Miguel Enríquez
Encyclopedia
Miguel Enríquez Espinosa (miˈɣel enˈrikeθ (actually, 'enˈrikes' in Chilean Spanish pronunciation) espiˈnosa; March 27, 1944 - October 5, 1974) was a physician
and one founder of the Chile
an political party
and former left-wing guerrilla organization Movement of the Revolutionary Left
(MIR) (Spanish
Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria), founded 1965. He was General Secretary
of the MIR between 1967 and his death in 1974.
After the September 11, 1973 coup Enriquez led the political-military resistance of MIR against the newly established dictatorship
. Besides a small automatic weapons arsenal the MIR manufactured its own workshop-made assault weaponry at the "Talleres" (one of MIR's infrastructure details founded in 1969).
After a year of Enríquez operating in clandestinity, Army Intelligence DINA uncovered his safe-house in the working class
district of San Miguel in Santiago from where he organised the MIR. On October 5, 1974 his house was surrounded by DINA agents backed by heavily armed security forces personnel with an armored personnel carrier and a helicopter
. Enriquez resisted arrest by returning fire upon DINA agents and police. He was wounded in the beginning of the assault, remaining alone in the ensuing hours-lasting gun battle, thus covering the retreat of his pregnant wife (Carmen Cstillo, also wounded) and two other men that fled. He received ten bullet wounds, including one to the head.
His son, Marco Enríquez
, is a prominent politician in Chile and was a candidate for the presidential election of 2009
.
, Chile
into the upper middle class
family of Edgardo Enríquez Frödden
and Raquel Espinosa Townsend. His father Enríquez Frödden had been a prominent academic and political figure in Chile. He was a medical doctor and professor of anatomy
of the University of Concepción
, Chile, where he was principal (1969–1972). He had been a prominent figure in the Partido Radical (Radical Party) - in 1973 and he was appointed by Salvador Allende
to the position of Minister of Education in the Popular Unity
government. Dr. Edgardo Enríquez Frödden served also during 25 years as medical-surgeon of the Chilean Navy, as commander of the Hospital at the Navy Base in Talcahuano and with a one year-long specialization in the USA. His mother Espinosa Townsend graduated from the School of Law of the University of Concepción
, Chile. Miguel had also two uncles which were Senators at the Chilean Parliament, Humberto Enríquez Frödden (Miguel's second name) and Inés Enríquez Frödden.
Miguel did his first school years at Saint John's, an English private school in Concepción. He continued his secondary education at "Liceo Enrique Molina" where at the age of 13 and 15, respectively, he met Marcello Ferrada-Noli
and Bautista van Schouwen Vasey. With these friends and his elder brothers Marco Antonio and Edgardo Enríquez, Miguel would constitute at the end of the fifties the first core of comrades around his socialist-libertarian project of those early years. The same group would initiate a few years later the political nucleus at the youth section of the Socialist Party which under Miguel's university years evolved to the foundation of MIR.
Enríquez entered the University of Concepción
, Chile
at the age of 16 to study medicine
. At the age of 23 he graduated with a Medical Degree
, which he obtained with "greatest distinction" ("distinción máxima"), obtaining the second highest marks in his class (first and third were respectively Jorge Gutiérrez Correa and Bautista van Schouwen, also militants of MIR). This distinction earned Miguel at the same time a specialization scholarship to attend the prestigious Neurological Institute of Santiago de Chile. He specialized and was trained as a Neurologist
.
Enríquez was a great reader of both classical literature and political philosophy. Being also fluent in English he had a wider option of classical texts. Miguel fancied authors from Fiodor Dostoievski, Hermann Hesse
and Ernest Hemingway
to utopian socialists and classical anarchists. He was also a great debater, always citing works of world revolutionary history, well read in the literature of Lenin, Liev Trotski and Rosa Luxemburg
, he studied the Chinese revolution, he knew in great detail the events of the Cuban revolution
and had extensive knowledge of Chilean history
. He was a Carrerist
; an admirer of Manuel Rodríguez; critical of the historical role of Bernardo O'Higgins
and he enjoyed engaging in discussion with people who held views different from his.
In 1962, during his second year at the university in Concepción, Miguel officially entered the youth organization of the Chilean Socialist Party (Federación Juvenil Socialista, FJS) together with his brother M. Antonio and some close peers of the medical school. Enríquez' first political activities are conducted in the Spartacus cell ("núcleo Espartaco"), a cell organized in advance by his friend Marcello Ferrada-Noli who for that purpose had entered the Socialist Party a year before. The group became integrated by Miguel Enríquez and his brother Marco Antonio, his old-time friends Bautista van Schouwen Vasey and Marcello Ferrada-Noli
(cell's leader), Martin Hernández, and a new university peers Miguel had met at the University of Concepción (Jorge Gutiérrez Correa). All these young men - except Martin Hernández - left the Socialist Party together with Miguel Enríquez in January 1964 amid a stormy National Convention held in the southern city of Concepción.
