The Pinochet dictatorship in Chile was defined in large part by its brutally repressive nature. Its centralization of repression in the DINA (Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional) and the centrality of repressive tactics even after the junta consolidated power made Pinochet’s Chile stick out in comparison to other contemporary Latin American dictatorships.
In today’s episode, we discuss how to best define the Pinochet regime, then explain how Chile’s repression differed from that of its regional authoritarian contemporaries. We spend the bulk of the episode showing why brutal repression became synonymous with Pinochet’s government and outline the deadly existence of DINA. We conclude by drawing out important historical lessons we can glean from studying Pinochet’s authoritarianism as we are confronted with authoritarianism in the United States.
We want to provide a content warning that this episode will deal with the intense violence perpetrated by agents of the Pinochet regime, including murder, torture, sexual violence, and more. These topics are both difficult to discuss and incredibly sensitive.
Show Notes
Listen to The History Onion’s Modern Chile Series:
* Revolutionary Road (Modern Chile Ep. 1)
* Salvador Allende (Modern Chile Ep. 2)
* The Economics of the Allende Years (Modern Chile Ep. 3)
* The US in Chile: Part 1 (Modern Chile Ep. 4)
* The US in Chile: Part 2 (Modern Chile Ep. 5)
* The Pinochet Years (Modern Chile Ep. 6)
Credits
Theme music by our youngest brother Tate.
Cover art by Arthur Santoro.
