Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Encyclopedia
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (November 3, 1877 – April 28, 1960) was a Chile
an Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.
saw a rise in discontent over the inefficient government. In 1924, the Chilean armed forces, led by General Luis Altamirano
, began the saber-rattling
(ruido de sables), a protest where soldiers banged their sabers against the walls of Congress. Amid threats from the armed forces, Alessandri decided he could no longer govern and submitted his resignation. Although this resignation was not approved by Congress, Alessandri left the country and Altamirano established a military junta
.
However, another faction of the armed forces, led by Colonel Marmaduque Grove
and Lieutenant Colonel Ibáñez, decided the junta's reforms did not go far enough in ending the government's inefficiency. They led another coup, deposed Altamirano, and established a new junta
with Emilio Bello
as head. Ibáñez and Grove, the powers behind the scene, agreed to ask Alessandri to return and complete his term.
, but the three main Chilean political parties (Conservative
, Liberal
, Radical
) pressured him to desist. The three parties then presented a consensus choice, Emiliano Figueroa
, to be the sole presidential candidate, in order to avoid political campaigning in the volatile political atmosphere.
Nevertheless, Ibáñez's closest adviser, leftist José Santos Salas, later declared his presidential candidacy, and many suspected it was with Ibáñez's backing. Figueroa triumphed with 71% of the vote, but kept Ibáñez as Interior Minister. Ibáñez was able to control the weak Figueroa who decided to resign in 1927 rather than be Ibáñez's puppet. Because he was Interior Minister, under the Chilean constitution, Ibáñez became Vice President and announced elections for May 22 that year. In the presidential elections, the traditional political parties decided not to participate. Ibáñez's only opponent was the communist Elías Lafertte, who was exiled in the Juan Fernández Archipelago
throughout the electoral campaign. Ibáñez won the election with 98% of the vote.
Ibáñez began to exercise dictator
ial powers, using rule by decree
(decretos con fuerza de ley), suspending parliamentary elections, instead naming politicians to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies himself, etc. Political opponents were arrested and exiled, including his former ally Marmaduque Grove
. His popularity, however, was helped by massive loans by American banks, which helped to promote a high rate of growth in the country. He constructed massive public works, and increased public spending. He also created the Carabineros de Chile
(police force) by unifying the previously disorganized police forces.Another significant archivement of Ibáñez's first administration was the signing of the 1929 Treaty of Lima, in which Chile
agreed to return the Tacna Province
to Peru
, which had been seized during the War of the Pacific
.
His popularity lasted until after the 1929 collapse of Wall Street
. At that point all loans were halted and called. Without the influx of foreign currency, Chile was heavily affected by the Great Depression
. Ibáñez's large public spending did nothing to alleviate the situation, and his opponents, primarily the exiled Grove and Alessandri, began to plan a comeback. After a great wave of public unrest, Ibáñez left the country for exile, on July 26, 1931, after delegating his office to the president of the senate, Pedro Opazo
, who in turn resigned in favor of the interior minister, Juan Esteban Montero
.
of Arturo Alessandri, whose economic policies managed to alleviate the depression. Ibáñez decided to return to Chile, backed by a number of Nazi and fascist groups. His supporters, mainly the Socialist Union (not to be confused with the Socialist Party) and the Nazi National Socialist Movement
, created the Popular Freedom Alliance
(Alianza Popular Libertadora) and presented Ibáñez's candidacy in the 1938 elections
. However, Chilean Nazis staged a coup against Alessandri before the elections. The government was able to defeat the rebels, who were arrested and executed. After this embarrassing incident, known as the Seguro Obrero massacre, Ibáñez decided to abandon the presidential campaign. Unwilling to support his arch-rival Alessandri's candidate, right-winger Gustavo Ross, Ibáñez declared his support for left-wing Pedro Aguirre, who won the election.
However, in 1939, extreme right-wing General Ariosto Herrera led a failed coup against Aguirre, the Ariostazo
. Herrera's purpose was to install Ibáñez as leader, but the latter denied any knowledge of the coup and was never charged with any crime. In 1942, the small National Ibáñista Movement (Movimiento Nacional Ibañista) declared Ibáñez their candidate for the presidency. Ibáñez quickly attracted the support of small Nazi and fascist parties. The turning point for his candidacy, however, came when, after some political infighting, the biggest right-wing parties, Conservative
and Liberal
, decided to support Ibáñez. In the elections
, Ibáñez won 44%, losing to left-winger Juan Antonio Ríos
, who had received the support of the anti-Ibáñez rightists led by Arturo Alessandri.