Senator Raúl Ampuero - the national chairman of the party - had long been dealing with Enríquez's public criticism of a party strategy characterised as "reformist" and alien, according to Enríquez, to the working classes' interest. Chairman Ampuero, supported by a majority of the convention delegates, proceeded to marginalize Enríquez and his closest colleagues of the cell Spartacus from the Socialist Party, some of them in strategic leading positions inside the "Comité Regional de la Juventud Socialista". Miguel Enríquez was then 21 years old. In fact, Miguel had already organized (1963) a clandestine fraction called "Movimiento Socialista Revolucionario", or "MSR", integrated by a handful of his peers and his two elder brothers Marco Antonio and Edgardo Enríquez. Edgardo had had the task of developing the MSR fraction at the Socialist Party in Santiago.
After the events of February 1964 in Concepción, this entire group, together with other small forces mainly from Santiago de Chile, entered the short-lived political group called "VRM". During the VRM-period (1964–1965) some few new cadres - each of them with previous experiences in other political organizations - were recruited by Miguel's group. Among them Luciano Cruz Aguayo, Sergio Pérez Molina, Jorge Fuentes (nickname Trotsko), Edgardo Condeza, Juan Saavedra Gorriategy, Máximo Jara, and Horacio Vergara Mehrson. All of whom, together with old-timers Marcello Ferrada-Noli, Bautista Van Schowen Vasey, Jorge Gutiérrez Correa, and his brothers Edgardo and Marco A., formed Miguel Enríquez first VRM-group in Concepción, the embryo of MIR.
The foundation of MIR took place in August 1965, in a constituent assembly held at the Chilean Anarchist's facilities in Santiago and in which less than a hundred persons participated, mainly from Concepción and Santiago. Here Luciano Cruz participated also for the first time together with Enríquez as militants of the same political organization. The document "La conquista del poder por la vía insureccional" ("the conquest of power through insurrection") with the first political-military theses of MIR and which was elaborated by Miguel Enríquez ("Viriatto"), his brother Marco Antonio ("Bravo") and Marcello Ferrada-Noli
("Atacama") was approved by the foundation congress. Miguel was then elected a member of the new organization's Central Committee, however he became officially MIR's chairman only in 1967. In this post as political leader and military commander of MIR Miguel Enríquez remained until his death, in combat with Pinochet's forces in October 1974.
) government headed by Salvador Allende
between 1970 to 1973. Highly critical of the reformist role being played by the Communist Party of Chile
in the Popular Unity
government, the MIR became the object of considerable criticism and attacks by both the left and right of the political establishment. The MIR vehemently attacked the reluctance of the Popular Unity government to openly utilize force to seize private property and establish a communist regime.
As the U.P. coalition headed by Salvador Allende
lent more on a gradual transition to communism, pretending to abide by the Laws and Constitution and trusting that the "neutral political tradition" of the Chilean armed forces
would avoid a military intervention to restore Legal and Constitutional rights, the MIR called for an armed revolution. The MIR, organized, recruited and trained people in para-military camps, preparing them to lead the revolution.
Miguel Enriquez's plans for a revolution were interrupted by the September 11 Military Coup.
refused to accept political asylum in foreign embassies and rejected a condition of exile
outside their country – considering the act of fleeing for personal security a form of betrayal to their socialist cause. Instead, they insisted on leading their communist revolution.
One of the first and major undertakings of Army Intelligence
DINA was to exterminate by all means the leadership of the MIR. The MIR
became of particular concern to Pinochet because it had had no formal organization framework and relied on cells; much of its activities were unpredictable and irregular in nature; they had also managed to infiltrate the Chilean Armed Forces. The MIR became the object of Pinochet’s paranoia. As a result between 1973-1976 most of its young leaders like Miguel Enriquez and Bautista van Schouwen Vasey were killed. The rettig report
(Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation) emphasized the repression against the MIR.
