| Republic de Chile/Republic of Chile | |
|---|---|
|
Population |
5,000,000 |
|
Capital |
Santiago |
|
Head of State |
Carlos Ibañez del Campo (1944-1960), Eduardo Frei Montalvo (1960-1969), Carlos Prats (1969-1973), Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (from 1973) |
|
Ruling Party |
Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile/Chilean National Socialist Movement as part of the Frente Nacional/National Front (from 1944) |
|
Head of Government |
Jorge Gonzalez von Marees (1944-1962), Carlos Keller Rueff (1962-1973), Miguel Serrano (from 1973) |
History[]
Coalition of pro-Axis military leaders and political parties, primarily the Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile (the MNSCH or Nacis), installed with the assistance of Argentina in October 1944. The exact composition of the ruling junta had varied over time, with military and various civilian factions competing for power.
Under General Ibanez del Campo the regime was fairly solid. After his death however, the coalition became more fractious. The civilian president Eduardo Frei Montalvo was distrusted by the Nacis due to his background in the Conservative Party and National Phalanx. His removal by the Commander of the Armed Forces General Rene Schneider Plaul was at first welcomed, but rather than replace him with a Naci candidate, Schneider handed the presidency to his ally General Carlos Prats.
Both men were ultimately assassinated. Schneider was killed in 1969, ostensibly by Peruvian agents. This led to war between the two countries. Prats was killed in 1973 by a Naci activist, angered at his prosecution of the war with Peru. General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte assumed power, enacting a more thoroughly Naci regime.