In 1944, Ibáñez was involved in yet another failed coup. Some Nazi soldiers and carabineros (police), with the support of Argentine president Juan Perón
, tried to depose President Ríos and install Ibáñez. However, the plot was uncovered before it could take place. None of the coup leader, including Ibáñez
, were arrested or tried.
During the government of Gabriel González Videla
, another group of army officers, this time with the support of some members of the Air Force, decided to stage a coup and declare Ibáñez president. President González was alerted of the plan and ordered an investigation. Ringleader Ramón Vergara, together with some other conspirations, were arrested. Ibáñez, however, was absolved of all blame. This failed coup attempt became known as the Pig trotters' plot (complot de las patitas de chancho) because the coup leaders gathered in a restaurant which specialized in this typical Chilean dish.
, the center-right Agrarian Labor Party
(Partido Agrario Laborista) declared Ibáñez presidential candidate. Ibáñez also garned the support of the left-wing Popular Socialist Party and some feminist political unions — the feminist María De la Cruz
was his campaign manager, but she then refused a ministerial office. Ibáñez promised to "sweep" out political corruption and bad government with his "broom" and was nicknamed the "General of Hope". He criticized traditional political parties but was vague in his proposals and had no clear position in the political spectrum. He won the election with 47%.
His second term was a very modest success. By that time he was already old and ailing, and he left government mostly to his cabinet. His major problems during his presidency were those concerned with the economy. He had no plan to control inflation - one of the most pressing economic problems at the time in Chile - and as a result it skyrocketed to 71% in 1954 and 83% in 1955. Helped by the Klein-Sacks mission, Ibáñez managed to reduce it to 33% when he left the presidency. During his term, public transport costs rose by 50% and economic growth fell to 2.5%
Now much more of a centrist politically, Ibáñez won the support of many left-wingers by repealing the Ley de Defensa de la Democracia (Law for the Defense of Democracy), which banned the Communist Party
.
Some Chileans continued to support an Ibáñez dictatorship. These ibañistas, most of whom were retired army officers, created the "Línea Recta" (Straight Line) group to establish a new dictatorship. Ibáñez met with these conspirators, but ultimately his typical lack of trust ended the plans for a self-coup
. A scandal rocked the Ibáñez administration when the press revealed Ibáñez's meetings with these conspirators.
, the son of his arch-enemy Arturo Alessandri. He abandoned politics and died in Santiago
in 1960. As a result of Ibañez's nebulous and vacillating political ideology, he left no intellectual legacy to Chilean politics. His long and often poorly defined presence of more than thirty years on the Chilean political scene (during which he often appeared to have little actual sympathy with the political goals of the groups that supported him at various times, e.g. he was too moderate to agree with the Nazis and too respectful of existing institutions to emulate Peronism successfully) produced its most significant results in the early years of his caretaker precidency in the 1920s through his efforts to development new towns in the regions to the south of the Central Valley and to improve existing infrastructure in the South.
The Región Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo is named after him, in honor of his attempts to integrate the isolated regions of Aisén and Magallanes into Chile
. The General Ibáñez Airport in Punta Arenas is also named after him.
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 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
The presidency of Arturo AlessandriArturo Alessandri
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
saw a rise in discontent over the inefficient government. In 1924, the Chilean armed forces, led by General Luis Altamirano
Luis Altamirano
Division General Luis Altamirano Talavera was a Chilean military officer, minister, Vice President of the Republic and finally President of the Government Junta of Chile between 1924 and 1925....
, began the saber-rattling
Saber noise
Saber-noise or saber-rattling may be used to refer to a historical incident in Chilean history that took place on September 3, 1924, when a group of young military officers protested against the political class and the postponement of social measures by rattling their sabers within their scabbards...
(ruido de sables), a protest where soldiers banged their sabers against the walls of Congress. Amid threats from the armed forces, Alessandri decided he could no longer govern and submitted his resignation. Although this resignation was not approved by Congress, Alessandri left the country and Altamirano established a military junta
Government Junta of Chile (1924)
Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to rule Chile following the military coup that overthrew President Arturo Alessandri...
.
