Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Encyclopedia
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chile
an political figure. A member of the Radical Party
, he was chosen as the Popular Front
's candidate for the 1938 presidential election
, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941. Pedro Aguirre Cerda was of Basque
descent.
, in Chile. The seventh of a total of eleven children of Juan Bautista Aguirre and Clarisa Cerda. His father, a farmer, died when he was eight years old in 1887. His mother had to run the farm and raise him and all his brothers alone.
He finished his university studies in Santiago, at the Pedagogic Institute and became a teacher of Spanish in 1900. In 1904 he became a lawyer. He married his cousin Juana Rosa Aguirre Luco
, with whom he had no children. In 1910, thanks to a government scholarship he studied administrative and financial law at La Sorbonne, plus political economy and social legislation at the College de France. He returned to Chile in 1914 and took a position as a teacher at the National Institute. He also became president of the National Society of Teachers.
He was a very distinguished teacher, attorney, deputy and senator. He was also the first dean of the new school of economy of the Universidad de Chile. As a member of the Radical Party
, he was minister of Public Instruction and of the Interior during the administrations of Juan Luis Sanfuentes
and Arturo Alessandri
. During the period of military domination, he was persecuted and became an active opposition leader to the government of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
.
For the presidential elections of 1938
, he was the candidate of the Popular Front
, and narrowly defeated conservative candidate Gustavo Ross, mostly because of the political backlash caused by the Seguro Obrero Massacre.
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was elected and assumed as president on December 25, 1938 under the slogan "Gobernar es educar" (to govern is to educate.) As a teacher, his priority in government was education. As such, he promoted the development of the technical-industrial schools as a means to promote the formation of technicians for the nascent industrialization of the country. He also created thousands of new regular schools and encouraged the growth of the university system to cover the whole of the country. Cerda’s government also redistributed some land, encouraged the formation of agricultural settlements, built low-cost housing and schools, and integrated the Marxist parties into the political system.
During his first year he had to face the military opposition to his plans, that boiled over with the so called Ariostazo
. He also promoted and campaigned for a Nobel prize
for Gabriela Mistral
, which only came to fruition under his successor, Juan Antonio Ríos
.
On the economic side, and prompted in part by the devastating earthquake of 1939, he created the Production Development Corporation (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción - CORFO
) to encourage with subsidies and direct investments an ambitious program of import substitution industrialization. This was the basis for the industrialization of Chile. From there sprung the steel, manufacturing and sugar industries.
In 1941 due to his rapidly escalating illness, he appointed his minister of the Interior, Jerónimo Méndez
as vice-president. He died soon after, of tuberculosis, on November 25, 1941 in Santiago
, Chile
. Méndez served as acting President until Juan Antonio Rios
, elected on February 1, 1942, took office on April 2.
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 figure. A member of the Radical Party
Radical Party (Chile)
The Radical Party of Chile was a Chilean political party. It was formed in 1863 by a split in the Liberal Party. Not coincidently, it was formed shortly after the organization of the Grand Lodge of Chile, and it has maintained a close relationship with Chilean Freemasonry throughout its life...
, he was chosen as the Popular Front
Popular Front (Chile)
The Popular Front in Chile was an electoral and political left-wing coalition from 1937 to February 1941, during the Presidential Republic Era...
's candidate for the 1938 presidential election
Chilean presidential election, 1938
A presidential election was held in Chile on October 25, 1938.-Results:* Withdrew candidacy before election and gave his support to Aguirre.Source:...
, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941. Pedro Aguirre Cerda was of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
descent.
Early life
He was born in Pocuro, a small village near the city of Los AndesLos Andes
-Places:*Los Andes Department, one of the Departments of Argentina*Los Andes Province, Bolivia*Los Andes, Chile*Los Andes Province, Chile*Los Andes, Nariño, a town and municipality in Colombia*Los Andes , a former state of Venezuela -Others:...
