Eduardo Frei Montalva
Eduardo Frei Montalva ( born January 16, 1911 in Santiago de Chile, † 22 January 1982 ) was a Chilean politician. From 1964 to 1970 he was president of his country. His son, Eduardo Frei Ruiz - Tagle, also became a Chilean president.
Life
Frei was the son of Edouard Free, one in Austria Feldkirch ( Vorarlberg State ) Swiss -born, and Victoria Montalva. His ancestors came from Nesslau, Canton of St. Gallen ( Switzerland ).
He studied at the Universidad Católica in Santiago de Chile Jura. During his student years, in 1934, he joined the Conservative Party and he joined the youth wing of the Conservative Party, the Movimiento Nacional de la Juventud conservadora ( German: National Movement of the conservative youth) who in 1936 renamed Falange Nacional, a christian- social and anti-fascist movement in Chile. After finishing his studies, he worked as a political journalist and was until 1937 chief editor of the daily El Tarapacá.
In 1938 he was a founder of the party Falange Nacional, as the Falange of the Conservative Party split off. In 1945 he became Minister of State for Public Works ( Obras Públicas ) in the left-wing government of Juan Antonio Ríos Morales. In 1949 he was elected to the Senate. In 1957 he participated in the founding of the Christian Democratic Party of Chile. In September 1964 Free won the presidential election.
His term of office until 1970 was marked by the deep divisions in Chile. Tried to free the overdue social reforms and modernization of the state and administration. He made an effort to improve the care of the poor and to land reform, but always kept the cohesion of the country and the maintenance of the democratic order in mind. This was in view of the radical demands of socialists and trade unions, which called for comprehensive expropriation and nationalization of the economy, not easy. So Freis government became increasingly caught in the crossfire and could make either side right: the left went his reform efforts do not go far enough, while the conservative forces - particularly the influential families, who owned a substantial part of the property and the Chilean large companies - in his redistribution efforts have already seen upheaval, chaos and communism. As Frei's term of office ended in 1970, was in the presidential election of the candidate of the united left, Salvador Allende, elected by relative majority.
Frei was Senator again and retained the presidency of the Christian Democrats. Even after the military coup supported by the Christian Democrats of Augusto Pinochet, who overthrew Allende Freis successor force in September 1973 remained free until 1977 and chairman justified the military dictatorship, for example, in November 1973 in a letter to Mariano Rumor, the chairman of the Christian Democratic World Union, in which he described the coup as necessary and reports on crimes committed by the military regime atrocities as "lies" and " gigantic campaign" of " world communism ".
Later, things changed for opponents of the dictatorship and was deposed as party chairman.
Death
Free died on January 22, 1982 under mysterious circumstances in a clinic in the capital, Santiago, where he was treated for a hernia operation. Although he had initially survived the procedure well, he died shortly after six further operations on the consequences of a rapidly worsening infection. From Freis family has been claimed that, traces of mustard gas and the highly toxic thallium were found in tissue samples that have been examined by experts from the Belgian Ghent University, which can accelerate infections. Unfortunately, there is still no confirmation of the Ghent University. In addition, three pathologists of the Hospital of the Catholic University of withdrawals of his organs, which then disappeared without a trace.
His son, Eduardo Frei Ruiz - Tagle ( born 1942 ) was elected as the successor to the Chilean President Patricio Aylwin. End of January 2007 he submitted, now the Office of the Senate President, private prosecution for murder one. Freis family suspects the former military secret police DINA of being behind the death of the former president.
Honors
After Eduardo Frei Montalva, a Chilean Antarctic research station was named; the large open station ( Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva ) is located on King George Iceland.