Tomás Hirsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomás Hirsch
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| Born | 19 July 1956 |
Tomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt (born 19 July 1956) is a Chilean politician and businessman. He is known for his work with left-leaning political ideas. In 2005, he ran for president of Chile as the candidate for the Together We Can Do More group. He received 5.4% of the votes in that election.
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Tomás Hirsch's Early Life
Tomás Hirsch was born in Santiago, Chile. His parents were from Germany and had a Jewish background. His mother, Lysa Goldschmidt, came to Chile before World War II. His father, Jorge Hirsch, came to Chile to escape difficult times in Germany during that war.
When he was young, Tomás became interested in the ideas of Silo. Silo was an Argentinian writer and leader. His ideas helped inspire the people who started the Humanist Party.
In 1974, Tomás Hirsch started studying Industrial Civil Engineering at the University of Chile. He left his studies in 1978. After that, he began working at his brother's photography company.
Tomás Hirsch is married to Juanita Vergara. They have two children.
His Work in Politics
In 1983, Tomás Hirsch helped create the Humanist Party. This was the first political party to be officially allowed (legalized) in 1987 under the government of Augusto Pinochet. Tomás was the president of this party from 1994 to 1999.
He also helped start the Coalition of Parties for Democracy (CPD). From 1990 to 1992, he served as Chile's ambassador to New Zealand. This was during the democratic government of Patricio Aylwin. In January 1993, the Humanist Party decided to leave the CPD.
Tomás Hirsch ran for a seat in the lower house of Congress in 1997, but he did not win. He also ran for President in 1999, representing the Humanist Party, but was not successful.
Standing Up for Justice
Tomás Hirsch was an important voice for people who were affected by the Pinochet regime. When Pinochet was under house arrest in London, Tomás often spoke on international news. He called for Pinochet to face trial for his actions.
He did not agree with the government of Ricardo Lagos when they pushed for Pinochet to be released. Tomás believed Pinochet would not face a fair trial in Chile. He also often criticized the direction the Coalition of Parties for Democracy was taking. He felt that the election of socialist president Michelle Bachelet would not bring much change for most Chileans.
Ideas for a Better Society
Tomás Hirsch believes in making big changes to Chilean society. His party wants to change the economy to create a more egalitarian (meaning everyone has equal rights and opportunities), truly socialistic, and democratic society for all Chileans.
He also supports the rights of the native people of Chile, the Mapuches. Some of his ideas are similar to those of the Communist Party of Chile. His party and the Communist Party formed an election group called Juntos Podemos Más (which means "Together we can do more") for the 2005 presidential elections.
Tomás Hirsch has been arrested a few times by the Chilean police. This happened when he took part in demonstrations to support political causes.
See also
In Spanish: Tomás Hirsch para niños
