Pre-Crisis Phase (January 1, 1920-September 7, 1924): Arturo Alessandri Palma of the Liberal Alliance (LA) coalition was elected president by the Congress in 1920. President Alessandri called for the abolition of the parliamentary system, the direct election of the president, and the separation of church and state. Congressional elections were held in 1924, and President Alessandri’s coalition won control of both houses of Congress.
Crisis Phase (September 8, 1924-October 3, 1925): President Arturo Alessandri resigned on September 8, 1924, and a three-member military junta headed by General Luis Altamirano Talavera took control of the government and dissolved the parliament on September 11, 1924. Britain provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the government of General Talavera on September 15, 1924. General Altamirano was overthrown in a military rebellion led by Lt. Colonel Carlos Ibanez del Campo on January 23, 1925. A military junta headed by General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina took control of the government on January 24, 1925. The military junta allowed Arturo Alessandri to re-assume the presidency on March 20, 1925. A new constitution was approved in a referendum on August 3, 1925, and the constitution went into effect on September 18, 1925. The new constitution provided for the direct election of the president. President Alessandri resigned on October 2, 1925, and Vice-President Luis Barros Borgono assumed the presidency on October 3, 1925.
Post-Crisis Phase (October 4, 1925-March 31, 1932): Emiliano Figuero Larrain of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was elected president with 72 percent of the vote in October 1925. President Figuero Larrain resigned on May 5, 1927. Colonel Carlos Ibanez was elected president with 98 percent of the vote on May 22, 1927, and he was inaugurated as president on July 2, 1927. President Ibanez resigned after four days of student unrest in Santiago on July 26, 1931, and Prime Minister Juan Esteban Montero Rodriguez of the Conservative Party (CP) was appointed as provisional president on July 27, 1931. The government suppressed a naval rebellion in August-September 1931. Juan Esteban Montero Rodriguez was elected president with 64 percent of the vote on October 4, 1931, and he was inaugurated as president in December 1931.
Crisis Phase (April 1, 1932-December 24, 1932): President Montero Rodriguez declared martial law in April 1932. President Montero Rodriguez was overthrown in a military rebellion led by Colonel Marmaduke Grove Vallejo on June 4-5, 1932. The US imposed diplomatic sanctions (diplomatic non-recognition) against the government of Colonel Grove on June 5, 1932. A military junta headed by Carlos Davila took control of the government on June 17, 1932, and Carlos Davila declared himself provisional president of the Socialist Republic of Chile on July 8, 1932. President Davila was overthrown in a military rebellion led by Commodore Merino and General Bartolome Blanche on September 13, 1932. The US, Britain, and Germany provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the military government on October 21, 1932. Arturo Alessandri was elected president with 54 percent of the vote on October 30, 1932, and he was inaugurated as president on December 24, 1932.
Post-Crisis Phase (December 25, 1932-September 4, 1938): Eulogio Sanchez Errazuriz established the Republican Militia (Milicia Republicana – MR) in support of President Alessandro in 1932. President Alessandro joined with the socialists and communists in the Popular Front (PF) in 1936. The government banned political activities of fascist groups in April 1937. General Carlos Ibanez formed the People’s Liberation Alliance (Alianza Popular Libertadora – APL) in June 1938.
Crisis Phase (September 5, 1938-August 5, 1958): The government suppressed a rebellion by fascist groups on September 5, 1938, resulting in the deaths of some 65 individuals. President Alessandro declared a state-of-siege on September 5, 1938. Pedro Aguirre Cerda of the PF was elected president with 50 percent of the vote on October 25, 1938, and he was inaugurated as president on December 24, 1938. President Aguirre Cerda resigned due to ill health on November 10, 1941. Geronimo Mendez of the Radical Party (RP) was appointed as provisional president on November 11, 1941. President Aguirre Cerda died on November 25, 1941. Juan Antonio Rios of the RP was elected president on February 2, 1942, and he was inaugurated as president on April 2, 1942. Parliamentary elections were held in February 1945, and the Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democratica – AD) won a majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. President Rios resigned in 1945. Alfredo Duhalde of the RP was appointed as provisional president. Nine individuals were killed in political violence in Santiago on January 28, 1946. The government declared a 60-day state-of-siege on January 28, 1946. President Rios died on June 27, 1946, and Vice-President Alfredo Duhalde assumed the presidency on June 28, 1946. Gabriel Gonzalez Videla of the PF was elected president on September 4, 1946, and he was inaugurated as president on November 3, 1946. Municipal elections were held on April 6, 1947. Five individuals were killed in election-related violence. Some 200 members of the Communist Party of Chile (Partido Communista de Chile – PCC) were arrested and detained after labor strikes in October 1947. The PCC was banned by the Congress on September 2, 1948. Parliamentary elections were held on March 6, 1949, and the RP won 34 out of 147 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The CP won 33 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Seven individuals were killed in political violence in Santiago on August 17, 1949. The government imposed martial law in Santiago on August 18, 1949, and then extended martial law to the entire country on August 20, 1949. Government police arrested some 200 communists on August 18-19, 1949. The US agreed to provide military assistance to the government beginning on July 11, 1952. General Carlos Ibanez was elected president on September 4, 1952. Some 60,000 government employees went on strike on August 24-September 4, 1955. Parliamentary elections were held on March 3, 1957, and the RP won 35 out of 147 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The Liberal Party (LP) won 28 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Some 50 individuals were killed in political violence in Santiago, Valparaiso, and Concepcion on April 1-3, 1957. The government imposed a state-of-siege on April 3, 1957. The government legalized the PCC on August 5, 1958. Some 200 individuals were killed during the crisis.
