The Chilean coup d'état of 1925 took place on January 23, 1925, when the Chilean military overthrew the

September Junta Government Junta of Chile (September 11, 1924 - January 23, 1925), (also known as the ''September Junta'') was the political structure established to rule Chile following the anti-conservative military coup that assumed power after first interferin ...

. Led by Colonel Marmaduque Grove, the troops arrested the Junta's President, General

Luis Altamirano Luis Altamirano Talavera (July 5, 1867 – July 25, 1938) was a Chilean military officer, minister, Vice President of the Republic and finally president of the Government Junta of Chile between 1924 and 1925. He was born in Concepción on th ...

, and then handed the power to General

Pedro Dartnell Division General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina (December 24, 1873 – September 26, 1944) was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta of Chile in 1925. Early life Dartnell was born in the city of Linares in 1873, the s ...

as interim President. The organizers of the coup hoped to recall former president

Arturo Alessandri Palma Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to ...

, who had been forced into exile after the September Junta's coming to power. However, General Dartnell ultimately refused to rule alone and formed the January Junta a few days later, handing power to Emilio Bello Codesido. Alessandri only returned from exile on March 20, 1925, putting an end to the junta.

Situation before the coup

After the initially progressive

had been a few months in power, the "military committee", led by Colonel Marmaduque Grove and Lieutenant Colonel

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (; 3 November 1877 – 28 April 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office. ...

, started to suspect that a Conservative restoration was under way. The fears seemed confirmed when Ladislao Errázuriz, head of the '' Unión Nacional'' conservative alliance suddenly presented his candidacy to the upcoming presidential elections. At that point, the ''September Junta'' lost the confidence of those that had elevated them to power, chiefly among them the ''Military Union''. Young military officers began to plot with the supporters of

's return, in particular the Comité Obrero Nacional (National Workers' Committee).

Military coup d'état

On January 23, 1925, at about 5 PM, army troops surrounded the

La Moneda Palace Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), 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 Secreta ...

. The troops were composed of the "Pudeto" and "Cazadores" Army Regiments and a squadron of

Carabineros The was an armed carabiniers force of Spain under both the monarchy and the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic. The formal mission of this paramilitary gendarmerie was to patrol the coasts and borders of the country, operating against ...

, all under the command of Colonel Marmaduque Grove. Once the area was secured, the troops entered the Palace, and arrested the President, General

, and the rest of the ''September Junta'' members. Neither the Palace guard nor the government officials presented any resistance, so there were no casualties. Following this new coup d'état, the power was handed to General Pedro Pablo Dartnell, who refused to rule alone and in turn gave way to the January Junta a few days later. The new junta declared that the leaders of the previous junta had "perverted" the intent of the September 11 Manifesto, qualifying them as "traitors" and stating that "oligarchs erenot the owners of Chile."Luis Vitale, 2000, p.37 One of the first act of the new junta was to arrest Errázuriz, while the popular classes supported the new junta at the condition of Alessandri's return to power.Luis Vitale, 2000, p.38 They requested the creation of a

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

, while the trade unions threatened to initiate a general strike. Finally, the '' Federación Obrera de Chile'' (FOCH, Labour Federation of Chile) gave their support to the "young officials" who had made promises of implementing social measures.

References

Sources

*
Intervenciones militares y poder factico en la politica chilena (de 1830 al 2000)
', Luis Vitale, 2000 (p. 36)

Situation before the coup

Military coup d'état

References

Sources

See also