After the coup d'état
by the armed forces against Allende's government on Tuesday 11 September 1973, Miguel was one of the main guerrilla leaders that remained after many fled the country. This proved to be a precarious existence and Miguel was killed in a gun fight with agents of the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) (National Intelligence Directorate) in the slum home were he was carrying out his clandestine operations. He is buried in the Cementerio General de Chile
in Santiago and the medicine faculty of the Superior Institute of Medicine of La Habana, Cuba, has been named in his honor.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and one founder of the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
and former left-wing guerrilla organization Movement of the Revolutionary Left
Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile)
Revolutionary Left Movement is a Chilean political party and former left-wing guerrilla organization founded on October 12, 1965...
(MIR) (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria), founded 1965. He was General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the MIR between 1967 and his death in 1974.
After the September 11, 1973 coup Enriquez led the political-military resistance of MIR against the newly established dictatorship
Chile under Pinochet
Chile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
. Besides a small automatic weapons arsenal the MIR manufactured its own workshop-made assault weaponry at the "Talleres" (one of MIR's infrastructure details founded in 1969).
After a year of Enríquez operating in clandestinity, Army Intelligence DINA uncovered his safe-house in the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
district of San Miguel in Santiago from where he organised the MIR. On October 5, 1974 his house was surrounded by DINA agents backed by heavily armed security forces personnel with an armored personnel carrier and a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
. Enriquez resisted arrest by returning fire upon DINA agents and police. He was wounded in the beginning of the assault, remaining alone in the ensuing hours-lasting gun battle, thus covering the retreat of his pregnant wife (Carmen Cstillo, also wounded) and two other men that fled. He received ten bullet wounds, including one to the head.
His son, Marco Enríquez
Marco Enríquez-Ominami
Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...
, is a prominent politician in Chile and was a candidate for the presidential election of 2009
Chilean presidential election, 2009
The Chilean presidential election of 2009 was held on Sunday December 13, 2009. Based on the two-round system, since none of the candidates secured the absolute majority needed to take the presidency outright, a run-off between the two most-voted candidates —center-right Sebastián Piñera and...
.
Biography
Miguel Humberto Enríquez Espinosa was born in ConcepciónConcepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
into the upper middle class
Upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
family of Edgardo Enríquez Frödden
Edgardo Enríquez
Edgardo Enríquez Frödden was a Chilean physician, academic and minister of education under the Salvador Allende government.- Family and careers :...
and Raquel Espinosa Townsend. His father Enríquez Frödden had been a prominent academic and political figure in Chile. He was a medical doctor and professor of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
of the University of Concepción
Universidad de Concepción
The University of Concepción , also known for its acronym UdeC, is one of the most prestigious universities in Chile. It is the third oldest university in the country, and it is part of the Council of Rectors. It was the first University founded in the South of Chile, and the first to become a...
, Chile, where he was principal (1969–1972). He had been a prominent figure in the Partido Radical (Radical Party) - in 1973 and he was appointed by Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
to the position of Minister of Education in the Popular Unity
Popular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
government. Dr. Edgardo Enríquez Frödden served also during 25 years as medical-surgeon of the Chilean Navy, as commander of the Hospital at the Navy Base in Talcahuano and with a one year-long specialization in the USA. His mother Espinosa Townsend graduated from the School of Law of the University of Concepción
Universidad de Concepción
The University of Concepción , also known for its acronym UdeC, is one of the most prestigious universities in Chile. It is the third oldest university in the country, and it is part of the Council of Rectors. It was the first University founded in the South of Chile, and the first to become a...
, Chile. Miguel had also two uncles which were Senators at the Chilean Parliament, Humberto Enríquez Frödden (Miguel's second name) and Inés Enríquez Frödden.
Miguel did his first school years at Saint John's, an English private school in Concepción. He continued his secondary education at "Liceo Enrique Molina" where at the age of 13 and 15, respectively, he met Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Vittorio Ferrada-Noli is a Swedish medicine doktor andProfessor Emeritus of Public Health Sciences / Epidemiology. He was formerly Professor in Epidemiology and in International Health at the University of Gävle, and Head of the at the Karolinska Institutet.He earned his PhD in Psychiatry...
and Bautista van Schouwen Vasey. With these friends and his elder brothers Marco Antonio and Edgardo Enríquez, Miguel would constitute at the end of the fifties the first core of comrades around his socialist-libertarian project of those early years. The same group would initiate a few years later the political nucleus at the youth section of the Socialist Party which under Miguel's university years evolved to the foundation of MIR.