Post-Crisis Phase (August 6, 1958-November 18, 1962): Jorge Alessandri was elected president on September 4, 1958, and he was inaugurated as president on November 3, 1958. Parliamentary elections were held on March 5, 1961.
Crisis Phase (November 19, 1962-July 3, 1973): Government troops fired on demonstrators in Jose Maria Caro on November 19, 1962, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. Eduardo Frei Montalva of the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) was elected president with 56 percent of the vote on September 4, 1964. The Movement of the Revolutionary Left (Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria – MIR) was established in opposition to the government in 1965. Eight individuals were killed by government police in Puerto Montt on March 9, 1969. President Frei Montalva declared a six-month state-of-emergency in Santiago province on June 28, 1970. Salvador Allende Gossens, representing a socialist-communist coalition, received a plurality of 36 percent of the vote in presidential elections on September 4, 1970. Six individuals were killed in election-related violence. General Rene Schneider Chereau, commander-in-chief of the armed forced, was fatally wounded by a right-wing extremist on October 22, 1970. Salvador Allende Gossens was elected president by the Congress on October 24, 1970, and he was inaugurated as president on November 3, 1970. The government declared a state-of-emergency in Santiago province and other provinces beginning on August 22, 1972. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion by 100 rebel troops in Santiago on June 29, 1973, resulting in the deaths of 22 individuals. The government imposed a state-of-emergency on June 30, 1973, and some 550 individuals were arrested for their involvement in the military rebellion. The government lifted the state-of-emergency on July 3, 1973.
Post-Crisis Phase (July 4, 1973-September 10, 1973):
Crisis Phase (September 11, 1973-March 11, 1978): President Allende Gossens was killed during a military coup on September 11, 1973, and a four-member military junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte took control of the government. The military junta proclaimed martial law on September 11, 1973. President Salvador Allende Gossens was killed during a military coup, and a four-member military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte took control of the government on September 11, 1973. The military junta proclaimed marital law on September 11, 1973. Denmark and Sweden imposed economic sanctions (suspension of economic assistance) against the military junta on September 12, 1973. The military junta dissolved the Congress on September 18, 1973, and suspended political party activities on September 27, 1973. Belgium, the Netherlands, and West Germany imposed economic sanctions (suspension of economic assistance) against the military junta on September 21, 1973. The Soviet Union and East Germany imposed diplomatic sanctions (suspension of diplomatic relations) against the military junta on September 21, 1973. Britain provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the military junta on September 22, 1973, and the US provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the military junta on September 24, 1973. Britain imposed military sanctions (arms embargo) against the military junta on March 27, 1974, and Mexico imposed diplomatic sanctions (suspension of diplomatic relations) against the military junta in 1974. Roman Catholic Cardinal Silva Henriquez, Archbishop of Santiago, condemned human rights violations by the military junta on April 14, 1974. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) sent a three-member fact-finding mission to the country in April 1974. General Pinochet was named supreme chief-of-state on June 26, 1974, and formally assumed the presidency on December 17, 1974. The Organization of American States (OAS)/Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) sent a five-member fact-finding mission (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, US) to investigate alleged human rights violations on July 22-August 2, 1974. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemned human rights violations by the government on October 23, 1974. The OAS/IACHR fact-finding mission issued a report to the OAS Permanent Council on December 4, 1974, which accused the government of committing “extremely serious violations of human rights.” Government security personnel assassinated Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean government minister, in Washington DC on September 21, 1976. The US imposed military and economic sanctions against the government. President Pinochet banned all political parties on March 12, 1977. President Pinochet lifted martial law on March 11, 1978. Some 25,000 individuals were killed during the crisis.
