The Ariostazo ( es, El Ariostazo) occurred on August 25, 1939, and 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

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an President

Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Abelino Aguirre Cerda (; February 6, 1879 – November 25, 1941) was a Chilean political figure, educator, and lawyer who served as the 22nd president of Chile from 1938 until his death in 1941. A member of the Radical Party since 1906, ...

Background

Pedro Aguirre Cerda was elected and assumed as president on December 25, 1938, as the candidate of the

Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

. He had narrowly defeated conservative candidate Gustavo Ross in the presidential elections of 1938. General Ariosto Herrera, the commander of the Army Division stationed in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, was a supporter of former president

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. ...

and very much influenced by the fascist ideas he had absorbed while a military attaché in Italy during the 1930s.''Revista Ercilla''. 26 August 1939. Page 6 He was also very much opposed to the Popular Front. On May 21, 1939, as General Herrera was arriving to the Presidential Palace 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.Alessandri, Arturo. ''Recuerdos de gobierno.'' Tomo 3. Editorial Nascimento. Santiago 1967. Page 18 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.Alvarez, Rolando; Cruces Ma. Angelica; Lopez, Eduardo; Perez, David; Santibañez, Filomena; Villalobos, Daisi; Vergara, Veronica, ed. ''De Ariosto Herrera al General Viaux: un estudio de los complots militares en Chile, 1939-1969.'' Universidad Catolica Blas Cañas. Santiago 1995.

Events

On August 25, 1939, General Herrera together with General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo arrived to the Tacna Regiment in Santiago, with the intention of insurrecting it and forcing the resignation of President Aguirre Cerda.Montero, Rene. ''Confesiones Politicas.'' Editorial Zig-Zag. Santiago 1959. Page 105 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.Joxe, Allain. ''Las fuerzas armadas en el sistema politico de Chile.'' Editorial Universitaria. Santiago 1970. Page 78 Due to these events 36 officers that were participants in the plot were subsequently purged from the army.

Footnotes and references

{{Reflist August 1939 events Conflicts in 1939 Presidential Republic (1925–1973) Attempted coups in Chile 1939 in Chile 1930s coups d'état and coup attempts

Background

Events

See also

Footnotes and references