However, another faction of the armed forces, led by Colonel Marmaduque Grove
Marmaduque Grove
Marmaduque Grove Vallejo was a Chilean Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932.-Early life:...
and Lieutenant Colonel Ibáñez, decided the junta's reforms did not go far enough in ending the government's inefficiency. They led another coup, deposed Altamirano, and established a new junta
Government Junta of Chile (1925)
Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to restore power to President Arturo Alessandri, after he had been deposed in 1924. On January 23, 1925, a military movement of young officers, wrestled power from the previous September Junta...
with Emilio Bello
Emilio Bello
Emilio Bello Codecido was a Chilean lawyer, diplomat and President of the Government Junta that ruled Chile in 1925.He was the son of Andrés Ricardo Bello, and grandson of Andres Bello. He did his early studies at the Colegio inglés, the Instituto Nacional and the Universidad de Chile, graduating...
as head. Ibáñez and Grove, the powers behind the scene, agreed to ask Alessandri to return and complete his term.
Minister of War and Interior
Alessandri returned in 1925 and drafted a new constitution which was designed to decrease the powers of the legislature, thereby making government more effective. Ibáñez was named Minister of War and later Interior Minister. However, Alessandri decided Ibáñez was becoming too ambitious, and many ridiculed Alessandri as a pawn of Ibáñez. In response, Alessandri resigned once more and went into exile. Ibáñez announced his candidacy in the upcoming presidential electionsChilean presidential election, 1925
A presidential election was held in Chile on October 24, 1925. It was the first direct election of a President in the country's history, as mandated by the 1925 Constitution, promulgated on September 18 of that year. Presidents were previously elected by a group of directly elected...
, but the three main Chilean political parties (Conservative
Conservative Party (Chile)
The Conservative Party of Chile was one of the principal Chilean political parties since its foundation in 1836 until 1949, when it broke apart. In 1953 it reformed as the United Conservative Party and in 1966 joined with the Liberal Party to form the National Party...
, Liberal
Liberal Party (Chile)
The Liberal Party of Chile was a Chilean political party created by a faction of pipiolos in 1849. After the conservative victory in the Chilean Civil War of 1829 the liberals became the principal opposition party to the Conservative Party...
, Radical
Radical Party (Chile)
The Radical Party of Chile was a Chilean political party. It was formed in 1863 by a split in the Liberal Party. Not coincidently, it was formed shortly after the organization of the Grand Lodge of Chile, and it has maintained a close relationship with Chilean Freemasonry throughout its life...
) pressured him to desist. The three parties then presented a consensus choice, Emiliano Figueroa
Emiliano Figueroa
Emiliano Figueroa Larraín was President of Chile from December 23, 1925 until his resignation on May 10, 1927. He also served as Acting president for a few months on 1910.-Biography:...
, to be the sole presidential candidate, in order to avoid political campaigning in the volatile political atmosphere.
Nevertheless, Ibáñez's closest adviser, leftist José Santos Salas, later declared his presidential candidacy, and many suspected it was with Ibáñez's backing. Figueroa triumphed with 71% of the vote, but kept Ibáñez as Interior Minister. Ibáñez was able to control the weak Figueroa who decided to resign in 1927 rather than be Ibáñez's puppet. Because he was Interior Minister, under the Chilean constitution, Ibáñez became Vice President and announced elections for May 22 that year. In the presidential elections, the traditional political parties decided not to participate. Ibáñez's only opponent was the communist Elías Lafertte, who was exiled in the Juan Fernández Archipelago
Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
throughout the electoral campaign. Ibáñez won the election with 98% of the vote.
First presidency
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
ial powers, using rule by decree
Rule by decree
Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group, and is used primarily by dictators and absolute monarchs, although philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben have argued that it has been generalized since World War I in all modern states,...
(decretos con fuerza de ley), suspending parliamentary elections, instead naming politicians to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies himself, etc. Political opponents were arrested and exiled, including his former ally Marmaduque Grove
Marmaduque Grove
Marmaduque Grove Vallejo was a Chilean Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932.-Early life:...
. His popularity, however, was helped by massive loans by American banks, which helped to promote a high rate of growth in the country. He constructed massive public works, and increased public spending. He also created the Carabineros de Chile
Carabineros de Chile
thumb|250px|Carabineros de Chile, patrolling a street in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]]The Carabiniers of Chile, are the uniformed Chilean national police force and gendarmerie, created on April 27, 1927. Their mission is to maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country...
(police force) by unifying the previously disorganized police forces.Another significant archivement of Ibáñez's first administration was the signing of the 1929 Treaty of Lima, in which Chile
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...
agreed to return the Tacna Province
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, which had been seized during the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
.