Enríquez entered the University of Concepción
Universidad de Concepción
The University of Concepción , also known for its acronym UdeC, is one of the most prestigious universities in Chile. It is the third oldest university in the country, and it is part of the Council of Rectors. It was the first University founded in the South of Chile, and the first to become a...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
at the age of 16 to study medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. At the age of 23 he graduated with a Medical Degree
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, which he obtained with "greatest distinction" ("distinción máxima"), obtaining the second highest marks in his class (first and third were respectively Jorge Gutiérrez Correa and Bautista van Schouwen, also militants of MIR). This distinction earned Miguel at the same time a specialization scholarship to attend the prestigious Neurological Institute of Santiago de Chile. He specialized and was trained as a Neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
.
Enríquez was a great reader of both classical literature and political philosophy. Being also fluent in English he had a wider option of classical texts. Miguel fancied authors from Fiodor Dostoievski, Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
and Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
to utopian socialists and classical anarchists. He was also a great debater, always citing works of world revolutionary history, well read in the literature of Lenin, Liev Trotski and Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
, he studied the Chinese revolution, he knew in great detail the events of the Cuban revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
and had extensive knowledge of Chilean history
History of Chile
The territory of Chile has been populated since at least 2,000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain...
. He was a Carrerist
José Miguel Carrera
José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most important leader of the Chilean War of Independence during the period of the Patria Vieja...
; an admirer of Manuel Rodríguez; critical of the historical role of Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...
and he enjoyed engaging in discussion with people who held views different from his.
In 1962, during his second year at the university in Concepción, Miguel officially entered the youth organization of the Chilean Socialist Party (Federación Juvenil Socialista, FJS) together with his brother M. Antonio and some close peers of the medical school. Enríquez' first political activities are conducted in the Spartacus cell ("núcleo Espartaco"), a cell organized in advance by his friend Marcello Ferrada-Noli who for that purpose had entered the Socialist Party a year before. The group became integrated by Miguel Enríquez and his brother Marco Antonio, his old-time friends Bautista van Schouwen Vasey and Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Vittorio Ferrada-Noli is a Swedish medicine doktor andProfessor Emeritus of Public Health Sciences / Epidemiology. He was formerly Professor in Epidemiology and in International Health at the University of Gävle, and Head of the at the Karolinska Institutet.He earned his PhD in Psychiatry...
(cell's leader), Martin Hernández, and a new university peers Miguel had met at the University of Concepción (Jorge Gutiérrez Correa). All these young men - except Martin Hernández - left the Socialist Party together with Miguel Enríquez in January 1964 amid a stormy National Convention held in the southern city of Concepción.
Senator Raúl Ampuero - the national chairman of the party - had long been dealing with Enríquez's public criticism of a party strategy characterised as "reformist" and alien, according to Enríquez, to the working classes' interest. Chairman Ampuero, supported by a majority of the convention delegates, proceeded to marginalize Enríquez and his closest colleagues of the cell Spartacus from the Socialist Party, some of them in strategic leading positions inside the "Comité Regional de la Juventud Socialista". Miguel Enríquez was then 21 years old. In fact, Miguel had already organized (1963) a clandestine fraction called "Movimiento Socialista Revolucionario", or "MSR", integrated by a handful of his peers and his two elder brothers Marco Antonio and Edgardo Enríquez. Edgardo had had the task of developing the MSR fraction at the Socialist Party in Santiago.
After the events of February 1964 in Concepción, this entire group, together with other small forces mainly from Santiago de Chile, entered the short-lived political group called "VRM". During the VRM-period (1964–1965) some few new cadres - each of them with previous experiences in other political organizations - were recruited by Miguel's group. Among them Luciano Cruz Aguayo, Sergio Pérez Molina, Jorge Fuentes (nickname Trotsko), Edgardo Condeza, Juan Saavedra Gorriategy, Máximo Jara, and Horacio Vergara Mehrson. All of whom, together with old-timers Marcello Ferrada-Noli, Bautista Van Schowen Vasey, Jorge Gutiérrez Correa, and his brothers Edgardo and Marco A., formed Miguel Enríquez first VRM-group in Concepción, the embryo of MIR.
The foundation of MIR took place in August 1965, in a constituent assembly held at the Chilean Anarchist's facilities in Santiago and in which less than a hundred persons participated, mainly from Concepción and Santiago. Here Luciano Cruz participated also for the first time together with Enríquez as militants of the same political organization. The document "La conquista del poder por la vía insureccional" ("the conquest of power through insurrection") with the first political-military theses of MIR and which was elaborated by Miguel Enríquez ("Viriatto"), his brother Marco Antonio ("Bravo") and Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Ferrada-Noli
Marcello Vittorio Ferrada-Noli is a Swedish medicine doktor andProfessor Emeritus of Public Health Sciences / Epidemiology. He was formerly Professor in Epidemiology and in International Health at the University of Gävle, and Head of the at the Karolinska Institutet.He earned his PhD in Psychiatry...