Post-Crisis Phase (March 12, 1978-March 22, 1984): Britain lifted military sanctions against the government on July 22, 1980. A new constitution was approved by 67 percent of the voters in a referendum held on September 11, 1980, and the constitution was promulgated on March 11, 1981. The Democratic Alliance (AD) was formed in opposition to the government of President Pinochet on August 6, 1983. The US lifted economic sanctions against the government.
Crisis Phase (March 23, 1984-August 27, 1988): President Pinochet declared a state-of-emergency on March 23, 1984. Six individuals were killed during anti-government demonstrations organized by the AD in Santiago on March 27, 1984. Eleven individuals were killed during anti-government demonstrations organized by the AD in Santiago on September 4-5, 1984. President Pinochet declared a state-of-siege in November 1984. President Pinochet lifted the state-of-siege on June 17, 1985, but a state-of-emergency remained in effect. Eleven opposition political parties signed the “National Accord for the Transition to Full Democracy” on August 25, 1985. Supporters of the National Workers Command (Comando Nacional de Trabajadores – CNT) and government police clashed in Santiago and other cities on September 4-5, 1985, resulting in the deaths of ten individuals. The government extended the state-of-emergency for 90 days on September 10, 1985. Supporters of the CNT and government police clashed in Santiago on November 5-6, 1985, resulting in the deaths of four individuals. Some 500,000 individuals demonstrated against the government in Santiago on November 21, 1985. The government extended the state-of-emergency for 90 days on December 14, 1985. The government extended the state-of-emergency for 90 days on March 14, 1986. Eight individuals were killed during a general strike organized by the National Assembly of Civil Society (NACS) in Santiago on July 2-3, 1986. President Pinochet survived an assassination attempt by members of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) on September 7, 1986, resulting in the deaths of five security personnel. President Pinochet declared a state-of-siege on September 8, 1986. President Pinochet lifted the state-of-siege on January 6, 1987. President Pinochet lifted the ban on political parties on March 11, 1987. Twelve members of the FPMR were killed by security police in Santiago on June 16, 1987. Some 3,000 individuals were killed in political violence in 1987. President Pinochet lifted the state-of-emergency on August 27, 1988. Some 5,000 individuals were killed during the crisis.
Post-Crisis Phase (August 28, 1988-present): On October 5, 1988, the government held a plebiscite to decide whether President Pinochet should be allowed another eight-year term as president, and 55 percent of the voters rejected another term. The International Human Rights Law Group (IHRLG) sent observers to monitor the plebiscite. Congressional elections were held on December 15, 1989, and the PDC won 38 out of 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Patricio Aylwin Azocar of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) was elected president with 55 percent of the vote on December 15, 1989, and he was inaugurated as president on March 11, 1990. Eduardo Freo of the PDC was elected president with 57 percent of the vote on December 11, 1993. Ricardo Lagos Escobar of the Party for Democracy (Partido Por la Democracia-PPD) was elected president with 51 percent of the vote on January 16, 2000, and he was inaugurated as president on March 11, 2000.
[Sources: Banks and Muller, 1998, 176-181; Bannon and Dunne, 1947, 538-559; Beigbeder, 1994, 274; Clodfelter, 1992, 1188-1189; Collier and Sater 1996; Degenhardt, 1988, 45-55; Facts on File, January 27-February 2, 1946, April 6-12, 1947, August 14-20, 1949, March 26-April 2, 1969, July 2-8, 1970, September 3-9, 1970, July 1-7, 1973, September 9-15, 1973, September 16-22, 1973, December 14, 1974; Hispanic American Report (HAR), March 1949, September 1952; James, 1924, 370-376; Jessup, 1998, 123-124; Keesing’s Record of World Events, September 14-21, 1946, November 9-16, 1946, April 9-16, 1949, October 11-18, 1952, April 20-27, 1957, June 27-July 4, 1959, October 3-10, 1970, December 2-9, 1972, August 13-19, 1973, October 22-28, 1973, April 1-7, 1974, August 5-11, 1974, February 3-9, 1975, June 16, 1978, December 12, 1980, May 1986, March 1987, December 1989; Langer, 1972, 1060-1061, 1253-1254; Munro, 1961, 224-247; Nunn, 1967, 1-21; Nunn, 1976; Radu and Tismaneanu, 1990, 131-148; Robertson, 1943, 268-291; Survey of International Affairs (SIA), 1932, 589-590; The Guardian, January 17, 2000.]