His popularity lasted until after the 1929 collapse of Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
. At that point all loans were halted and called. Without the influx of foreign currency, Chile was heavily affected by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Ibáñez's large public spending did nothing to alleviate the situation, and his opponents, primarily the exiled Grove and Alessandri, began to plan a comeback. After a great wave of public unrest, Ibáñez left the country for exile, on July 26, 1931, after delegating his office to the president of the senate, Pedro Opazo
Pedro Opazo
Pedro Opazo Letelier was a Chilean politician and provisional vice president of Chile in 1931.He was born in Talca, the son of Ursicino Opazo and Margarita Letelier. He completed his studies in his native city, and then attended the Universidad de Chile, where he became a physician...
, who in turn resigned in favor of the interior minister, Juan Esteban Montero
Juan Esteban Montero
Juan Esteban Montero Rodríguez was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as president of Chile between 1931 and 1932.-Early life:...
.
Between presidencies
Chile did not reach political stability until the 1932 reelectionChilean presidential election, 1932
The Chilean presidential election of 1932 was held on October 30 of that year between:* Former President Arturo Alessandri for the Liberal Party.* Former Head of State Marmaduque Grove for the Socialist Party....
of Arturo Alessandri, whose economic policies managed to alleviate the depression. Ibáñez decided to return to Chile, backed by a number of Nazi and fascist groups. His supporters, mainly the Socialist Union (not to be confused with the Socialist Party) and the Nazi National Socialist Movement
National Socialist Movement of Chile
Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile was a political movement in Chile, during the Presidential Republic Era, which initially supported the ideas of Adolf Hitler, although it later moved towards a more indigenous form of fascism....
, created the Popular Freedom Alliance
Popular Freedom Alliance
The Popular Freedom Alliance was a Chilean political party during the Presidential Republic Era, founded in 1938 for the coming presidential election....
(Alianza Popular Libertadora) and presented Ibáñez's candidacy in the 1938 elections
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:...
. However, Chilean Nazis staged a coup against Alessandri before the elections. The government was able to defeat the rebels, who were arrested and executed. After this embarrassing incident, known as the Seguro Obrero massacre, Ibáñez decided to abandon the presidential campaign. Unwilling to support his arch-rival Alessandri's candidate, right-winger Gustavo Ross, Ibáñez declared his support for left-wing Pedro Aguirre, who won the election.
However, in 1939, extreme right-wing General Ariosto Herrera led a failed coup against Aguirre, the Ariostazo
Ariostazo
Ariostazo was a brief revolt of the Tacna artillery regiment, led by General Ariosto Herrera, in what turned out to be a non-violent attempt against the government of Chilean President Pedro Aguirre Cerda.-Background:...
. Herrera's purpose was to install Ibáñez as leader, but the latter denied any knowledge of the coup and was never charged with any crime. In 1942, the small National Ibáñista Movement (Movimiento Nacional Ibañista) declared Ibáñez their candidate for the presidency. Ibáñez quickly attracted the support of small Nazi and fascist parties. The turning point for his candidacy, however, came when, after some political infighting, the biggest right-wing parties, Conservative
Conservative Party (Chile)
The Conservative Party of Chile was one of the principal Chilean political parties since its foundation in 1836 until 1949, when it broke apart. In 1953 it reformed as the United Conservative Party and in 1966 joined with the Liberal Party to form the National Party...
and Liberal
Liberal Party (Chile)
The Liberal Party of Chile was a Chilean political party created by a faction of pipiolos in 1849. After the conservative victory in the Chilean Civil War of 1829 the liberals became the principal opposition party to the Conservative Party...
, decided to support Ibáñez. In the elections
Chilean presidential election, 1942
A presidential election was held in Chile on February 2, 1942. Juan Antonio Ríos was a member of the conservative wing of the Radical Party and defeated General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, portraying himself as a conservative anti-fascist candidate...
, Ibáñez won 44%, losing to left-winger Juan Antonio Ríos
Juan Antonio Ríos
Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...
, who had received the support of the anti-Ibáñez rightists led by Arturo Alessandri.
In 1944, Ibáñez was involved in yet another failed coup. Some Nazi soldiers and carabineros (police), with the support of Argentine president Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
, tried to depose President Ríos and install Ibáñez. However, the plot was uncovered before it could take place. None of the coup leader, including Ibáñez
Ibáñez
Ibáñez is a common surname of Spanish origin. It is the equivalent of the English Evans. It may refer to:*Adolfo Ibáñez, a Chilean politician*Carlos Ibáñez del Campo , a Chilean military officer and President 1927-1931 and 1952-1958....
, were arrested or tried.
During the government of Gabriel González Videla
Gabriel González Videla
Gabriel González Videla was a Chilean politician. He was a deputy and senator in the Chilean Congress and was President of Chile from 1946 to 1952...