("Atacama") was approved by the foundation congress. Miguel was then elected a member of the new organization's Central Committee, however he became officially MIR's chairman only in 1967. In this post as political leader and military commander of MIR Miguel Enríquez remained until his death, in combat with Pinochet's forces in October 1974.
Criticism of the Popular Unity government
Under his leadership the MIR provided only critical support to the Unidad Popular (UP) (Popular UnityPopular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
) government headed by Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
between 1970 to 1973. Highly critical of the reformist role being played by the Communist Party of Chile
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
in the Popular Unity
Popular Unity
Unidad Popular was a coalition of left wing, socialist and communist political parties in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election....
government, the MIR became the object of considerable criticism and attacks by both the left and right of the political establishment. The MIR vehemently attacked the reluctance of the Popular Unity government to openly utilize force to seize private property and establish a communist regime.
As the U.P. coalition headed by Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
lent more on a gradual transition to communism, pretending to abide by the Laws and Constitution and trusting that the "neutral political tradition" of the Chilean armed forces
Military of Chile
Chile's armed forces are subject to civilian control exercised by the president through the Minister of Defense. Military service of 12 to 24 months is mandatory for all male citizens upon turning 18. This conscription service can be postponed for educational or religious reasons...
would avoid a military intervention to restore Legal and Constitutional rights, the MIR called for an armed revolution. The MIR, organized, recruited and trained people in para-military camps, preparing them to lead the revolution.
Miguel Enriquez's plans for a revolution were interrupted by the September 11 Military Coup.
September 11, 1973 Military Coup
After the September 11, 1973 coup Miguel Enríquez and other members of the MIRRevolutionary Left Movement (Chile)
Revolutionary Left Movement is a Chilean political party and former left-wing guerrilla organization founded on October 12, 1965...
refused to accept political asylum in foreign embassies and rejected a condition of exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
outside their country – considering the act of fleeing for personal security a form of betrayal to their socialist cause. Instead, they insisted on leading their communist revolution.
One of the first and major undertakings of Army Intelligence
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
DINA was to exterminate by all means the leadership of the MIR. The MIR
Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile)
Revolutionary Left Movement is a Chilean political party and former left-wing guerrilla organization founded on October 12, 1965...
became of particular concern to Pinochet because it had had no formal organization framework and relied on cells; much of its activities were unpredictable and irregular in nature; they had also managed to infiltrate the Chilean Armed Forces. The MIR became the object of Pinochet’s paranoia. As a result between 1973-1976 most of its young leaders like Miguel Enriquez and Bautista van Schouwen Vasey were killed. The rettig report
Rettig Report
The Rettig Report, officially The National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation Report, is a 1991 report by a commission designated by then President Patricio Aylwin encompassing human rights abuses resulting in death or disappearance that occurred in Chile during the years of military rule...
(Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation) emphasized the repression against the MIR.
After the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by the armed forces against Allende's government on Tuesday 11 September 1973, Miguel was one of the main guerrilla leaders that remained after many fled the country. This proved to be a precarious existence and Miguel was killed in a gun fight with agents of the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) (National Intelligence Directorate) in the slum home were he was carrying out his clandestine operations. He is buried in the Cementerio General de Chile
Cementerio General de Chile
The Cementerio General de Santiago, Chile is one of the largest cemeteries in Latin America with an estimated 2 million burials.The cemetery was established in 1820 after Chile's independence when Bernardo O'Higgins inaugurated the Alameda de las Delicias along the old course of the Mapocho River...
in Santiago and the medicine faculty of the Superior Institute of Medicine of La Habana, Cuba, has been named in his honor.
Miguel Enríquez Quotes
See also
- Criticisms of Salvador AllendeCriticisms of Salvador AllendeSalvador Allende, President of Chile, has inspired a variety of perceptions regarding his policies, personality and performance as a head of state. Around the world, journalists, polling organizations and others have documented the expression of an evolving array of opinions about him. More than...
- Andrés Pascal AllendeAndrés Pascal AllendeAndrés Pascal Allende is a Chilean Marxist revolutionary and nephew of former President Salvador Allende. He is of Basque and Belgian descent.He was born in Santiago, the son of Gastón Pascal Lyon and of Laura Allende Gossens...
- History of ChileHistory of ChileThe territory of Chile has been populated since at least 2,000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain...
- A 2007 film by Carmen Castillo, Enríquez' companion who survived his assassination.