Carlos Ibáñez del Campo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
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| 19th and 25th President of Chile | |
| In office July 21, 1927 – July 26, 1931 |
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| Preceded by | Emiliano Figueroa Larraín |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Opazo Letelier |
| In office November 3, 1952 – November 3, 1958 |
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| Preceded by | Gabriel González Videla |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez |
| Vice President of Chile | |
| In office May 10, 1927 – July 21, 1927 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | November 3, 1877 Linares, Chile |
| Died | April 28, 1960 (aged 82) Santiago, Chile |
| Resting place | Cementerio General de Santiago Santiago, Chile |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouses | Rosa Quiroz de Ávila Graciela Letelier Velasco |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Chile |
| Branch/service |  Chilean Army |
| Years of service | 1898-1924 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (born November 3, 1877 – died April 28, 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and an important political leader. He served as the President of Chile two times. His first term was from 1927 to 1931. Later, he was president again from 1952 to 1958. In total, he was in office for 11 years.
Contents
Early Political Life
How Ibáñez Became Involved in Politics
During President Arturo Alessandri's time, many people were unhappy with how the government was working. In 1924, the Chilean army, led by General Luis Altamirano, showed their unhappiness. They made a loud protest by banging their swords on the floor of the Congress. This protest was called the saber-rattling (ruido de sables).
Because of these threats, President Alessandri felt he could no longer lead. He tried to resign and left the country. General Altamirano then set up a military government.
However, another group in the army, led by Colonel Marmaduke Grove and Lieutenant Colonel Ibáñez, thought Altamirano's changes were not enough. They led another takeover, removed Altamirano, and formed a new government. This new group was led by Emilio Bello Codesido. Ibáñez and Grove were the real leaders behind the scenes. They decided to ask President Alessandri to come back and finish his term.
Serving as a Government Minister
President Alessandri returned in 1925. He created a new constitution to make the government work better. This new plan aimed to reduce the power of the lawmakers. Ibáñez was first made Minister of War. Later, he became the Home Affairs Minister.
However, Alessandri soon felt that Ibáñez was becoming too powerful and ambitious. Many people thought Alessandri was just a puppet controlled by Ibáñez. Because of this, Alessandri resigned again and left Chile.
Ibáñez then announced he would run for president. But the three main political parties in Chile did not want him to run. They chose one candidate, Emiliano Figueroa Larraín, to avoid a difficult election. Even so, Ibáñez's close friend, José Santos Salas, ran for president. Many believed Ibáñez secretly supported him.
Figueroa won the election with 71% of the votes. He decided to keep Ibáñez as his Home Affairs Minister. Ibáñez was very influential over Figueroa, who was a weak leader. In 1927, Figueroa decided to resign rather than be controlled by Ibáñez.
Because Ibáñez was the Home Affairs Minister, he became Vice President. He then announced new elections for May 22 of that year. The main political parties decided not to take part in these elections. Ibáñez's only opponent was Elías Lafertte, a communist. Lafertte was exiled to the Juan Fernández Islands during the election. Ibáñez won the election with 98% of the votes.
First Time as President (1927-1931)
How Ibáñez Led Chile
When Ibáñez became president, he started to use strong powers. He made laws by himself without Congress. He also chose who would be in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, instead of having elections. Political opponents were arrested or sent out of the country. This included his former friend, Marmaduke Grove.
His popularity grew because Chile received many loans from American banks. These loans helped the country's economy grow quickly. He built many public projects, like roads and buildings. He also spent more money on public services.
One of his important achievements was creating the Carabineros de Chile. This was a new national police force. It brought together all the different police groups that existed before.
Important Achievements and Challenges
Another big success during Ibáñez's first term was signing the Treaty of Lima in 1929. In this treaty, Chile agreed to give back the Tacna Province to Peru. Chile had taken this land during the War of the Pacific.
However, Ibáñez's popularity did not last. In 1929, the stock market crashed in Wall Street in the United States. This event led to the Great Depression around the world. All the loans to Chile stopped, and the country was hit very hard. Ibáñez's large spending did not help the situation.
His opponents, especially the exiled Grove and Alessandri, started planning their return. After many public protests, Ibáñez left Chile for exile on July 26, 1931. He gave his power to the president of the Senate, Pedro Opazo. Opazo then resigned, giving power to the interior minister, Juan Esteban Montero.
Between Presidencies
Chile did not become politically stable until Arturo Alessandri was re-elected in 1932. Alessandri's economic plans helped Chile recover from the depression. Ibáñez ran for president again in 1942, but he lost to Juan Antonio Rios.
Second Time as President (1952-1958)
The "General of Hope" Returns
In the 1952 presidential elections, the center-right Agrarian Labor Party chose Ibáñez as their candidate. He also got support from the left-wing Popular Socialist Party and some women's political groups. A feminist leader named María de la Cruz managed his election campaign.
Ibáñez promised to "sweep out" corruption and bad government. He used a "broom" as his symbol and was called the "General of Hope." He criticized the old political parties. However, his plans were not very clear, and he did not fit neatly into any political group. He won the election with 47% of the votes.
Challenges and Changes in His Second Term
His second term as president was not a huge success. By this time, he was older and not very healthy. He often left the government's work to his cabinet members. The biggest problems during his presidency were about the economy.
He did not have a clear plan to control inflation, which is when prices go up very quickly. Inflation in Chile went up to 71% in 1954 and 83% in 1955. With help from a group called the Klein-Sacks mission, Ibáñez managed to lower inflation to 33% by the end of his term. During his time, public transport costs went up by 50%, and economic growth slowed down.
Ibáñez became more moderate in his politics. He gained support from many left-wing groups by ending the Law for the Defense of Democracy. This law had banned the Communist Party.
Some Chileans still wanted Ibáñez to be a dictator. These supporters, mostly retired army officers, formed a group called "Línea Recta" (Straight Line). They wanted to set up a new dictatorship. Ibáñez met with these people, but he eventually decided not to go through with their plans. A scandal happened when the news reported Ibáñez's meetings with these plotters.
Retirement and Lasting Impact
Ibáñez was followed by Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez as president. Jorge was the son of Ibáñez's old rival, Arturo Alessandri. After leaving office, Ibáñez stopped being involved in politics. He died in Santiago in 1960.
Carlos Ibáñez's political ideas were often unclear. He did not leave a strong set of beliefs for Chilean politics. He was involved in Chilean politics for over thirty years. His most important achievements happened in the early years of his first presidency in the 1920s. He worked to create new towns in the southern regions of Chile. He also improved the existing roads and buildings in the South.
The Región Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo is named after him. This is to honor his efforts to connect the isolated regions of Aysén and Magallanes with the rest of Chile. The General Ibáñez Airport in Punta Arenas is also named after him.
Images for kids
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Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's signature
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Ibáñez del Campo para niños