, in Chile. The seventh of a total of eleven children of Juan Bautista Aguirre and Clarisa Cerda. His father, a farmer, died when he was eight years old in 1887. His mother had to run the farm and raise him and all his brothers alone.
He finished his university studies in Santiago, at the Pedagogic Institute and became a teacher of Spanish in 1900. In 1904 he became a lawyer. He married his cousin Juana Rosa Aguirre Luco
Juana Rosa Aguirre
Juana Rosa Aguirre Luco was First Lady of Chile and the wife of President Pedro Aguirre Cerda, who was also her cousin....
, with whom he had no children. In 1910, thanks to a government scholarship he studied administrative and financial law at La Sorbonne, plus political economy and social legislation at the College de France. He returned to Chile in 1914 and took a position as a teacher at the National Institute. He also became president of the National Society of Teachers.
He was a very distinguished teacher, attorney, deputy and senator. He was also the first dean of the new school of economy of the Universidad de Chile. As a member of the Radical Party
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
, he was minister of Public Instruction and of the Interior during the administrations of Juan Luis Sanfuentes
Juan Luis Sanfuentes
Juan Luis Sanfuentes Andonaegui was President of Chile between 1915 and 1920. He was son of writer and politician Salvador Sanfuentes Torres and Matilde Andonaegui....
and Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
. During the period of military domination, he was persecuted and became an active opposition leader to the government of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
.
For the presidential elections of 1938
Chilean presidential election, 1938
A presidential election was held in Chile on October 25, 1938.-Results:* Withdrew candidacy before election and gave his support to Aguirre.Source:...
, he was the candidate of the Popular Front
Popular Front (Chile)
The Popular Front in Chile was an electoral and political left-wing coalition from 1937 to February 1941, during the Presidential Republic Era...
, and narrowly defeated conservative candidate Gustavo Ross, mostly because of the political backlash caused by the Seguro Obrero Massacre.
Presidency
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was elected and assumed as president on December 25, 1938 under the slogan "Gobernar es educar" (to govern is to educate.) As a teacher, his priority in government was education. As such, he promoted the development of the technical-industrial schools as a means to promote the formation of technicians for the nascent industrialization of the country. He also created thousands of new regular schools and encouraged the growth of the university system to cover the whole of the country. Cerda’s government also redistributed some land, encouraged the formation of agricultural settlements, built low-cost housing and schools, and integrated the Marxist parties into the political system.
During his first year he had to face the military opposition to his plans, that boiled over with the so called Ariostazo
Ariostazo
Ariostazo 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 Chilean President Pedro Aguirre Cerda.-Background:...
. He also promoted and campaigned for a Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
for Gabriela Mistral
Gabriela Mistral
Gabriela Mistral was the pseudonym of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, a Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1945...
, which only came to fruition under his successor, Juan Antonio Ríos
Juan Antonio Ríos
Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...
.
On the economic side, and prompted in part by the devastating earthquake of 1939, he created the Production Development Corporation (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción - CORFO
CORFO
Production Development Corporation is a Chilean governmental organization that was founded in 1939, by President Pedro Aguirre Cerda, to promote economic growth in Chile...
) to encourage with subsidies and direct investments an ambitious program of import substitution industrialization. This was the basis for the industrialization of Chile. From there sprung the steel, manufacturing and sugar industries.
In 1941 due to his rapidly escalating illness, he appointed his minister of the Interior, Jerónimo Méndez
Jerónimo Méndez
Jerónimo Méndez Arancibia was a Chilean politician who served as provisional president.He was born in Chañaral, where he completed his secondary studies. In 1914 he graduated as an MD from the Universidad de Chile. President Pedro Aguirre Cerda appointed him Minister of the Interior...
as vice-president. He died soon after, of tuberculosis, on November 25, 1941 in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, 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...
. Méndez served as acting President until Juan Antonio Rios
Juan Antonio Ríos
Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...
, elected on February 1, 1942, took office on April 2.