 1964 with President Frei; joined rightist nationalists in 1973 as opposition against Marxist Allende

Eduardo Frei

president of Chile from 1964 to 1970 and leader of Christian Democratic Party

Mother Centers

women's organization created in 1954 made to support rural and urban women by teaching them household skills; was used during Frei and Allende's governments to gain women's political support.

Salvador Allende

leader of the leftist coalition Popular Unity (UP) and president of Chile from 1970 until overthrow and possible suicide in September 1973

Popular Unity (UP)

left wing Marxist political alliance that stood behind Allende in 1970 election

shock groups

armed band of extreme political parties who supported political demonstrations and engaged in violence with opposing groups; created by the opposition to Allende's economic policies

Escuela Nacional Unificada (ENU)

The National Unified School system promoted by President Salvador Allende in Chile in 1972, which was seen by the Catholic Church as anti-religion, and by the right as being against family values.

General Augusto Pinochet

became commander in chief of the military in 1973 in Allende's government and led the coup of Allende; established military regime with leading military junta

'State of seige'

put in place by military regime after coup; set curfews and censored media and press; was lifted eventually under pressure from the Catholic Church

'Chicago Boys'

male Chilean economists who had studied at the University of Chicago; Pinochet placed them in charge of economic restructuring; they promoted neoliberal free markets

National Intelligence Directorate (DINA)

Chilean secret police under Pinochet; responsible for many human rights abuses

Chileanization

Frei's program of gradually purchasing a 51% of the shares of US-owned copper companies.

School of the Americas

a United States Department of Defense facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States; former students include members of the Atlacatl Battalion, responsible for the El Mozote massacre; trained counter-insurgency groups

1989

Date of the first democratic election since 1969 when Pinochet would leave office

1980

Date that a new constitution was written by the military dictatorship that included a slow process for the end of the military government and was approved by the populations

plebicite

a direct vote in which a country's people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal

disappeared people

approximately 4,000 people who were killed in military detention camps and more than 100,000 Chileans who were tortured of exiled.

Villa Grimaldi

a government detention center where political prisoners (leftists) including Michelle Bachelet were taken and tortured. It was part of the government's attempt to eliminate political opposition in Chile under Pinochet and the military junta.