Ariostazo
Encyclopedia
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an President Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...
.
Background
Pedro Aguirre CerdaPedro Aguirre Cerda
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...
was elected and assumed as president on December 25, 1938 as the candidate of the Popular Front
Popular Front (Chile)
The Popular Front in Chile was an electoral and political left-wing coalition from 1937 to February 1941, during the Presidential Republic Era...
. He had narrowly defeated conservative candidate Gustavo Ross in the presidential elections of 1938
Chilean presidential election, 1938
A presidential election was held in Chile on October 25, 1938.-Results:* Withdrew candidacy before election and gave his support to Aguirre.Source:...
. General Ariosto Herrera, the commander of the Army Division stationed in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, was a supporter of former president Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
and very much influenced by the fascist ideas he had absorbed while a military attaché in Italy during the 1930s. He was also very much opposed to the Popular Front.
On May 21, 1939, as General Herrera was arriving to the Presidential Palace
Palacio de La Moneda
Palacio de La Moneda , or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government...
for a ceremony, he saw a red flag hanging from one of the balconies and in a sudden impulse grabbed it and tore it down. The "flag incident" was picked up as an insult to the new government and a formal inquiry was instituted in order to remove him from his command. He was eventually forced into retirement, and immediately started to conspire to bring down the government.
Events
On August 25, 1939, General Herrera together with General Carlos Ibáñez del CampoCarlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
arrived to the Tacna Regiment in Santiago, with the intention of insurrecting it and forcing the resignation of President Aguirre Cerda. Nonetheless, the commander of said Regiment, Colonel Luco, had been previously notified of the intentions of the plotters and proceeded to arrest General Herrera as soon as he arrived and to prevent the entry to General Ibáñez. In view of the arrest of their leader, the rest of the military units involved decided to back down. Due to these events 36 officers that were participants in the plot were subsequently purged from the army.
See also
- History of ChileHistory of ChileThe territory of Chile has been populated since at least 2,000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain...
- Pedro Aguirre CerdaPedro Aguirre CerdaPedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...
- Carlos Ibáñez del CampoCarlos Ibáñez del CampoGeneral Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
- List of Chilean coup d'étatChilean coup d'étatThis is a list of the coups d'état that have taken place in Chile during its independent history:-1780s:...