, another group of army officers, this time with the support of some members of the Air Force, decided to stage a coup and declare Ibáñez president. President González was alerted of the plan and ordered an investigation. Ringleader Ramón Vergara, together with some other conspirations, were arrested. Ibáñez, however, was absolved of all blame. This failed coup attempt became known as the Pig trotters' plot (complot de las patitas de chancho) because the coup leaders gathered in a restaurant which specialized in this typical Chilean dish.
Back to the Presidency
In the 1952 presidential electionsChilean presidential election, 1952
A presidential election was held in Chile on September 4, 1952. It was the first presidential election where women were allowed to vote, after gaining the right in 1949...
, the center-right Agrarian Labor Party
Agrarian Labor Party
The Agrarian Labor Party was a Chilean political party supporting the candidacy of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo for the 1952 presidential election. Formed in 1945, it was dissolved in 1958....
(Partido Agrario Laborista) declared Ibáñez presidential candidate. Ibáñez also garned the support of the left-wing Popular Socialist Party and some feminist political unions — the feminist María De la Cruz
María de la Cruz
María de la Cruz Toledo was a Chilean political activist for Women's suffrage, journalist, writer, and political commentator. In 1953 she became the first woman ever elected to the Chilean Senate.-Early life:...
was his campaign manager, but she then refused a ministerial office. Ibáñez promised to "sweep" out political corruption and bad government with his "broom" and was nicknamed the "General of Hope". He criticized traditional political parties but was vague in his proposals and had no clear position in the political spectrum. He won the election with 47%.
His second term was a very modest success. By that time he was already old and ailing, and he left government mostly to his cabinet. His major problems during his presidency were those concerned with the economy. He had no plan to control inflation - one of the most pressing economic problems at the time in Chile - and as a result it skyrocketed to 71% in 1954 and 83% in 1955. Helped by the Klein-Sacks mission, Ibáñez managed to reduce it to 33% when he left the presidency. During his term, public transport costs rose by 50% and economic growth fell to 2.5%
Now much more of a centrist politically, Ibáñez won the support of many left-wingers by repealing the Ley de Defensa de la Democracia (Law for the Defense of Democracy), which banned the Communist Party
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
.
Some Chileans continued to support an Ibáñez dictatorship. These ibañistas, most of whom were retired army officers, created the "Línea Recta" (Straight Line) group to establish a new dictatorship. Ibáñez met with these conspirators, but ultimately his typical lack of trust ended the plans for a self-coup
Self-coup
A self-coup or autocoup is a form of coup d'état that occurs when a country's leader, who has come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and assumes extraordinary powers not granted under normal circumstances. Other measures taken may include...
. A scandal rocked the Ibáñez administration when the press revealed Ibáñez's meetings with these conspirators.
Retirement and legacy
Ibáñez was succeeded by Jorge AlessandriJorge Alessandri
Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez was the 27th President of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970...
, the son of his arch-enemy Arturo Alessandri. He abandoned politics and died 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...
in 1960. As a result of Ibañez's nebulous and vacillating political ideology, he left no intellectual legacy to Chilean politics. His long and often poorly defined presence of more than thirty years on the Chilean political scene (during which he often appeared to have little actual sympathy with the political goals of the groups that supported him at various times, e.g. he was too moderate to agree with the Nazis and too respectful of existing institutions to emulate Peronism successfully) produced its most significant results in the early years of his caretaker precidency in the 1920s through his efforts to development new towns in the regions to the south of the Central Valley and to improve existing infrastructure in the South.
The Región Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo is named after him, in honor of his attempts to integrate the isolated regions of Aisén and Magallanes into Chile
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...
. The General Ibáñez Airport in Punta Arenas is also named after him.
See also
- Government Junta of Chile (1924)Government Junta of Chile (1924)Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to rule Chile following the military coup that overthrew President Arturo Alessandri...
- Government Junta of Chile (1925)Government Junta of Chile (1925)Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to restore power to President Arturo Alessandri, after he had been deposed in 1924. On January 23, 1925, a military movement of young officers, wrestled power from the previous September Junta...
- Presidential Republic Era
Sources
- San Francisco, Alejandro, and Ángel Soto, eds. Camino a La Moneda. Santiago: Centro De Estudios Bicentenario, 2005.
- Collier, Simon, and William F. Sater. A History of Chile, 1808-2002. 2nd ed. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Braun, Juan, and Matías Braun, Ignacio Briones, José Díaz, Rolf Lüders, Gert Wagner. Economía chilena 1810-1995: Estadísticas históricas. Santiago: Instituto de Economía de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2000.