Augusto PinochetYear 11 Modern HistoryNick NaglPinochetAugusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte was the Chilean dictator who ruled the country for seventeen years, what most consider a period of terror, between 1973 and 1990. For example, the New York Times headline “Augusto Pinochet, Dictator Who Ruled Chile Through Terror, Dies at 91” clearly suggests that he was indeed a traditional dictator. However, an article published by the BBC which included an interview with a Chilean woman said: "I don't think the dictatorship was that bad." The dictatorship of General Pinochet was indeed harshly described by American newspapers; However, there is indeed another side of history in Chile, which clearly expresses another view as to whether or not Augusto Pinochet was a benevolent or traditional dictator. Augusto Pinochet began his military career in 1935 when he joined the Chilean army and the following year graduated from the Santiago Military College. He began his career in the military where he became a highly decorated and highly trained military officer, rising the following year to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army. Pinochet seized power on September 11, 1973, in a bloody military coup that toppled the Marxist government of Salvador Allende. First, General Pinochet led a four-man junta in the 1973 military coup that brought him to power, with the help of the U.S. government. The year after the junta took control of Chile, Pinochet rose to the position of president of Chile, while the rest of his junta's roles were demoted to an advisory one. He then appointed military officers as mayors of cities and... middle of article ...... part of Chile had mixed opinions about General Pinochet, with main source Karen expressing her views on the dictatorship and what it did for the country. There are, however, some crucial elements that cannot be ignored, such as killings, mass arrests and torture, and exile. These things simply cannot be left behind. Although the media always puts a dark side to any story, Augusto Pinochet's legacy may not be far from the truth, with many sources suggesting that he was a traditional dictator. And it was not a president who saved Chile from communism; he established a dictatorship that could not be challenged, murdered, tortured and imprisoned without trial, for the sole reason of having different political opinions, which is why General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte is not a benevolent dictator..